The Downward Spiral
by FandomPariah
Summary: A lonely Velvet meets Adam Taurus through a mutual friend, joining the White Fang and becoming part of a chain reaction of events that will re-shape Remnant. Starts prior to Vol.1 Rated M for language, violence & adult themes. Contains OCs as well as the Canon characters. Bumbleby and Nuts & Dolts from Vol.2
1. 01: Summer Vacation (Vol1)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 01: Summer Vacation**

Velvet Scarlatina hated storms.

Especially in summer, when they encroached upon the normally warm and peaceful weather. She hated the way thunder sounded to her overly sensitive ears, she hated the smell of ozone they left in their wake, and most of all she hated the rain. Her Faunus ears made wearing hoods or hats impossible, and they didn't fit comfortably under umbrellas either. As a result, any time she was caught in the rain, she ended up thoroughly soaked. Just like she was now.

The day had started well enough, a typical Vale summer morning. The slight breeze & few clouds in the sky could hardly be considered fair warning for the current deluge, so she had decided to leave the house without a jacket. She hadn't had any real plans for the day, as she hadn't had much contact with the other members of her team since her first year at the prestigious Beacon Academy had ended– not that it was much of a change from their interactions at school. Her team's interactions seemed noticeably less familial than the other teams at the academy.

Velvet would've like to think it was just a lack of things in common, and not about race, but she hadn't learned enough about them to be sure. She frowned to herself. It was unfair to make the assumption that her teammates held any sort of bigoted views against her, but the facts were there. Yatsuhashi, the sword-wielding giant of a man, hadn't responded to a message in over a month. Fox, the person she felt the closest to on her team, for what little that was worth, had left Vale to visit family in Vacuo and hadn't been in contact since. Her team leader, the always stylish Coco Adel, had become increasingly short with her replies since the start of the summer. At this point, she averaged at a single-word reply to every third message.

Which brought Velvet to her current situation. From her family's house in the suburban outskirts, she'd headed into Vale proper to relax in the park and complete her few remaining assignments for school outdoors, rather than be confined in the house and waste another day. Taking the first raindrops to land on her as a sign to leave, she had begun the long trek back to the bus stop. The conventional bus stop. There was no way she was paying airship prices for anything less than a trip out of the kingdom. But that meant that the storm caught her in full force, rendering her denim shorts & black tank top (which she'd elected to wear instead of her combat gear, perhaps unwisely) defenseless against the downpour.

The sound of a car approaching behind her caught her attention… But not soon enough.

 _SPLASH_

"Fucking fleabag!"

The words were shouted out of the passenger-side window of the car that had drove as close to the curb as possible to spray one of the deeper puddles forming on the road into her. Velvet sputtered and wiped the rainwater from her eyes as the car sped around a corner before she had a chance to fully register the incident. A depressingly familiar lump formed in the Faunus girl's throat as she processed the casual racism she'd just been subjected to, which was then firmly pushed down as she assessed her sodden clothes & then looked at her watch.

"And it looks like I'm not going to make the bus either," she mumbled to herself, realizing she would probably have to wait almost an hour for the next one. Setting herself in motion again, she turned the same corner that the car had taken and saw a small gas station further down the street. She decided to stop in and buy herself a drink from the small store next to it that most Vale gas stations seemed to have attached to them.

Reaching the forecourt of the gas station she saw that it was not one of the large chain-brands that littered the Kingdom. A large sign read "Slates" in cracked and peeling letters. The only car currently using the pumps was a small red sports car with the kind of after-market chromed wheels that could assure onlookers that the owner was probably an obnoxious cretin.

Passing the pumps quickly to avoid the smell of gasoline, she entered the store to find it dimly lit which her eyes quickly adjusted to, but mercifully dry and warm. Velvet hadn't even realized that she was starting to shiver until she found herself out of the cold. She headed towards the refrigerator at the other end of the store, suddenly very aware of the dryness in her throat.

Down the aisle, there was a pair of young men at the cash register- probably in their early twenties- waiting to be served, looking as though the lack of a cashier was a personal insult to them. She paid them no attention until one of them shouted.

"Hey ass-hole! How long is going to take for you to come and do your job?"

Velvet turned around, dread welling up in her. She knew that voice. This was the jackass who'd shouted abuse at her from the car window. The offending shouter was reasonably tall, and had the look of someone who worked out but only to be seen doing so. The skin-tight tank top he was wearing showed off his large tribal tattoo-laden arms. The arms, however, were offset by a pair of disproportionately skinny legs left visible by the knee length shorts he was wearing. The other one must have been the driver, slightly taller than his friend but nowhere near as jacked, grey sweatpants and a black hoodie covering his skinny physique. He sat on the counter while his friend antagonised the member of staff who was presumably in a storeroom somewhere.

Velvet decided against making a scene. As a trainee huntress, she was more than capable of dealing with the pair, but therein was the problem. A Hunter or Huntress attacking a civilian was a much more serious offence than a common assault– it was considered borderline treasonous for those sworn to protect the kingdoms from Grimm to cause harm to those they protected.

The loud mouth in the tank-top started again. "Hey, if you don't get out here then we're-"

"Unless you want to come back here and help out then shut the fuck up!" a deep, gravelly voice bellowed back from a door behind the counter "And if you even think about leaving without paying, I'll break your noses!"

The pair of men were taken aback by the response, having the air of people who were not put in the their place often enough. Velvet couldn't suppress a small giggle at their expression, which then caused the two of them to look directly at her.

"Is something funny?" the one in the tank top spat.

"Yo, that's the same fleabag we drenched a minute ago, look at the state of her," the one in the hoodie sniggered, the malice in his voice evident.

At this the larger man began to walk down the aisle towards Velvet. "So what then, you thought you'd follow us here and start something? Is that it? Or are you just here to shoplift?"

Velvet bristled but forced herself to remain calm, rolling her eyes & silently turning her attention to the selection of drinks on offer.

"Don't turn away like you're too good to talk to us." She could hear him approaching. His friend had left the counter and was trailing behind him, but she steadfastly refused to turn to face them.

"Hey, I'm talking to you, you mangy cun-"

"Oi prick!" The same gravelly voice from before came forward, though now it was quieter and laced with unadulterated venom and fury. All parties turned at this interruption to see the source.

The pair of racists went pale.

Having exited the storeroom, the absent cashier was walking around the counter: He was a towering six-foot-eight, broad-shouldered slab of muscles that were clearly defined even through his uniform. More importantly, he was a hulking slab of Faunus muscle, with mocha coloured skin, dark shaggy hair offset by a short snout-like nose and jaw, and yellow eyes glistening in the gloom of the store. A bear Faunus.

"You think you're just gonna walk in my store & talk that kind of shit then leave? Nah, that's not how things work," he snarled, his accent doing nothing but adding to the menace. If Velvet had to guess, it was a Lower Atlesian accent.

"Fuck off fleabag, go get your manager," the larger of Velvet's would-be assailants tried to retort. However, his voice didn't have the same confidence or aggression it held moments ago.

The large Bear Faunus made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a chuckle, and then something strange happened. He vanished.

Velvet, being a trainee Huntress, had seen enough in the last year to know that this was only strange, rather than impossible.

A fraction of a second after vanishing from the other end of the store the Faunus reappeared with a dull cracking sound that reverberated endlessly around the store, wisps of a thick black smog trailing from his body. He was now inches from his quarry, and his hand shot out to grab the tank-top wearing racist by the scruff of his neck and pin him to the wall.

"The sign outside says 'Slate's.' I am Mr. Slate. Now I suggest you two get the fuck out before I put you both through the windscreen of the car Daddy bought you." Letting the man go, the newly introduced Mr. Slate followed this up with a vicious right hook to the cheek, which sent the man sprawling. Within moments, he was sprinting for the exit. His accomplice tried to follow but was dragged back by Mr. Slate.

"What did I say would happen if you tried to leave without paying?" Slate asked, his voice low and dangerous.

The hoodie-wearing man reached into his pocket and handed over his wallet. "Just take it, I don't want trouble."

At this, the bear Faunus smirked. "Yeah, you do." With that, he head-butted him.

Velvet winced as she could clearly hear the sound of the humans' nose breaking as the attack knocked him from his feet.

"And you." Velvet felt her stomach plummet as the man turned to her. "Don't you go to Beacon?"

It took a moment for Velvet to process what she'd just been asked. "Y-Yeah, I start back for my second year in a couple weeks."

"Thought you looked familiar. You're one of last years fresh meat. I'm heading into third year."

Taking a longer look at what she supposed could be called her rescuer, Velvet realized that he indeed didn't look much older than herself, gargantuan size notwithstanding. She chose to ignore the 'Fresh Meat' jibe.

"But hold on," she started, slightly confused. "You told them this is your store?"

At this he laughed.

"Nah, my old man is 'Mr. Slate', I'm just here to help out for some extra Lien over the summer. Name's Gangrel." He hold out a paw-like hand, which Velvet shook.

"So how come I've never seen you around Beacon? I mean, I'm not exactly the most social person on campus, but you're not exactly hard to spot?" Velvet inquired.

Gangrel chuckled. "I had a load of assignments to catch up on last year. My first year was the Vytal Festival in Atlas. I took my team over there for the tournament, since I'd not been home since I moved."

Velvet's eyes widened slightly at that- a first year team travelling to another Kingdom to compete was a lot more of a bragging right than a local team entering, as the academies only tended to send their best, while the host Kingdom tended to use the bi-annual tournament as a chance to showcase the majority of their fledgeling teams.

"Awesome! What team are you on? How did you do?"

"We were took out in the second round by the team that took silver."

Velvet noticed that his accent changed the Os in 'took' to a U, and he pronounced the word 'out' as "aht."

"And I'm on Team GRAP, and trust me, the rest of my team are about as happy with that name as I am." This caused Velvet to genuinely laugh before realizing something. "Hey, wait, isn't your team the only currently enrolled all-Faunus team?"

"Yeah, Team VOID were in their last year when I was in first year, never did get to see if the stories about how brutal they were had any truth in 'em…. What team are you on?"

"Team Coffee, so not much better as far as naming goes." Velvet frowned, not wanting to think too much about her team.

"The team with the big fucker on it?"

"Coming from yourself?" Velvet snarked back.

"Yeah coming from me, there's not many people I have to look up to. I bet he does some damage to the Grimm."

"Yatsuhashi isn't even the one you want to watch out for, that'd be Coco," Velvet replied.

"So where's the rest of your team then? It's weird only seeing part of a team, even on breaks."

Velvet lowered her head at this, her rabbit ears visibly drooping. "Fox went to visit family in Vacuo, I haven't really seen anything of the team over the vacation. We're not really... close like that." Velvet silently cursed the emotion creeping into her voice.

"It's not because of…?" Gangrel let the question hang in the air as he nodded towards her Faunus attributes.

"I honestly don't even know," Velvet whispered, forcing herself to ignore her eyes starting to heat up.

"Shambles," Gangrel growled out. Seeing Velvet's confused look, he continued. "It's a shambles, an absolute embarrassment that we've got Grimm at the doorstep and we're still fighting over this shit. I mean, I've had to deal with it but never from my own team, thank Oum."

"It's sad," Velvet agreed. "We've got idiots like those two you just kicked out practically making themselves a White Fang ad campaign, and then the Fang do something insane, which just creates more human bigots."

"The really sad thing," Gangrel said with a sigh, "Is that the White Fang were never necessary. They used to be a union. Watching them turn into what they are now was painful."

The sentence was punctuated by the sound of another car pulling into the gas station. The Bear Faunus smiled. "Anyway, before we get into morbid discussions, I've got customers to deal with." He paused, seemingly considering something. "Actually though, can you do me a favour?"

"Depends what it is, I've got to catch a bus soon," Velvet replied.

"I'm meant to be heading to a party in the Kennels tonight. One of my team is coming, but I'm meant to be meeting an old friend as well, and he's just getting over a messy breakup."

"So you're going to pass him off onto me?" Velvet asked, slightly incredulous.

"Not in any creepy way, just so he doesn't end up drinking alone if my teammate gets me involved in any….antics." Gangrel smirked at the last word.

"Okay, put your number in my scroll. I can't make any promises, though." Velvet handed her scroll over to her new acquaintance. "Did you say the party is in Kenwood?" she asked, remembering that part of town had a reputation for being rife with almost every kind of crime imaginable.

"Yeah, it's on the old industrial estate though. Not the main housing blocks."

"Is it safe to be around Kenwood late at night?" Velvet asked.

Gangrel's bemused smirk was her answer.

"Okay firstly, you're a huntress, and secondly, the Kennels aren't as bad as they're made out to be- I've lived there since I came over from Atlas."

The door opened as the customer from outside entered the store, halting the conversation. Gangrel headed back to the counter to serve him, and Velvet checked the time. To her surprise, it was later than she'd expected.

"Gangrel, I'm going to have to head home, but I might see you later."

"One sec," Gangrel said.

Velvet paused long enough to get a jacket thrown at her.

"You're gonna get soaked through again without a jacket. That one's mine, just bring it to the party tonight."

With a smile of thanks and a wave, Velvet walked out of the store and headed towards her original destination. She opened her bottle of drink, and then she realized she hadn't actually paid for it.

 _Looks like I'll have to go to that party for a bit just to pay him back_ she thought to herself. The hulking Bear Faunus wasn't her type, but he was definitely someone she could see herself being friends with. Anything to break up the monotony her summer had slipped into was a welcome change.

 _Looks like, despite everything, today wasn't a total waste,_ she thought to herself happily.

 **Author's notes:**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

This is my first RWBY Fan-fiction, caused by re-watching Vol.1-3 & realizing outside of battle Velvet Scarlatina is never seen with her team. Combined with her treatment at the hands of humans, I wondered what is actually keeping her from joining the White Fang. She has the skills to do well there.  
Then I realized Adam Taurus is not just someone you see strolling down the street casually, so I needed someone to introduce them. From here. my OC team GRAP (Grape) was born, along with the initial spark for the rest of the plot.  
About Gangrel Slate: Yes, he's an OC. No he's not a Self-Insert. I will actively try to stop any of my characters straying into Mary-Suedom. There's a post on my Tumblr giving some more details on the members of Team GRAP (remove the ALL the parentheses from the URL before entering it into the search bar, FFnet doesn't like URL's for some reason): http(:)/(/)st(u)diogibl(e)201(6).()t()u(m)b()lr.()co(m)(/)post/149667130592/  
Gangrel's accent, described as "Lower Atlesian," was based on a Yorkshire accent, Yorkshire being the part of the UK I'm from: working class, used to have a lot of mines, now there's a lot of factories & warehouses- it seemed fitting for a Faunus from Atlas to have an accent like that considering the Schnee Dust Company is based in Atlas & uses cheap Faunus labour.


	2. 02: Partytime

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 02: Party Time**

Music blared in Velvet's ears as she lay sprawled out on her bed, fresh from a much-needed shower and dressed in nothing more than a bathrobe. She didn't care what she wore right now, as the house was empty. Her parents were working late, and she'd arrived home to find notes from both of her siblings letting her know that they were staying at friends' houses that night. The notes from her siblings were a large source of comfort to her. Despite being the only Faunus family in this decidedly middle-class part of Vale, her thirteen-year-old brother Flax and her ten-year-old sister Poly were both popular enough in their schools that they were rarely in the house over the vacation. The same couldn't be said for herself, though.

Her thoughts were interrupted by the buzzing of her scroll. Pausing the song she was listening to, she rolled over to reach her scroll and saw that the message was from Coco. Velvet had messaged her shortly after arriving home to see if the fashionista would be interested in coming to the party. Despite Gangrel's earlier assurances, she still had reservations about heading into that part of town alone. However, there wouldn't be any help coming from Coco, as the message made clear.

"Sorry can't tonight, parents have got me working in the restaurant. 100% sure you should wear the second outfit though," was her teammate's reply.

Oh, right. A hazy detail about Coco from the school year came back to Velvet: Her leader had mentioned offhandedly a few times that her family owned one of the more upmarket restaurants in Vale. It left her feeling slightly guilty about her earlier thoughts regarding her teammate, as it was hardly fair to complain that they never spent time together if she was holding a job down. Coco had to earn Lien somehow, probably. The amount of ammunition her behemoth of a weapon consumed couldn't be cheap. Velvet typed out her reply:

"A restaurant so classy they have huntresses cleaning the dishes. If I could afford to get in I'd drop by just to see it. Thanks for the advice, though. I'll see you back at Beacon if you're working all summer." She received a reply moments later.

"Very funny, but nobody with a camera will ever see me in a hairnet. And, yeah, it looks like we won't be meeting again until we get back to Beacon. Damned job's taking up all my time. I'll try and meet you at the airships at Beacon."

Laughing at the thought of Coco, the most fashionable person she knew, clad in a hairnet and stained apron, Velvet looked over to her wardrobe again. The two possible outfits she'd selected for tonight hung from the doors, and she agreed with Coco's choice. The second outfit was better.

Checking the time, she saw that she still had a few hours to get ready and be at the venue at a reasonable time. Velvet may not have been the social butterfly her younger siblings were, but she had the sense to not be that person who arrived at a party almost the second the doors opened. She debated for a moment whether she could be bothered to go and cook something to eat. In the end, she simply ordered a pizza via her scroll. Partying on an empty stomach was never a good idea. Restarting the song she had been listening to, she let herself get lost in the rhythm. She had some time, and she was going to veg out for a bit. After all, rabbits loved Veg.

* * *

Gangrel could feel the bass pounding in his chest more than he could hear it. That was how he liked it.

Turning back from the bar, he headed over to a roped-off collection of sofas that could only ever be called a "VIP section" in jest. Amber eyes scanned the venue, looking for anyone familiar. This place he was currently in could not be be called a nightclub. It was nothing more than a small, disused warehouse that had been adapted to suit the purpose of partying. The aisles of racking had been removed to make a dance floor, a bar had been set up, the DJs booth was set on the mezzanine floor above along with what had once been admin office. Despite the lingering smell of dust in the air and the occasional draft caused by leaving the loading bay doors open as an escape route in case the local law enforcement decided to raid the venue, this warehouse in the Kennels was still regarded by the locals as the best party in town.

"Thought you'd got lost," was the greeting Gangrel received as he sat down, handing a bottle of beer over to the person who spoke as he took a swig of his own drink, which was something decidedly stronger than the beer he'd just handed away.

"I just had to get away from the utter bollocks you were talking for a minute," Gangrel retorted, earning a smirk from his friend.

"Fair enough," was the only reply.

Gangrel's companion was his teammate at Beacon, Perdu Callow. Perdu was a reptilian Faunus who stood at an unimpressive five-foot-zero with a slender build that belied the amount of lean muscle he actually had, was completely bald with unhealthy-looking pallid and leathery skin that had a noticeable green tinge to it. Small scaly ridges running along his jawline like a spiny beard added to his reptilian traits, and similar protrusions replaced his eyebrows as well, framing the pale yellow eyes that seemed far too large for his skull. It was an inhuman face that had been the subject of many jokes, but it was surprisingly expressive, more often than not wearing a broad smile that displayed rows of sharp needle-like teeth.  
"No, but seriously though," Perdu began, restarting the conversation that Gangrel had left just a minute ago. His voice was slightly higher-pitched than he was comfortable with, and raspy. The result was that he perpetually sounded as if he was suppressing a laugh. "With all the tech that they have would it reall-"

"Squish, let me stop you there." Gangrel cut him off, calling Perdu by the nickname he'd had for almost as long as the pair had known each other. "Take it from the person who's actually lived in Atlas. They are not developing robot super soldiers with an Aura. What the fuck would they even need them for?" One of the downsides of being friends with Perdu was that he was utterly obsessed with conspiracy theories. Gangrel took another swig of his brandy, relishing the way it burned, as Perdu leaned forward, his face serious as he considered his reply.

"Super durable sex robots."

Gangrel sprayed his drink everywhere, simultaneously choking and howling with laughter. After knowing Perdu for this long, he should have seen a comment like that coming, but his friend never failed to surprise him with the amount of depravity and tasteless jokes he could spew.

"I'd ask if it's a bad time, but I'd love to know what conversation I've just walked in on."

Gangrel turned at the new voice to see who was inviting themselves into the "VIP" area. It was Velvet, wearing a black skirt that stopped just above her knees with a slit running up one thigh, exposing a considerable amount of her toned legs and a sheer, strapless crimson top that hugged her figure very well and a black leather jacket that stopped just above her waist she wore almost no make-up but her dark eye shadow drew attention to the cocoa colour of her eyes. She looked, in a word, stunning.

"I don't think there's ever a bad time for you to introduce yourself," Perdu replied, a ridiculous grin spreading across his face.

Gangrel face-palmed at Perdu's cliched reply before interrupting to make sure his friend couldn't make an utter idiot of himself.

"Hey Velvet, good to see you could make it. This social ground-zero is Perdu, the teammate I said I'd have with me."

Undeterred by Gangrel's jibe, Perdu spoke again with confidence. "Call me Squish, everyone does."

"Squish, this is Velvet, she's in the year under us at Beacon," Gangrel explained.

The rabbit Faunus held out a hand, which Perdu shook lightly. Gangrel had been half-expecting him to kiss the back of her hand and spout some cheesy pick-up line, and he breathed a sigh of relief when it didn't happen. Perdu had been his friend since he moved to Vale from Atlas seven years ago, but he was still, in the larger Faunus' opinion, an accident waiting to happen at any time.

"So." Velvet smiled at her two new drinking buddies. "Tell me about the super durable sex robots that Atlas are building."

Gangrel and Perdu burst into laughter, although the Bear Faunus groaned internally. _She's encouraging him….it's going to be one of those nights_.

* * *

Adam Taurus would've been one of the most feared Faunus on Remnant, if it weren't for the fact that the authorities didn't have a name to put the masked face they regularly saw on CCTV footage recovered from the sites of White Fang attacks. Those who followed him saw him as someone they could rally behind and march to victory and the true equality that had been denied to the Faunus. The authorities saw him as a scourge on civilization, appearing almost anywhere in the four kingdoms without warning, sowing crime and civil unrest in his wake. His true enemies like the Schnee Dust Company saw him as a beast worse than the low standard they held to his people in general, and to them he was a monster who could attack at any time, laying waste to their operations and taking pieces of his victims with him as grisly trophies. Tonight, however, Adam Taurus was none of those things. Tonight, he was bored.

He had left his main base of operations, his distaste at the people his new "business partner," that euphemism left a bad taste in his mouth when applied to _her_ had scurrying around the place providing all the incentive needed to find something else to occupy his time. The same "business partner," however, had "advised" him, another euphemism, that her own operatives would be the ones taking on most of the small-scale raids on Dust shops for the time being. Since the smaller stores were the only ones that could be raided on short notice, this closed off another avenue of enjoyable possibilities. The adrenaline rush of spur-of-the-moment mayhem was something he could thoroughly engross himself in- that said, it would be less enjoyable without his former partner-

 _No, we are NOT going down that train of thought again_ , Adam thought bitterly to himself. It had been a few months since his former partner and first love had left him stranded on a train carriage in the middle of an operation. That had hurt more than he was prepared to admit, but he was slowly coming to terms with the fact that he was alone. His immediate concern, however, was the fact he was alone and bored right now. He was currently in one of the offices in the run-down warehouse that some of his more business-minded underlings had turned into a nightclub in the Faunus part of town. It was, he admitted, a good idea to give the Faunus somewhere they could go and enjoy themselves without the thought of discrimination in the back of their minds. It was an unproven but fairly open secret in the area that the White Fang were the ones running this nightclub. As such, it had actually brought new recruits to the cause by giving the Fang a more approachable public face to complement the battle masks they wore when dealing with humans. It was also a very lucrative venture. Adam could see why guys like Junior were so protective of their little dives. They were practically rivers of money.

Adam stood up and found his jacket before leaving the office. He'd come here to 'keep an eye on the place,' having arrived not long after the doors had opened for the night and making sure that everything was running smoothly before retreating to the offices after seeing nothing that required his attention. But now he felt like going down and having a little fun.

He made his way down to the dance floor, stopped only by the DJ giving him a friendly fistbump and the occasional drunk, and cut through the crowds, heading towards the open loading bay doors. He needed a smoke, and then he was going to find something to do before he want crazier than most people already suspected he was.

* * *

Velvet was thoroughly enjoying herself. She'd laughed more in the last hour or so than she had in weeks, the banter between herself and her two new friends flowing naturally, Gangrel was the sarcastic and dry-witted straight man to balance out the verbal maelstrom of irreverence, filth and gallows humour that was Perdu "Squish" Callow, and the two of them could've been a comedy duo.

"I've got to ask," she managed to get out as her last bout of hysterics at the pair subsided. "Where's everyone else? You said you two were meeting another friend tonight and I'm pretty sure you said yourself it's weird when you only see part of a hunter team somewhere."

Gangrel chuckled. "The other half of Team GRAP are out doing their own thing tonight. It's totally not date night for them." Then he gave a pointed stare that told her all she needed to know.

"Why would they hide the fact they're dating?" Velvet asked.

"Can you imagine what sharing a room with Squish would be like if he knew the details of your love life?" Gangrel visibly shuddered at the thought.

"Look," the reptilian Faunus chimed in, "I have no problem with them mounting each other on every available surface if that's what they want-"

"SQUISH!" Gangrel howled, as Velvet desperately tried to suppress a giggle.

"-But I still think a cat Faunus and a dog Faunus fucking is weird on some level." This sent Velvet into utter hysterics again. Her limited experience with alcohol was telling her she wasn't drunk yet, but she was buzzed and getting there.

"I really don't need to imagine what Rover and Missy do when we're not around, considering we'll be back in the dorms in a couple weeks, so can you try and keep away from subjects that make we want to drink bleach?" Gangrel managed to wheeze out, through his own laughter.

"Bleach is a step down from what you drink, seriously how are you not dead?" Squish replied, distrustfully eyeing the latest drink Gangrel was knocking back.

"So, Velvet." Gangrel turned to the Rabbit Faunus, choosing to ignore his friend's comment on his drinking habits. it was an old issue. "I'm curious what your weapon is, the only people on your team whose gear I've seen use blades. You need some sort of artillery, but I don't see you carrying a rocket launcher for some reason."

Velvet smiled at this. "We have some artillery, but that's not my job. I'm a little more versatile."

"So something with a mech-shift then?" Squish asked, genuinely curious. As well as having an insane sense of humor and being an avid conspiracy theorist, he was also the weapons expert of his team. "Because I'm struggling to imagine you really going to town on someone with a close combat weapon… you look too innocent."

Velvet chuckled at that. Innocent, was she? "It's a surprise, I'll just tell you that you've probably never seen a weapon that does what mine can. The only thing I'll give you is it's name. Leporidae Rampant."

The reptilian Faunus cocked his head to the side, processing the information, and then his face split into an evil grin before he burst out laughing. "Oh my fucking Oum, that's priceless….She called her weapon Rampant Rabbit."

Gangrel, in what was becoming a theme for the night, choked on his drink laughing.

Velvet laughed. "Hey, a girl's gotta have fun." That comment only added to Squishs' amusement.

"Okay Gang, what gutter did you find her in, and why don't we live there?" he asked.

The Bear Faunus didn't reply, however, as he looked distracted by something, his eyes following a figure moving through the crowd. A small grin formed on his face. "I'll be back in a minute," he said to Velvet and Squish, getting out of his chair. "I think tonight just got a lot more fun."

* * *

Adam was standing in the cool air outside the warehouse, the music still ringing in his ears as he fished his lighter out of his jacket pocket.

"Hello darkness, my old friend."

He span around at the deep, gravelly voice with an accent that butchered vowels, and was greeted with a ridiculously large Bear Faunus smirking at him as he approached.

Adam's normally stoic expression was replaced by one of his rare genuine smiles. "Gang, how are you here? I heard they were still scraping you off the stadium floor in Atlas."

The larger man chuckled as the two gave each other a brief bear-hug.

"So you're still a twat then. I suppose that's a good sign. How've you been?" Gangrel asked.

"Not too bad, business here is booming. Some of the other stuff has had to take a back seat for a while th-"

Gangrel cut him off. "Fuck your business Adam, I asked how you're doing. I heard about you and the shadow cat."

The bull Faunus visibly winced at Gangrel's words. "Yeah...I'm coping, it's been a rough couple of months though, to be honest."

"I can imagine." Gangrel sighed. "And I know I've not been around as much, but for Oum's sake, you know you can ring my scroll any time. Don't sit in your office moping- it doesn't help."

"Neither does drinking your problems away." Adam's words came out with a little more force than he'd like.

"Don't you start, I've got Squish in there giving my glass the death glare," Gangrel shot back.

"That fucking idiot is here? Gang, if he's selling-"

"He isn't, I specifically told him not bring any with him."

Adam relaxed a little. "So how did you know I was here?"

Gangrel smirked. "Just 'cos I'm not as active as I used to be doesn't mean people don't tell me stuff. Heard from the bar staff that you've been in here the last couple weekends breathing down their necks. I'm not working nights this week, so I thought I'd catch up with you."

Adam nodded. "The Gas station. How is your old man anyway?" he asked, conscious of the fact that the longer he spoke to his old friend more of his old accent and dialect worked their way back into his speech.

"Same as always, tough as old boots... here's a question, though." Gangrel nodded to the cigarette Adam had finished and was stubbing out. "If you're done with that then why are we stood out here like a pair of idiots?"

Adam chuckled. "Fair question, I was going to head out."

Gangrel gave him a look. "Got somewhere better to be?"

"Nothing planned ahead bu-"

"Then you can come and have a drink. I haven't seen you in the best part of two years." Grabbing his old friend's shoulder, Gangrel pulled Adam back inside and manoeuvred him towards the sofas he'd been situated at previously.

Adam decided it was probably better to just go along with it. He didn't have a better way to spend the night, after all. Reaching the sofas, he and Perdu gave each other a curt nod of acknowledgement. The two knew each other through Gangrel, but they had no problem admitting they would never be friends. However, sitting there on one of the other sofas was, quite simply, one of the most beautiful women Adam had ever seen.

"Back again." Gangrel's voice cut through the music and conversation as he reclaimed his seat. "Adam, meet Velvet. She's a year under me at Beacon. Velvet, this edgelord in a suit pretending he doesn't have an accent is Adam, an old friend of mine from Atlas. Ended up moving over here a couple years after I did."

Velvet smiled as she looked at Adam. He was tall, well built without being overly so, and very well-dressed. She could tell that the suit he was wearing was not cheap. His hair was a deep crimson framed by a pair of bull Faunus horns, and his eyes were a vibrant shade of red that would have looked out of place on anyone else. Velvet blushed, realizing that Gangrel's friend was very good-looking.

"Hey," she said simply. She didn't trust herself to talk too much in her increasingly intoxicated state without making an idiot of herself.

"Evening, I hope these two have at least pretended to be civilized for you," Adam said. His voice was deep but without the guttural sound that she had come to associate with Gangrel, and his accent was almost imperceptible.

"Well, they've tried," Velvet replied, getting a smile from the newcomer as he moved to sit next to her.

"Better than I hoped for. Is this seat taken?" he asked.

Velvet shook her head, taking a swig of her drink to try to hide the heat rising in her face.

"I should probably take offence to that," Gangrel huffed.

"I should probably remind you that you had your first fight as a Beacon student on the airship to your initiation," Adam retorted, getting a laugh from Squish. But that was an exception; the reptilian Faunus had been noticeably quieter since Adam joined them.

"How did you even do that?" Velvet asked, wondering if Adam was exaggerating. But the smirk on Gangrels' face told her everything she needed to know.

"It's how I met one of the other people on my team. Some dickhead was giving her a hard time- real little creeper, started asking her if Faunus ever go into heat- so I grabbed him from behind and told him to assume the position so he could find out… situation ended about the way you'd expect."

"Oh my Oum, you are horrific," Velvet managed to gasp out between laughs. "I can't believe you'd actually say something like that."

Adam chuckled. "That's honestly pretty standard for Gang."

"I regret nothing," Gangrel said proudly. The alcohol was finally starting to make an impact on him, if the slight slur was anything to go by.

The group quieted down after a while as Velvet took in the atmosphere of the venue. It wasn't like anywhere else she'd been before, but she rapidly found herself growing fond of the place.

"So are we going to sit here all night or actually dance?" she asked after a while.

Gangrel laughed. "You can if you want. Squish can't, and I just... don't."

Velvet shook her head in disdain. "Hopeless. What about you, Adam?"

"Oh, this should be good," Squish muttered under his breath.

"Yeah, sure. Why not?"

Adam's reply garnered a moment of stunned silence before he stood up, leading Velvet to the dance floor with a hand on her hip.

"Wait….wh-wh-what?" Squish stammered. "Did we just get ditched for the emo overlord? What the actual fuck?"

Gangrel was doubled over laughing at this point. "Well, don't just sit there, get your scroll out and film 'cos I'll bet you a grand we never see this again."

Squish considered his partner's words for a fraction of a second before frantically reaching for his scroll while Gangrel downed the last of his drink before continuing. "And as for what's happening, pretty much what I hoped, now go grab us some drinks. I'm sure it's your round."

The smaller Faunus collapsed his scroll before making his way to the bar. He was feeling pretty drunk, and had no idea how the hell his partner managed to keep downing liquor and function unhindered. It was unbelievable. However, before he reached his destination, he was tapped on the shoulder, and then pulled unceremoniously off to one side.

"Yo who the fu-" he started, reaching inside his jacket for something that he would never have brought to a more respectable establishment.

"Relax, Squish," came the drawling reply. Squish looked up at his assailant, seeing an eyeliner-wearing redhead in a white coat and black bowler hat.

"Roman, you pretentious prick," was the most civil greeting Squish could manage. "Have a look around, see any humans here? This isn't your kind of party."

"No, it's not," Torchwick agreed. "It's not the Vale police's' kind of party either, but they're still on the way to crash it."

The words cut through Squish's drunken haze like a hot knife through butter. "You're sure?"

"Got the word from an officer that owes me a favor. They'll be here soon. I'm telling you this since we all work for the same people now."

Squish nodded at this and turned back the way he came, jogging towards Gangrel. "Time to go!" he shouted to Gangrel, who looked at him, nonplussed.

"Get Adam and Velvet. Police are on the way here. It's time to go," Squish repeated urgently.

An then, in the few moments it took for the drunker-than-he'd-admit bear Faunus to process what he'd just been told, everything went to hell.

 **Author's Notes:**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

So, here we are. Another member of Team GRAP has been introduced as well as Adam, who I personally think needed more screentime to be a convincing villain in  
Volume 3. Nothing much to add, I'd just like to thank "Air Force Muffin" and "MangaReader88" for reviewing the first chapter.


	3. 03: The Raid

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 03: The Raid**

Screams. Smoke. A crowd of officers in full riot gear pushing their way into the nightclub.

It was pandemonium. A panicked press of bodies desperately tried to reach the shutter doors that the Vale Police had miraculously left unattended in favour of storming a single entrance. The pungent stench of the smoke bombs that had been thrown in disoriented the enhanced senses of the Faunus as the helmeted officers waded into the crowd, swinging batons at anyone unfortunate enough to be within striking distance.

Gangrel snarled as he launched himself into the fray. It wasn't his first time dealing with law enforcement, but the violence they seemed to reserve for dealing with Faunus always brought his rage to the surface. As he barged through the crowd, he became aware of someone shouting his name.

"Gang! Where are you going?" He turned to the sound and saw that Squish was hanging behind, unwilling to jump into the fray like Gangrel was.

Gangrel reached into his pocket and threw his keys to the smaller Faunus. "I'm getting Adam and Velvet. Get to my place. It's nearer than yours," he ordered.

Squish caught the keys, nodded, and headed for the exit. Gangrel continued his own path through the former revellers as he searched for his friends, throwing a vicious elbow strike out with his left arm as an officer rushed towards him with a raised baton. The blow found its mark, the baton flying from its owner's grasp as the officer's collarbone cracked, and Gangrel was quick to follow with a devastating right jab, knuckles finding their way under the bottom of a protective visor to ruin lips and break teeth.

These officers must've been regular humans, then- no unlocked Auras or Semblances to complicate things. It was a small mercy to Gangrel.

As he continued pushing through the crowd, another officer came at him, bringing his baton up for a backhanded strike across Gangrel's face. As as he swung, Gangrel caught his arm, putting one hand on either side of the man's elbow, and by pouring a little Aura into his next move to augment his already considerable strength, he twisted both hands in opposite directions and was rewarded with the a wet snapping sound and agonised screams as the officer's arm shattered at the joint. Throwing the man aside, he pushed on, finally catching sight of what he sought: crimson hair and a pair of rabbit ears rising above the heads of the crowd.

Velvet shouldn't have been this scared. She was a huntress-in-training and had faced down literal monsters. But the police had arrived with no intentions of questioning people or giving anyone a chance to come quietly, choosing to lead with violence rather than resort to it, and the panic in the building had become infectious. Thankfully, Adam's hand had found hers and he led her towards the exit at a brisk walk rather than the frenzied run that many around them were breaking into.

"Shouldn't we find the others?" Velvet shouted over the noise.

"They'll find us. Me and Gang have done this enough times to know the drill," he called back attempting to sound light-hearted. The tension, however, crept into his voice like an unwelcome stowaway. "Once we get outside and have some room to manoeuvre we'll be fine."

Velvet looked past the Bull Faunus to see that they were nearly at the shutter doors of the loading bay. But then her hopes were crushed as she felt a hand clamp down on her shoulder and pull her back, her hand slipping from Adam's. She turned to face her attacker, becoming aware of three things in the smoke-filled darkness: firstly, that her attacker was a large man, the kind that had been muscular once but now had a layer of extra padding; and secondly, that his left hand was on her shoulder with his right hand about to bring his baton down across her skull in a sloppy overhand clearly aimed at her Faunus attributes. The third thing she became aware of was the echoing crack of Gangrel's teleportation, the sound rising above the ambient cacophony. No sooner had he appeared behind her assailant than when he launched a brutal punch into the man's kidneys with enough force to lift him from his feet. Velvet could swear, although later her sober mind would refuse to process the fact that Gangrel's one punch made a man in full body armour skim across the floor like a stone on water.

The Bear-Faunus turned to face her with a manic smile. However, whatever greeting he was about to give was lost as a second officer crashed through the haze behind Velvet, his weapon arcing downwards and impacting Gangrel's right cheek with an audible crack that sent him spinning to the left. Terror rose up in Velvet, but Gangrel wasn't caught as unaware as his opponent hoped, as the bear Faunus's right arm shot out and dragged the attacker down with him. Velvet looked on with detached horror as the hulking Faunus managed to position himself above his opponent and land two vicious head-butts, the first reducing a protective visor to a spiders'-web of cracks, and the second ploughing through the obstruction and into its' intended target. This was followed up by Gangrel springing to his feet and raining kicks and stamps to the face and chest of the helpless officer before he turned to face her blood trickling from his mouth and pouring from several cuts to his face from shattering the visor, implying that he wasn't using his Aura to protect himself; still with the same insane grin on his face and a truly terrifying look in his eyes.

"Adam, get her out of here!" Gangrel barked before turning his attention back to the direction that the majority of the increasingly violent law enforcement was coming from.

"Come on," Adam hissed, his hand finding Velvet's again, leading her away.

"But what abou-" Velvet started.

"He doesn't need help!" Adam's voice was urgent as he cut across Velvets' protests, and she reluctantly turned and followed him the remaining few meters to the exits. The cold night air greeted her as she found herself in the large loading area of the former warehouse- an expanse of tarmac and concrete with a road leading away from the building and a high, rusty fence forming a perimeter around the premises. The remaining Faunus were scattering in all directions as they escaped the chaos of the warehouse.

"Which way?" she asked to Adam.

"Where are you heading to?"

"I live in Oak Hill" Velvet replied. Dread rose up in her as she realized just how far from her suburban home she was. This run-down warehouse in the Kennels was literally on the other side of Vale.

Her impromptu partner considered this for a moment. "They'll have unmarked cars patrolling the Kennels within twenty minutes, so we can't double back the way you came, and this road leads to an intersection where they'll have set up a checkpoint," he remarked. After glancing around for a few more seconds, he moved forward. "Jump the fences and we'll go through the back of the estate."

Velvet followed his advice. Despite it not leading her exactly where she wanted to go, it would get her out of here. She broke into a run, flaring her Aura as she approached the fence, and with a mighty leap, she cleared it and landed somewhat gracefully on the other side. Adam made to follow suit, but before he reached the fence, angry voices pierced through the darkness.

"Hey, stop right there!"

"Get your hands where we can see 'em, fleabag!"

Two police officers rushed out of the warehouse towards Adam, their weapons ready; the crimson haired Faunus grimaced at the racial slur as he turned and strode back towards the officers, muttering something that sounded to Velvet like "He always leaves me some trash to sweep up."

"Stay where you are, hands-"

The officers' words were cut short as Adam sprung into action, moving almost too fast to be seen. As Velvet watched, she realized that Adam's aura was unlocked and that he had at least some level of combat training. That was made obvious as he unleashed a roundhouse kick to the first target, his heel connecting directly with the mans' throat. The officer's body crumpled under the assault, and Adam used the momentum from the first strike to carry him forward to the second officer. He sent an open-palmed strike to the second officers' chest, cracking the body armor under the immense pressure of the strike and lifting the wearer from his feet. He went sailing back in the direction he had come, and just like that, the two officers were down and out.

Adam straightened out his suit jacket nonchalantly before walking back over to the fence. Velvet stood in quiet shock as he ripped it apart with his bare hands and stepped through the opening. He gestured in the direction of their escape, acting as if nothing had happened.

"Shall we?"

* * *

Roman Torchwick was left gasping for breath as the fist collided with his stomach, and any air he managed to inhale quickly left his lungs again as he was slammed against the wall by the owner of said fist; Gangrel Slate.  
"Took you for a lot of things Rome, but a fucking squealer wasn't one of them" Gangrel snarled, his left hand closing around the redheads' throat as he pulled his right fist back for another punch. "So what was the deal, Junior gives you a discount when you rent his muscle as long as you shut down the competition?"

"I didn't inform anyone about anything," Roman managed to choke out through his painfully constricted airway. The anger at the insult to his professional reputation wasn't quite drowned out by the sheer terror of being at the mercy of the six-foot-eight bear Faunus. Anything he wished to add to that sentence, however, was lost as Gangrel's paw-like fist collided with the bridge of his nose. Bone and cartilage gave away, and a warm flow of blood came pouring down down his face. Gangrel's hand left his throat, causing Roman to slump to the ground, wiping his face in a vain attempt to keep the coppery taste of his own blood out of his mouth.

"I got a tipoff from one of my guys. I only came to the warehouse to try and warn you. The raid wasn't meant to be for another hour," Roman gasped out. Hearing his captor growl in displeasure, he continued desperately. "Ask your friend, the short one! He was the first person I saw that I recognized! I told him the raid was coming!"

There was a moment's silence, which was pierced by a peculiar beeping sound. Roman dared to look up, and saw the drunken and quite possibly concussed Faunus struggling to dial a number on his scroll while keeping an eye on him. After a moment, whoever Gangrel was calling answered.

"Yeah Squish, it's me… as far as I know they got out… I'm fine, I'm outside… Stop talking for a sec, I need you to tell me how you knew the Police were coming… Right, I had to pull him out of there as well. I'll be up in a minute." The scroll was closed and returned to his pocket.

"So you're not an informant, you're just a fucking idiot," Gangrel mocked.

"Wha-"

"One of your sources?" Gangrel roared "You heard about a police raid from an OFFICER! You're a famous fucking Dust thief, Roman, _and you got stitched up!_ You nearly took us down with you! I don't even want to think about the amount of Lien you've just fucked the White Fang out of!"

"I wa-"

"If I were you, I'd lay _very_ low for a while, because it doesn't matter who works for who. When Adam gets ahold of you he's gonna cut pieces of you off... Can't honestly promise you I won't do the same next time. Now get the FUCK out of my sight!"

As soon as Gangrels' tirade ended, Roman scurried to his feet and fled.

The Bear-Faunus watched him leave with disdain. With a growl of discomfort, he leant against the wall of the alley he'd dragged the redhead down. Defeating police officers with no Aura in a dark room had been child's' play to someone like him, who'd spent the last two years at Beacon and had several years of real world experience before that. But he hadn't emerged unscathed in his victory. His knuckles were bleeding profusely after being opened up by the edges of police-issue body armour, a series of small cuts covered his face, and a litany of bruises were forming on his body, and all this was topped off by a pounding headache from the baton he took to the face. To make matters worse, he'd had to teleport Roman out of the nightclub, and that was a limitation of his teleportation- carrying passengers was physically painful and incredibly taxing to his Aura. That was the only reason he hadn't just grabbed his friends one at a time and teleported out of the warehouse with them. Carrying Roman for just a short jump had left him with a bloody nose, a vicious onslaught of nausea, and what felt like a few burst blood vessels in his eyes from the strain. Taking a deep breath as the adrenaline high wore off, he reached into his pocket and withdrew his scroll again. He had another call to make.

* * *

Velvet and Adam trudged through the empty streets. The abandoned industrial estates had eventually given way to tenement housing, and Velvet still wasn't sure exactly what part of Vale she was in, but they definitely weren't in the Kennels anymore. Feeling her scroll vibrate in her pocket, she removed her hand from Adam's grip to reach for it. The fact that their hands had almost inevitably found each other was left unspoken. A sense of relief washed over Velvet as she saw the caller. Gangrel.

"Gangrel, are you okay?" she asked anxiously.

Gangrel's voice, tired-sounding and more than a little slurred, but clear in its concern, came through the scroll. "Yeah I'm good. Is Adam still with you?"

"Yeah."

"Put me on loudspeaker, will you? Saves me checking up on him as well."

Velvet complied, showing Adam the screen so that he knew who she was talking to.

"Gangrel, where are you, and where in Oum's name did Perdu run to?" Adam asked.

"I'm outside my apartment building, I'm fine... Some use you were back there though, standing there looking confused while I did all the work ragdolling the police," Gangrel replied in a voice that sounded equal parts amused and irritated.

"When have you ever needed my help to cause utter havoc?" Adam's rebuttal earned a small chuckle over the line.

"True, Squish didn't run either. I gave him my keys and told him to go on ahead, saves him having to sneak halfway across the Kennels. I would say come round for a house party, but my dad'll be back from work in a few hours…. Where are you, anyway?"

"Me and Velvet got out of the Kennels. We're somewhere in Shoalsdale right now, heading for the docks."

"Hardly a romantic walk on the beach is it, Adam?"

Velvet swore Gangrel could see her blushing through the scroll somehow. His laughter practically confirmed it.

"Gangrel, don't tease. We've suffered enough tonight." Her admonishment only brought more laughter, which was abruptly cut off by pained coughing.

"Are you okay?"

"Yeah, yeah, I'm fine... just took a couple knocks to head. A few shots of whiskey should take the edge off it."

The rabbit Faunus stared in disbelief at her scroll. "You are not seriously still drinking."

"Well, I'm not going to mix pain killers with liquor, and aura-healing works faster in your sleep, but I reckon I've got a concussion so I'm staying awake just to be on the safe side. So, drinking it is."

Velvet groaned. Gangrel's logic made too much sense for her to argue back. "Fine, stay safe."

"You too, and keep Adam safe for me, he's delicate." With that, Gangrel hung up, and Velvet laughed as she turned to Adam.

"So, why the docks? I assume Gangrel was joking when he said romantic walk."

"Not that I'd be opposed to the idea but it's not exactly the best place for one," Adam deadpanned. "We're heading for the freight docks, not the tourist trap ones. There's a taxi service that's based nearby. It's mainly for the dock workers there, but I know a few of the people that work there, so it'll be a lot quicker and safer than walking you all the way to Oak Hill."

Velvet nodded silently, her fingers intertwining with Adams' again as they continued down the silent streets of Vale.

But after a few minutes, the silence was broken by the sound of an approaching vehicle. Velvet looked over her shoulder and saw it was a police cruiser. A knot slowly formed in her stomach as she looked to Adam, who had clearly seen the car as well.

"If they stop, get ready to run at the first opening. They already know we were at the Warehouse." Adam said, his tone tense.

The car came to a halt next to them, and a window rolled down. An officer stuck his head out.

"Evening, would you like to tell me what you two are doing roaming around at this time of night?" he asked, his eyes fixed on Velvet's Faunus ears.

"I wasn't aware Faunus being out in public was a crime, officer," Adam replied, feigning boredom.

The officer turned to Adam. "I wasn't aware I was talking to you, big guy." Then the doors of the car opened, and the officer and his partner stepped out. "But seeing as all units have been told to look out for suspicious Faunus, how about you turn around and put your hands against the wall." With that, the officer stepped towards them, reaching for a taser.

And then Velvet made a reckless decision that was definitely fueled by the alcohol that still coursed through her system. But another part of her was really quite done with everything that had been happening tonight.

She sent a furious left hook into the officer's jaw, both of her hands grabbing the back of his head and forcing it down as she brought her right knee up to meet his face, followed up by an Aura-fuelled kick to the chest that sent him into the door of the cruiser. The body of the vehicle warped around him on impact, and with her instincts having fully taken over, Velvet bolted. The sound of the remaining officer screaming into his two-way radio for an ambulance faded into the distance as her Aura and adrenaline pushed her further than normal humans could hope to keep up with.

An indiscriminate time later, she heard Adam calling out to her.

"Velvet stop, or at least slow down," he wheezed out.

The sound of sirens was far-off enough that she felt safe enough to finally stop, and she turned to see Adam leaning with one arm against a wall, and holding his side with the other arm.

"I... really... need... to stop... smoking," he managed to get out between pants. He betrayed no horror at the scene they'd just escaped.

With the heat of the moment over, Velvet was panicking. "How are you so calm?! I just assaulted a police officer!"

"And it was brilliant."

Adam's smile was both beautiful and utterly infuriating to the rabbit Faunus at that moment. "Are you serious?!"

"Yes, I'm serious. The police in Vale are almost as bad as they are in Atlas. They deserve everything they get." Adam walked over to Velvet and wrapped his arms around her waist. As she leaned into his comforting warmth, resting her head on his shoulder, he continued. "Look at what happened earlier, at the Warehouse…. no attempts to de-escalate the situation. Not that it was ever violent until they got there. Nobody was charged with anything. No warrants. They just walked in with weapons and smoke bombs and attacked us. If a Faunus ever did something like that back at them, we'll all be called monsters and terrorists. The only difference between Atlas and Vale is that in Vale when the media gets a hold of the story the police will have an investigation and a few officers will get paid leave. But in Atlas, the police abusing us is just considered the norm. More Faunus need to do what you did and defend themselves from a corrupt system."

Velvet was silent for a few moments. The sheer fire and passion in the mans' voice was halting her objections. "It's just... I'm training to be a huntress," she started, trying to find words. "I'm meant to be one of the people that fight to protect civilization. Can I really call myself that if I start attacking people myself, especially people like the police, who are supposed to be here to help... Surely, if I go down that road, I'm just part of the problem?"

"Oum bless your innocent soul." Velvet didn't need to see Adam's face to know he was smiling as he held her tighter. "There's a world of difference between marching out beyond the kingdoms to face the Grimm and wearing a uniform with a badge to abuse the authority it carries. Don't sell yourself short by comparing yourself to them."

"Thank you," Velvet said. As the pair broke apart, she took stock of her surroundings and realised they were almost at the docks.

"Looks like we made it. Where's the taxi place?"

Adam looked around for a moment before indicating to one of the few business with its door still open that late at night.

"That one there, with the blue sign. Let me pay for the taxi. I didn't get chance to buy you a drink, so this can be my way of apologising for how your night turned out."

Velvet shook her head. "You're sweet, Adam, but I'll pay for my own ride. How about you put your number in my scroll, though? We can have another try at a night out sometime. I believe there was some talk of a romantic walk?" she giggled, the mix of alcohol and adrenaline fuelling her words, Adams' eyes positively lit up as he took the proffered scroll  
"That sounds like the best idea I've heard all night" Velvet gave a small giggle

"Good." She leaned into him and stood up on her toes to reach up and plant a quick kiss on his cheek, before she turned and headed towards the taxi outfit.

This left one of the most feared Faunus in all of Remnant staring after her with an expression that was two parts grinning like an idiot and one part _what the fuck just happened?_

 **Author's notes:**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

And now ladies and gentlemen, the ball has started rolling. But this won't go in the direction you think it might go in.  
Also, when I uploaded the last chapter it didn't appear in feed for some reason. I'm hoping that problem fixes itself.


	4. 04: Date Night

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 04: Date Night**

"Velvet's in love..." teased a singsong voice. The mocking effect, however, was ruined by the mid-sentence crack as her brother's vocal chords were subjected to the indignities of puberty.

Velvet turned to her brother, still stunned at how much he had changed while she had been at Beacon. She remembered Flax Scarlatina as the small-for-his-age twelve-year-old with a mop of curly hair that had waved her off with the rest of her family as her airship began its ascent. Returning home, she was faced with a gangly teenager a few inches taller than her, hair cut short to display his Faunus heritage with pride, and a change in attitude that Velvet hoped was solely down to him being a moody teenager.

"I think it's cute," chimed in a second voice- that of the baby of the family. Poly Scarlatina looked much like Velvet had at ten years old, the primary differences being that the younger sister didn't have the Rabbit ears of the older sibling. Instead, she had a small fluffy tail hidden by her dress and noticeably larger front teeth.

Flax sneered. "You think everything's cute."

"Flax, don't tease," Velvet admonished.

Her brother made a point of rolling his eyes before replying. "Teasing you or her?"

"Both."

"Well that's hardly fair. I don't see you for most of the year. I've gotta catch up."

Velvet groaned as Poly giggled at the antics of her two older siblings. "I preferred you when you were smaller."

"Whatever." Flax sighed, moving to step past Velvet towards the front door. "I'm going out, gonna chill with the boys." However, he was momentarily delayed as Velvet grabbed her brother and pulled him into a crushing hug.

"Get off!" he sputtered.

"Nope. I don't see you for most of the year. I've gotta catch up," Velvet laughed, using his own words against him.

"Love you!" she called after Flax as he shrugged her off and exited the house.

"Yeah, sure," he called back. Velvet shook her head and closed the door.

"You don't get to call him a moody teenager, you're eigh _teen_ ," Poly told her, as sternly as her ten year old self could manage. She made sure to emphasize the last syllable.

Velvet frowned. Her baby sister was far too perceptive. "It's not a teenager thing. You're just as bad," she told her, earning a mocking pout in response.

"But it is cute though. You're going on a date."

"Not a date, just going out with a friend."

"You never get ready this early just for friends."

Indeed, _far_ too perceptive. Velvet ground her teeth before responding.

"You know what, you're right. Why am I even lying to a ten year old? It's a date. We're friends at the moment, but it could be something else." Velvet watched as her sister processed the information, a smile creeping across her face. And then came the verbal barrage.

"Awww, that's so sweet!" Poly said, bouncing up and down in excitement. "What's his name? What's he like? Have you kissed? Do you know him from Beacon? Is he on your team? What weapons does he use? Has he ever rescued you from a Grimm? That would be super romantic if he did!"

"Poly-Esther Scarlatina, you are an incurable pest." Velvet, said, cutting the hyperactive child off. "Go play or something, I'm gonna see Mum for a minute before I go."

"Fine," the girl said, fake-moping, before running up the stairs to her room.

Now free from her siblings, Velvet left the hallway and entered the living room to find her mother stretched out on the sofa, reading.

"Hey mum, I've got a few minutes before I need to head out. Are you okay?" she asked, sitting down next to her.

The older woman smiled at her. Velvet's mother was similar to Poly in that she didn't have rabbit ears as her Faunus attributes. Velvet and her brother had inherited those from their father.

"Yes, I'm just enjoying my day off from work... I might take Poly to see a movie, seeing as you and Flax are both going out for the night. Well, unless your date was taking you to the cinema?"

Velvet's rabbit ears drooped forwards, covering her face in her signature expression of embarrassment.

"I swear, you're all conspiring against me," she moaned. "I've already had Flax and Poly tormenting me. I'm just going out with a friend of a friend!"

Her mother chuckled in response. "I know, dear. You're old enough to make your own decisions. Don't worry, I'm not your father- I won't take potential suitors out to a shallow grave in the woods. Go easy on Flax as well. He won't admit it, but he's missed you a lot while you've been away. He likes having a big sister who's more bad-ass than most of his friends' older brothers."

"And a few of their dads to boot," Velvet finished, grinning. "And I know, I missed you all too I'll try and visit more when I'm at Beacon, but I can't promise anything. The workload tends to keep me busy, and I don't know how many missions I'll get sent on…. and then there's the Vytal tournament. I know for a fact that everyone else on my team will want to compete."

"It's okay, I understand. I work in an A&E department. I know all about long hours," her mother said, sighing. "I'm probably going to get Flax a scroll for his birthday so you two can keep in touch. I'm sure he'll have some entertaining pre-match speeches for you if you do enter the Vytal tournament." She sat up, putting aside her book. "But enough about that. Tell me about this date of yours."

Velvet kept her ears over her face, trying to hide her blush. "He's called Adam, and he's a friend of some of the older Beacon students I know. They introduced us at that party I was at last weekend."

"Ah, my daughter, parties and older men... I think I've changed my mind. I'm going to have to ask your father to bury this gentleman somewhere."

"Mum," Velvet groaned.

"Fine, fine. Just remember to use protection and make him earn it. Some men have the strangest ideas about Rabbit Faunus and our sex drives."

"OH SWEET FUCKING OUM NO, THIS CONVERSATION ISN'T HAPPENING!" Velvet shouted, mortified, as she fled the room, leaving her mother cackling like a madwoman.

* * *

Gangrel rained blows down on the punch bag with stunning speed and ferocity as Adam watched with more than a little exasperation.

"You know that there are actual Gyms in Vale, yes?" the crimson-haired Faunus asked, sarcasm dripping from his words.

"Yeah, and they all cost lien," came the retort as the rain of punches stopped. Gangrel caught the swinging bag, halting its motion. "I've got used to having it for free at Beacon. Also, you know you're a dick, yes?" he asked, mimicking Adam's speech pattern.

Adam raised an eyebrow at that. "Any particular reason?"

"Yeah, you've got yourself a nice two-bedroom apartment that's basically in Vale's city centre, and you didn't bother letting me know. You live nearer to where I work than I do! And the way you move around, you probably won't have the place the next time I see you."

Adam shook his head in disbelief. "Nice to see you've honed in on what's truly important here."

The Bull Faunus sighed. "Well, you asked for my opinion, so what I'm assuming you actually want is your own opinion in my voice," he retorted, chuckling.

"My expectations for you aren't that high, we both know you have the tact and subtlety of blunt force trauma," Adam shot back, keeping his voice as voice as neutral as possible.

You want to know if I think you should tell Velvet that you're really the head of a revolutionary organization? And that you have a drill that will pierce the heavens… or am I thinking of something else with that last part?"

Adam sighed at Gangrel's antics. "Gang, be serious."

"Okay fine. Look, I'm saying you should go for it. You don't do quick flings, so if you're this worked up about Velvet, she's probably going to be around long enough to find out anyway. Doesn't matter how she feels about what we do. She'd rather hear it from you."

Adam nodded. The argument made sense, but he still couldn't shake the unease he felt. "I know where you're coming from, but I'm just not sure about telling her everything right away."

Gangrel huffed, losing patience with his friend. "Lying by omission is still lying. If you act like you're just a nameless grunt and she finds out the truth, you may as well have not bothered saying anything. Besides, she was at the party. She's had first hand experience with the reason why the White Fang is needed."

Adam ran his hands through his hair in frustration. "Yeah, you're right... That's strange to have to say out loud," he joked, trying to calm his nerves. He'd missed Gangrel while he'd been in Beacon. The two of them, and Adam's former partner, whom he was steadfastly refusing to think about, had been part of a tight-knit group.

"Yeah, well..." Gangrel paused to work a crick out of his neck. "...I'm not saying you're stupid, but you've got no common sense. I don't get how you can panic this much about a first date when you've probably got at least three workable plans to take over the world."

Adam kept his face straight and his tone as even as possible. "I wouldn't need two backups. The first plan would work. Anyway, Velvet's going to be here soon, so are you planning on being the third wheel?"

Gangrel grinned at this as he reached for his jacket, which laid on the weight bench of Adam's home gym. "Well, you invited me over here, so the thought did cross my mind, but I'll see you around. Oh, and Adam?"

"Yeah?"

"Seriously, tell her you've got a 'Drill that will pierce the heavens.'"

"Get. The. Hell. Out."

Gangrel's barking laughter could be heard down the hallway as he left the apartment. Adam stared silently after him, wondering which of the many sins he'd committed deserved the unique punishment that was Gangrel Slate.

After taking a few moments to collect his thoughts, he grabbed his jacket from his room; the black one with red and white detailing that he usually wore while carrying out White Fang operations. Searching his pockets, he found that his stylized Grimm mask was still in the pocket. He briefly considered leaving it behind.

 _I'm showing Velvet this part of myself anyway. Might as well bring it_.

He took a deep breath and readied himself as he placed the mask back in his pocket and attached his weapons to his belt. He wasn't expecting to have need of them tonight, but he rarely left home unprepared. Besides, it could be the conversation starter he needed to bring up the subject of his role in the White Fang. Any other thoughts were cut off by the sound of someone knocking on the door.

Upon answering it, he was met with the sight of Velvet in a form-fitting black T-shirt with a brown jacket that only reached her ribs, gold-accented brown short shorts with leggings under them, and a pair of black flats with what looked like golden armour plating around the heel and toe. A bulky yet ornate camera hung from a lanyard around her neck. Adam assumed this was her combat gear, as most hunters tended to default to theirs to feel comfortable. She was, in his personal opinion, breathtaking.

Velvet smiled. "So, are you going to invite me in? Or are you coming out?"

 _Fuck_ , Adam cursed mentally, as he realized that she'd just caught him staring vacantly at her like an idiot.

"Yeah, let's go." He smiled and held his arm out. Velvet linked hers through, and they set off.

"You look great by the way," Adam said as he closed the door behind him. Her eyes lit up at the compliment, and she looked him over, eyes lingering on the sheath hanging from his hip.

"You too…. Hey, now _that's_ a katana."

* * *

Velvet nuzzled into Adam. The date had been nice. The club was nice, and an open-mic night for local bands and poets being held that night gave the two a chance to actually dance this time. Velvet thoroughly teased her partner by claiming that the reason the police had been called to their previous encounter was that his footwork was a crime against the kingdoms. Currently, they were on a grassy hill on the edge of the centre of Vale, the height giving them a truly impressive view of the cityscape below. Adam laid with his hands behind his head, and Velvet laid next to him, her arm draped across him with her head resting on his shoulder. She smiled to herself has she felt his arm wrap around her. This was what Velvet had wanted from tonight; not just the physical closeness, but a chance to be away from noise and distractions to actually get to know Adam properly.

"You know, I never really thought you'd be one for stargazing," she remarked.

Adam looked down at the Rabbit Faunus currently cuddled up to him. "I think it's an Atlesian thing. Rarely getting enough clear air to see the night sky makes you appreciate it more."

Velvet frowned at Adam's words. "It's strange. Everyone I know who's seen Atlas likes the place, and it looks amazing on TV, but whenever you mention it you sound like you hate the place."

Adam shook his head. "I'm just going to assume that the people you know who've been to Atlas were all Human and probably quite well-off?"

Velvet nodded in agreement.

"They have a very different experience of Atlas." Adam sighed. "They've probably only seen the tourist traps and parts of Upper Atlas. Gangrel and I come from Rauchigschmiede- that means Smoky Forge," he added seeing Velvet's confused expression at his use of Old Atlesian. "It's one of the poorest districts in Lower Atlas, which is pretty poor in general. As a general rule in Atlas, the poorer a district is, the further down in the Hive City it is. The apartment I lived in while I still lived with my parents was actually underground."

"When you still lived with your parents?" Velvet asked.

Adams' face darkened. "They worked in an SDC processing plant. Official reports say the accident couldn't have been prevented; I say when your family deal in Dust for three generations you should know that mixing red and black Dust crystals makes a volatile explosive. Insisting that the two be put on the same shipment to cut shipping costs was always going to end that way."

"Oh my Oum," Velvet gasped, her hand covering her mouth. "I am so sorry." Red dust was an incendiary substance capable of burning though steel beams, black dust or 'gravity dust' as it was marketed was an extremely versatile propellent used in everything from airships to high-calibre ammunition. She had heard rumours at Beacon about the destructive results of students trying to mix the two to get more damage from their weapons.

"I was four when it happened." Adam shook his head. "It sounds harsh, but I honestly don't have enough clear memories of my parents to truly miss them. I grew up in The Lobo-Cachorro home for Orphaned Faunus. That was where I met Gang."

Velvet held Adam tighter, regretting bringing up the subject, but then something occurred to her. "But Gangrel works with his dad while he's not at Beacon. Did he get adopted?"

"It's not really my place to say," Adam told her. "But honestly, I doubt he'd mind me telling you. He lost his mother in the same accident that killed my parents. He would have been three at the time. When his dad ended up in prison, he was seven, and he got put in the orphanage until his Dad got out when he was twelve. I spent a year in the dust mines and saved enough lien to leave."

"So Gangrel moved to Vale as soon as his dad was released. What did his dad do?" Velvet asked.

"His dad was one of the original members of the White Fang, back when it was first formed. Anti-Faunus protesters attacked, a few Faunus retaliated, and Gang's dad was one of the ones arrested and charged."

"You know... speaking of the White Fang... what do you think of them?" Velvet asked. "I mean, I can see why some sort of Faunus rights movement is necessary in Atlas, but when I hear about the things the White Fang's done..." Velvet let the sentence hang in the air.

Adam actually smiled at that. His confession would come much more easily now.

"I'm more than a little biased, actually." He looked at Velvet. "The Lobo-Cachorro home for Orphaned Faunus means 'Wolf Cub.' It was owned and run by the White Fang. We look out for own. Nobody else will."

"We?"

Adam took a deep breath and reached into his pocket with apprehension, pulling out a white mask stylized to look like the face of a Grimm.

"I spent half my childhood at White Fang protests. The way those police acted at the party? I've been on the receiving end of that more times than I care to count. My Aura unlocked itself when I was nine to heal the cracked skull I got from a member of the Atlas Military Police when he beat me half to death with a weighted flashlight. When there was a movement for us to start fighting back, I was one of the first to sign up."

Velvet stared at him, shell-shocked.

"Look Vel-" Adam started, only to be stopped.

"What have you done?" Velvet asked him, her voice trembling. "Just answer me, have you ever killed anyone?" She gave his sword a pointed look.

"No," he replied. As Velvet released a breath in obvious relief, he decided firmly against telling her that his last operation would have resulted in casualties had it been completed. But remembering Gangrel's advice on lying by omission, he pressed on. "A lot of SDC sites use exclusively robotic security. We time our hits to ensure there's as few people there as possible. I'm not a murderer."

"But you've hurt people."

Adam's tone turned cold. "I've done bad things to bad people. If that makes me a monster, then so be it."

"I never called you a monster, Adam... I just..."

"The most violent thing I've done was cut a Hunter's arm off."

Velvet visibly paled "Why?" she asked, her voice a scared whisper.

"Have you ever heard of Cadmus Ferrus?"

"He was a radical anti-Faunus. He advocated for deporting all Faunus to Menagerie and maintaining a naval fleet outside the borders to keep anyone from returning," Velvet said, reciting what she knew of the Hunter from news reports.

Adam snarled at the memory of the man. "I took his arm because I wanted him to know what it feels like to be unable to defend yourself. What it's like to be unable to provide for the people you care about. I wanted him to know what it feels like to know that everyone is staring at you like you're some sort of freak when you walk down the street. I wanted him to feel like a Faunus from Lower Atlas." The irises of his eyes burned as he spoke.

Velvet took a few moments to choose her words. "Adam, listen. I fight to protect people. I kind of get your way of looking at this, and surprisingly, this bothers me less than it should."

"But it bothers you?"

"Yeah, it does," Velvet admitted. "I just found out someone I like a lot has maimed people and is part of a violent revolutionary group."

"I also have a drill that can pierce the heavens."

Velvet stared at him. "….What?"

Adam grinned. "Sorry, that was a bad time to take something Gangrel said seriously."

Velvet gave him a weak smile. "Despite everything you've done, you can still be a sweet little doofus. Look, I'm going to head home. Honestly, I need some time to myself to think about things, but I'll see you around."

The Bull-Faunus looked crestfallen as Velvet stood up to leave. "All right, you want me to walk you home?" he asked, getting to his feet as well.

"I'll be fine, thanks." Turning to see the defeated expression on Adams' face she stepped closer to him and wrapped her arms around his shoulder. "Hey."

She planted a quick kiss on his lips and quickly pulled back, enjoying the look of utter surprise on Adam's face.

"I said I'll see you around. I mean it," she said.

Adams' brain finally managed to process the situation as she moved to kiss him again. His arms snaked their way around his waist as he kissed her back, and this time it was a more passionate affair that ended only when the need to breathe became overwhelming.

"I'll see you around," Velvet said. And with that, she turned to leave for real.

As the rabbit Faunus left, Adam stared after her, smiling like the lovestruck idiot that he silently admitted he was becoming.

 **Author's Notes:**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

So, to quote the esteemed Miss Xiao Long, "That was a thing." First time I've written something like that. I actually planned for this chapter to go differently, with Adam actually dis-arming someone in front of Velvet rather than it just being something he's done in the past. Any feedback in general would be appreciated. Reviews are the timber that the spark of imagination devours.

A note on the "Old Atlesian:" Yes, I used German (Lobo Cachorro - Wolf Cub & Rauchig schmiede - Smoky Forge). That seems to be a pretty common headcanon among the FNDM. To be more honest, I used an English to German translator and therefore apologise to any native speakers whose language I have butchered; I said in Chapter 01 that Gangrel has a "Lower Atlesian" accent that could be compared to the Yorkshire accent. I also said that Adam had one but has since lost it. I do not subscribe to the 'Remnant is Earth' theory so I feel there is no issue with using mismatched accents/dialects/languages to create regional differences between the Kingdoms.


	5. 05: Return to Beacon

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 05: Return to Beacon**

Velvet was dragged unceremoniously from her dreams by the sound of her alarm clock, and in retaliation for the crime of waking her up, she attacked the snooze button with more force than was strictly necessary.

"Surely I can have five more minutes," she grumbled to herself as she rolled over and reached for her scroll. Turning it on, she found to her surprise that she had three new messages. Opening the most recent first, she found a straightforward instruction from her leader:

 _We'll be on the 12.30 Airship. Meet us at the docks._

Frowning, Velvet typed a simple ' _K_ ' back and hit send. She still hadn't seen anyone from her team over the vacation, and while they could've had their reasons, Velvet had resigned herself to the fact that she and her team weren't the close friends she was hoping they could be. She wouldn't be chasing after them anymore.

There was a message from Gangrel, too: _Do you know what Airship you're gonna be on? I'll get on the same one. You can meet the rest of my team._

Velvet smiled as she told him the time by which she was planning to leave for Beacon, and then she opened the third message. This one woke up the butterflies that had seemingly taken up permanent residence in her stomach. It was from Adam.

 _Good morning beautiful. Sorry I won't be able to see you before you leave for Beacon. I've been busy at work looking for new premises and dealing with paperwork. Hopefully see you on a weekend soon?_

She suppressed a small frown as she read the message. She knew that Adam wasn't giving up the idea of White Fang-controlled nightlife- but it was something she actually found herself supporting the idea of. A place where Faunus could get away from all the judgemental stares appealed to her. She just wasn't sure she wanted to know what 'dealing with paperwork' was a euphemism for.

 _Definitely, I've missed your attempts at dancing ;-)_ _Don't work too hard, stay safe_ she replied. If Adam could code his words, then so could she. Her message roughly translated to _Don't get killed you lovable psychopath_. It still baffled her how the man could be a respected and high-ranking member of the White Fang, and at the same time be ridiculously sweet and somewhat adorably inept with her.

Stretching as she reluctantly pulled herself out of bed, she glanced over to her wardrobe. Her combat gear hung from the door; the golden armour plates she'd removed for her first date with Adam polished to an admittedly absurd degree before being reattached. Her duffel bag that contained all her luggage and her weapon rested in front of the wardrobe. Velvet felt a small pang of guilt as she realized just how little of her belongings she'd brought home with her. Most of her gear was still back at the school. This probably meant that the academy was now more of her home than where family lived.

The sound of light footsteps came from the landing. Guessing that it was her brother, she called out to him. "Don't even think about it Flax. I'm about to get in the shower."

"Oh, come on!" Flax called back "You always use all the hot water!"

"Yeah well... you're a teenage boy. You probably need a cold shower in the morning anyway." Velvet smirked to herself. She could almost feel her brother's embarrassment at the joke from up the stairs.

Deciding that the banter between the two of them signaled the official start of the day, she left her room, humming the tune to a song that had been stuck in her head recently:

"This will be the day we've waited for, this will be the day we..."

* * *

Velvet silently thanked merciful Oum as the car stopped. She loved her father, she truly did, but after years of being subjected to his driving, the Beacon initiation process was nothing more than an annoyance. Turning to hug the stocky greying man whose rabbit ears seemed comically out of place on his body, she planted a quick kiss on his cheek.

"Thanks for the lift Dad. Hopefully I'll see you soon. If not, it'll have to be over vacation. Again."

Her father's reply was simple.

"Stay safe," he said, his smile tinged with the kind of sadness that every parent got when they watched their child go off into the greater world.

Velvet gave a small smirk. "You're aware of what I do, right?"

"I routinely try to forget," her father snarked back. He was indeed the person that Velvet had inherited her snark from. "Poly is the one who wants to be a fairytale princess. You're the one who'd rather go and fight the damn monster yourself."

"I'm a regular Prince Charming."

"Something like that. And that reminds me, actually. This date of yours, is he here? I can't kill Grimm, but I do have a shovel and some time before I need to be at work."

Velvet laughed at the mans' antics. "No, he isn't here, but I'm kinda tempted to point out some of the stronger students I know, just so you can show them how much they still have to learn." With this, Velvet left the vehicle, giving a quick "Love you Dad" over her shoulder, and she started looking for her teammates.

* * *

Gangrel lounged against the side of the airship, clad in his combat gear for the first time in over a month and much comforted by its familiar weight. Steel-capped black boots and faded black pants with armoured knee-pads integrated into the material was just the beginning of an intimidating look. Several small pouches adorned his belt, and none of them contained conventional ammunition. His undershirt, a form-fitting black tank top, was hidden from view by the armor that covered his chest and shoulders. His armor, while almost patchwork in its construction, was heavy and durable. Many small scratches had been scored into the armor, but only the most astute of observers realized that those scratches were caused by Gangrel himself tallying up his kills after engagements. The tattered remains of a deep crimson cape hung from his left shoulder. Even now, the Bear-Faunus wasn't sure what had possessed him to wear a cape into battle in his first year. His forearms were adorned with vambraces of a similar quality to his armour, albeit finished with cruel spikes and ridges- perfect for maiming an opponent unlucky to get caught on it. Crossed over his back were his pride and joy: Iorek & Iofur, the twin blades that could only be described as the unholy union of a hook-sword and a machete, curved with blades roughly as long as his entire arm, and broader than the average person's chest.

For once, Gangrel was not drunk, hungover, or in the process of remedying that fact. Artemis had sent him a message the night before containing some very colorful vocabulary to make sure of that. She had expressly forbidden him from getting 'so shit-faced you wake up with your face pressed to the rim of the toilet begging for the headache to stop as if the bowl were a porcelain Scroll to Oum himself.'

And speaking of the little hellcat, he was almost sure that he could see her distinctive hair in the crowd making its way towards him. The fourth member of his team followed behind, his hand in hers.

"Hey Missy, I'm over here!" Gangrel bellowed, his voice startling some of other students around him as he made sure to use the nickname he'd given Artemis.

Artemis emerged from the crowd. "Still hate that nickname," the cat Faunus informed him.

"That's why I still call you it," Gangrel chuckled, giving her a quick hug. He turned to the Dog Faunus next to her and grinned.

"So, holding hands in public now are we? Let me know if you need the dorm to yourselves."

"Fuck you, Gang."

"Missed you too, Rover." With that, the pair gave each other a quick fist bump, and the conversation started up between them as if they'd never been apart. Gangrel surveyed the two members of his team as they chatted together for the first time in months.

Artemis Blush was considered tall by most of her peers (which naturally meant she barely reached Gangrel's shoulders), with an athletic build and a bust that had drawn the attention of many of her classmates until they learned better. Brown cat ears poked out of hair that had not shared that colour in years. Currently, her hair was dyed bubblegum-pink, with traces of a pale purple framing a high-cheekboned face. Her eyes were a feature that either captivated people or made them distinctly uneasy. They were distinctly cat-like, with the right being a vibrant yellow and the left a pale shade of lime green. If Gangrel was stupid enough to believe that Rover had been solely interested in Artemis for her looks, he would still admit his friend had taste. But he still thought Missy's combat gear was laughable, though. Pink sneakers, a matching skirt with leggings underneath it, and a baggy white T-shirt with the words "No Scope" emblazoned across the chest. At least she wore armor. Parts of lightweight gold-coloured plating protruded from under the sleeves of her T-shirt, and a harness across her chest had been fitted with as much spare ammunition as it could hold, while her weapon 'Hakai Suru' was resting across her back in its collapsed form. The trademark goggles she wore to focus her Semblance were resting on top of her head.

At her side, Rover Tan stood at roughly the same height as Artemis, well-muscled with caramel skin, piercing blue-grey eyes, and hair cut close to the scalp in a barely discernible colour. The only attribute that clearly marked him out as a Faunus was his bushy tail that was similar in any respect except its colour to that of a Husky. His combat gear included a pair of white running shoes that had been specially made to withstand his Semblance, a pair of loose-fitting jeans, a charcoal grey track jacket with black armour plates attached over his chest and forearms, and a gunmetal-gray mask hung around his neck. His own weapon, Malis-Canis, was mounted in a holster over his shoulder from which he could bring it to bear in either of its forms.

"So," Gangrel said, "Has anyone seen Squish? He should be here by now."

Rover and Artemis shared a look before the Cat-Faunus answered, her tone slightly nervous. "Yeah, Gang, don't make a fuss, but he's round the corner with a few final year students."

The Bear-Faunus took a second to process that. His team didn't really associate with any of the fourth years that much, which meant-

"He's selling?" Despite the phrasing, it was not a question.

"We told him you'd be pissed," Rover sighed, resigned to the smaller mans' antics. "He said he's just getting rid of the last of it."

Gangrel snarled in frustration. "He's selling drugs. When we're about to head to Beacon." Reaching for his scroll with an expression that promised violence, he dialed up his partner. When someone picked up, he didn't bother with pleasantries.

"You've got five seconds to be where I can see you," he snarled into the speaker, his voice low. He hung up immediately afterwards to avoid hearing his partner's voice, and tried to form a coherent train of thought that didn't involve murdering Perdu Callow as soon as he appeared.

* * *

It hadn't been too hard for Velvet to find her team. Yatsuhashi made that easy, being seven feet tall and having a weapon that extended even further into the air. The shaft of his massive blade, 'Liequan,' was practically a flagpole. Velvet approached her team. Next to Yatsu was Fox, resting on some crates that had been left lying around. His arm mounted blades 'Hunger & Thirst' glinted as the sunlight hit them.

Fox looked up as Velvet approached. Velvet wasn't surprised. She had long since ceased wondering how the blind member of her team could be the most observant of them.

"Hey," Velvet said simply as she reached them. Coco turned to face her, her weapon 'Satani Arbor' swinging around as she did. How the gargantuan weapon she wielded could fit into a handbag was another enigma that Velvet had ceased to wonder about.

"You fucked up Bunny," the team leader stated simply, leaving Velvet utterly confused.

"What?"

"You're retaking first year history," Coco said. "Apparently, you didn't make the grade... granted, it was by literally three marks. Looks like Oobleck is being a dick. But the point stands. Your schedule is going to have to be changed around to fit the lesson, so you'll be spending less time with us this year."

"Because it'll make so much difference," Velvet muttered, growing thoroughly annoyed with the situation.

"Don't take it out on me Vel... Wait, what the fuck was that?" Coco's sentence was cut off mid-way by a loud bang. Velvet whirled round to see…. Gangrel. Because why wouldn't it be?

From the looks of things, the large Faunus had bodily slammed Perdu into the ground with enough force to crack the asphalt. Deciding to intervene before the leader of Team GRAP killed one of his teammates, she marched over towards them, while shouting quite possibly the least assuring thing she could have said to Coco over her shoulder.

"Don't worry, just some of my friends," she called.

Coco, unaware that the Rabbit-Faunus actually had other friends at Beacon, decided that the situation warranted investigation and trailed behind her.

"Gangrel, you insane bastard!" Velvet said.

The members of Team GRAP turned to see (or at least those who were still in a position to do so) who had the temerity to call out the hulking Faunus, and were greeted with a petite brunette with rabbit ears marching towards them with a livid expression while Coco Adel trailed behind her, looking somewhere between curious and utterly dumbstruck.

"And good afternoon to you too, Thumper," was the reply she received from Gangrel, sarcasm dripping from every faux-cheery syllable.

"Is there any particular reason you're using Squish to simultaneously create and fill potholes?" Velvet asked, glancing down at the shell-shocked reptile Faunus.

This gained a genuine smile from the Bear-Faunus before his expression returned to its previous state. "Just making sure he understands my opinion on him bringing his side job to Beacon with him... and you are?" The last part was growled over Velvet's shoulder at Coco.

"Coco Adel, I'm Velvets' tea-"

"And yet I don't know you," Gangrel interrupted. "I'm not especially sure I want to either. Bye."

Coco was left speechless. The vitriol she had been prepared to respond with vanished when she realized Velvet had made no attempt to defend her.

 _So that's how it is then,_ she fumed silently as she turned on her heel and left.

Gangrel breathed out. "Anyway. Introductions. These two are Rover and Artemis. Call her 'Missy,' she hates it."

Velvet gave a bemused smile as she shook the hands of the other two members of Team GRAP.

"And this is Velvet, last years' fresh meat. She's Adam's… Uh... Are you two a thing yet?"

"We're definitely... something, I wouldn't say we're serious enough to give it a name yet though," Velvet answered, still smiling at the possibility. "But if they know Adam, is everyone here y'know…." Velvet let the implication hang in the air.

"I am, but I haven't been on active duty as it were since I've been at Beacon. Squish is, but he's low ranking. Missy and Rover aren't, but I trust 'em…. More than I trust certain idiots right now." Gangrel growled the last part at the reptilian Faunus who had just finished picking himself off the ground.

Squish was dusting off his combat gear- which was designed to give off the suggestion that he was a martial artist of some sort. A pair of dark green loose fitting pants that gave him plenty of motion and a red belt was perhaps the largest tip-off. The grip of one of his weapons was visible from where it had been tucked into his waistband, and a curved blade protruded from said grip. His torso was covered with lightweight armour that seemed to be made entirely of jagged edges, and he wore a small harness with attached ammo pouches. Another weapon rested on his back in its collapsed state.

"Come on Gang, it's not like I was selling at Beacon. I was literally just getting rid of the last couple of bags. What do you want me to do, just leave it at home for my Mum to find?"

"Could have just flushed it," Rover said simply.

Squish looked as though his friend had just told him to make googly-eyes at a Grimm and seduce his way to victory. "I am going to pretend for the sake of our friendship that you did not just tell me to throw money away. Missy, talk some sense into your man."

"I think you're an idiot as well, Squish," she informed him. Velvet smiled at the interaction This was how she imagined a team should be. Even when they disagreed, they were still like a family... even if Gangrel did have some serious anger issues.

"Right." Gangrel sighed. "Ship's leaving soon. I say we should pick a spot so we've actually got some room. Squish, you've got pavement in your hair- oh, wait." Everyone laughed at the cheap shot.

Gangrel turned to Velvet. "Hey, Velvet, you coming with us or heading back over your team?"

It wasn't even really a decision for Velvet.

* * *

Velvet forced herself to turn away from the windows of the airship. The larger capital ships like the one she was in now flew higher than Bullheads, offering a truly stunning view of Vale. Looking around, she noticed something.

"Is it just me, or are there more people this year?" she asked.

"It's just you," Artemis said. "You would have been on the first-years' flight last year. Fresh meat actually go a day ahead of the rest of us so that there's no older students to tell them what to expect from initiation. Gives 'em a chance to adjust to Beacon more easily as well." Looking at her watch, she added, "They're probably all still in the forest right now."

Velvet nodded at the explanation.

"Speaking of the newbies," Rover chimed in, though he seemed to be directing his comments at Gangrel, "A few rumour mills are talking about Pyrrha Nikos. They're saying she's coming to Beacon… Try not to pick a fight with her just because she's Mistrali, Gang."

The Bear Faunus looked genuinely offended. "I'm not racist against people from Mistral," he said defensively.

"Your tirade after the Vytal tournament disagrees," Rover shot back.

"Oh fuck off, I was just venting. Losing like that back in Atlas was a bit more than I was prepared for."

"What happened?" Velvet asked, genuinely curious. "My team's probably entering this year. It'd be nice to hear from people who've actually done it before."

The older students all smiled at this.

"Firstly, it was held in upper Atlas, so the commentators were racist as shit…. and so was half the crowd," Gangrel bit out.

"No way?" Velvet gasped. She knew Atlas treated Faunus poorly, but surely they wouldn't disrespect guest students like that?

"Soon as we entered the stadium for the four-on-four round, the commentators said they didn't know Menagerie was eligible to enter. Everyone got a good laugh," the Bear Faunus continued, stunning Velvet.

"Yeah, well..." Rover chuckled. "We buried our opponents, some other first years from Vacuo… It lasted a whole two minutes and forty seconds, and we barely took any hits. When we came back in the second round, nobody wanted to boo us then."

Squish took over the conversation at this point. "So it was me and Gang against two members of team MURK, fourth year students. Raiser Teal… scrawny little fucker, but his weapon is brilliant. It's a dust-powered hover scooter that turns into a mortar. Basically, he can redeploy and rain death from wherever he wants. Our other opponent was Kasshoku Yama. We didn't know much about her, just that she had a diamond-studded flail that she could do some pretty cool moves with. Now tell me which one of those two you would focus on."

Velvet thought it was a simple matter. "The first one. He sounds like he'd be more of a threat."

Gangrel chuckled darkly. "So did we. We put the pressure on him, and we took a lot of Aura damage in the process, but we got rid of him. But even two-on-one Yama managed to hold her own against us. Turns out she was a Geomancer."

Velvet winced. That would have been a difficult Semblance to counteract. "What happened? Did she cause an earthquake?"

"Even better," Gangrel continued "Turns out that's how she was controlling her weapon. The diamonds in it responded to her Semblance… Apparently so did Dust. It's a mineral, which makes too much sense in retrospect. She got tired of toying with us and detonated every single Dust round we had on us. Nearly killed us, and we lost...Scrapped Squish's other pistol, he built Breaker before we started second year"

"Damn." Velvet breathed out, unsure of how to respond.

"Yeah, well..." Rover shrugged. "We lost, but it was to the person that took silver overall. Vale still won the gold medal because Victoria Arc saw Yama's trick against us and knew to only take conventional rounds into the final against her."

"And we get to compete again this year," Artemis added, grinning at the prospect.

"So you can take a beating again, then," a voice added. "Team CFVY is taking gold."

Velvet smirked at the interruption. "Hey, Fox," she said, turning to her teammate.

"Hey. Just came to give you fair warning. Whatever got said to Coco earlier has got under her skin. She's genuinely upset right now, and Yatsuhashi is coming over here to pick a fight."

"Yatsuhashi, pick a fight?" Velvet questioned, disbelieving.

"Well he's coming to insist that your friend apologizes."

"So yeah, then he wants a fight," Gangrel snarled.

Velvet heard Artemis mutter something that sounded suspiciously like "And so it begins."

Scanning the crowds, she could see the giant of a man making his way towards them.

As he reached them, he placed a hand on Gangrel's shoulder, speaking softly as he did so. "There is no need for confrontations between fellow students. I would suggest you apologise to Coco."

Gangrel looked at Yatsuhashi, then at the hand on his shoulder, and then back to Yatsuhashi.

"I would suggest that you move your hand, or I'm gonna fucking keep it," the Bear-Faunus near-roared, shoving the larger student away from himself and reaching over his shoulder for one of his swords. Yatsuhashi responded in kind, one hand reaching over his shoulder for his weapon, the other held straight forward prepared to use his Semblance; in the confines of an airship, it would be devastating.

"Nope," Fox said simply, stepping between them, one blade trained on each. "This isn't happening. Arrange a sparring match when we get to Beacon if you're that desperate to see whose is bigger."

Neither combatant moved.

"Yatsu," Velvet chimed in nervously, "Whatever Coco's problem is, I probably contributed to it as well. I'll talk to her when we get back to the dorms. This won't solve anything." She chose not to mention that, while her team mate was a capable fighter, Gangrel would probably be able to disembowel him in seconds.

"You're right," the giant intoned solemnly. "There is nothing to be gained here. Fox, I trust you will be okay here with Velvet. Keep her safe." He gave Gangrel a disparaging look before leaving.

"The rest of you can drop 'em as well," Fox hissed.

Velvet looked around to see that while the two behemoths had been sizing each other up, Artemis had readied her weapon, a sniper rifle with the sights removed. No Scope, indeed. A blade was visible along the barrel, and from her current position she could have been preparing to take down either fighter if the situation devolved. Rover was leaning against the wall with one hand firmly on the grip of his weapon, his whole body tense. Squish was nowhere to be found, until the air seemed to ripple and he re-materialized, holding his smaller weapon, a high calibre pistol with a Karambit blade fitted to the bottom of the grip. From his position, his intent was obvious; he had planned on stabbing Yatsuhashi in the back the second the fight had started.

"Really!" Velvet was appalled. "You were going to jump him, four on one?"

"He came over looking for trouble. We were going to give him a large portion," Squish hissed out.

"Don't think of it as 'jumping him,'" Rover sighed. "Think of it as teamwork, which apparently your own team needs a lot of help with."

"Excuse me?" Fox was clearly indignant.

"Don't get pissy with us," Gangrel stated flatly. "You both stepped in to help your teammate. He responded by turning round and leaving you to deal with the situation. You might think they overreacted, but at least I know my team has my back."

The blind fighter had no answer to that, and neither did Velvet; she knew full well her team needed work, but she didn't imagine that the weakness was so glaringly obvious.

"Fortunately though," Gangrel continued to Fox, chuckling, "I like you kid, you've got a fucking backbone."

Velvet sighed, wondering what Fox had just unwittingly signed himself up for.

* * *

"They look like cunts, the whole lot of them." Gangrel grinned, struggling not to laugh at the newly minted Team CRDL.

"Because we don't know anybody who wears stupidly heavy armour and carries an oversized weapon," Artemis whispered to him. Rover had his head in his hands, clearly not wanting to be involved.

"I MADE mine. Theirs looks like fucking jewelry, look at how shiny it is."

"Okay, fine. I'll give you that," Artemis chuckled

"Get a read on 'em," Gangrel said.

"No," the Cat-Faunus said shortly. "If I put my goggles on here to focus, someone will see, and if I aura scan from the back of the Auditorium, I'll end up getting everyone and blinding myself." Aura-Scanning was Artemis's Semblance, and it allowed her to see the Aura of others. The stronger an Aura was, the more vivid it appeared to her. It was near useless against the Grimm, but it made her a terrifying opponent for any human or Faunus that relied on stealth or trickery, such as Perdu (Perdu's own Semblance which allowed him near-perfect invisibility.). It also made her exceptional at search-and-rescue missions, as she could see trapped survivors.

Gangrel turned back to the stage as the next new team was announced.

"Jaune Arc, Lie Ren, Pyrrha Nikos, Nora Valkyrie," The headmaster began. "The four of you retrieved the white rook pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team JNPR, led by Jaune Arc."

"Holy shit," Rover looked impressed. "That kid beat the Invincible Girl for the leadership. We might have a power couple on campus with those two."

"Arc? So he's Victoria's little brother. That explains it," Artemis said simply.

"Still looks like the runt of the litter," Gangrel snorted. "Fuck it, we'll keep an eye on him. I probably still owe his sister some favours."

"That and your massive first-year crush on her," Rover added slyly.

"Are we all forgetting what's important here?" Squish asked, sounding incredulous as Team JNPR left the stage. "The bouncy redhead, the one with a hammer that I can see from here- that hammer is fitted for grenades… that's my kind of woman."

"Gang, be a gent and slap the pervert," Artemis asked sweetly, as Gangrel was between Squish and Artemis. Gangrel smiled. "Don't even need to ask." He did so, much to Squish's physical displeasure.

"Much obliged," Artemis said, ignoring the groans of pain from Squish. The four of them quieted down again as the final team entered the stage.

"And finally," Ozpins' voice rang out, "Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward you will work together as Team RWBY, led by Ruby Rose."

"There is no way that girl is seventeen," Artemis said, looking outraged as she stared at the newly minted leader. "Surely Ozpin wouldn't send an actual child into the Emerald Forest?"

Squish sneered evilly. "Priorities, Missy." He turned to Gangrel. "Hey Gang, you looking forward to gutting a Schnee?"

The Bear-Faunus didn't even respond as he turned and left. Weiss Schnee being here would no doubt present opportunities, but he had a much bigger problem.

Blake "The Shadowcat" Belladonna was here… One of the highest-ranking White Fang members to ever defect. Adam's ex-girlfriend. And she was apparently becoming a Huntress. This was not part of the arrangement.

 **Author's Notes:**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

Dum dum dum... Slight cliffhanger, an arrangement you say?  
Okay, this was a long chapter, so thank you to everyone who reads this. Seriously though, some signs of you reading this, like feedback, would be very much appreciated.

Of weapons and their names:  
I invented names for team CFVY's weapons and obviously Team GRAP (what with them being OCs). Mostly these were done with Google Translate, so my apologies to any speakers of a language I have unwittingly brutalized.

Team CFVY:  
Coco Adel: 'Satani Arbor' is Latin for 'Explosion Tree' because it's a Boom-Stick only bigger.  
Yatsuhashi Daichi: 'Liequan' is Traditional Chinese for 'The Hound.' The name is inspired by The Hound's line in Game Of Thrones: "Your friend's dead and I'm not, because I've got armour and a big fucking sword."  
Fox Alistair: 'Hunger & Thirst'; there's actually no gimmicks here. I just wanted something that could sound menacing in the right circumstances.  
Velvet Scarlatina: 'Leporidae Rampant,' mentioned in an earlier chapter. Leporidae is the family of mammals rabbits belong to. Rampant comes from conventions regarding heraldry. The two combined give you the Rampant Rabbit... her weapon is named after a sex toy.

Team GRAP:  
Gangrel Slate: 'Iorek & Iofur.' Those are uppercase I's, not lowercase L's. The twin blades are named after the bear characters in Philip Pullman's 'His Dark Materials' trilogy (Read them, but never watch the abomination of a film)  
Rover Tan: 'Malis-Canis' is a short-handled axe that becomes a sawn-off Shotgun, the name being Latin for 'Bad Dog.'  
Artemis Blush: 'Hakai Suru' from the Japanese for 'destroy' is a sniper rifle with the sights removed. Artemis uses her enhanced Faunus senses and her Semblance instead. It also becomes a Naginata with a rotating Chamber fitted beneath the blade, which allows her to use dust while the weapon is in its close-combat form, giving it a flaming blade, etc.  
Perdu 'Squish' Callow: 'Fixer & Breaker.' They weren't actually named in the chapter as it were, but Fixer is the pistol with a Karambit knife attachment, and Breaker is an assault rifle that collapses much the same way as Crescent Rose. It doesn't have a secondary form, having been designed to carry the maximum number of rounds, but it also has a rotating ammo drum that allows it to be switched between standard and dust rounds at will.


	6. 06: Rendezvous

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 06: Rendezvous**

Gangrel closed the door of his dormitory behind him. Slumping against the wall, he took several deep breaths and tried to quell the urge to punch something or run for the hills. The second option was strangely preferable for the Bear-Faunus right now. Slowly mastering his emotions, he returned to his feet and reached for his luggage, which had been sent to the room while the students watched the initiation ceremony. He would force himself to do something even if it was just unpacking. Being active would help him plan and process some of the unrelenting dread that had wormed its way into his mind. At least, he hoped it would.

Before long, the clothes he had thought to take home with him for the vacation had been replaced in his wardrobe, his new textbooks and miscellaneous supplies for the upcoming semester had been allocated places, and his weapons hung from the stand that every member of Team GRAP shared; because no self respecting student at Beacon continued to use the rocket lockers after first year. Extracting a large bottle of brandy from the bottom of his bag before throwing the bag under the bunk bed he shared with Artemis, he sat on his bunk and stared at the bottle for a few moments, trying to ignore the tremors passing through his hands, as he debated to himself whether breaking the seal on the bottle and making considerable headway in emptying it for the sake of a few hours of blissfully ignorance of his current situation would be worth the hangover. Glancing up at the sound of the door opening, his mind was made up for him as he saw Artemis entering. Her mismatched eyes narrowed as she stalked towards him, the other two members of his team trailing behind her, wearing expressions that promised him no sympathy or assistance.

"Are you being serious right now?" Artemis asked.

Gangrel knew better than to answer that question. Interrupting the feline sniper when she was building up verbal momentum was not a wise move.

"You just up and leave as soon as the last team gets announced. Didn't bother to stay for Goodwitch's mission assignments for upper years. You literally used your Semblance to get here quicker. All just so you can start DRINKING! Oum help me Gang, but I will take control of this team from you if you don't get your shit together."

She gave him a pained expression that he didn't need to pretend to look guilty at. Her voice softened as she took the bottle from his hands. "You've got a problem. You need to cut back at least."

Having no immediate response, Gangrel chose to deflect and stall for time.

"Mission assignments? What did we get?"

"Don't even know yet," Squish said as he clambered onto the top bunk of the adjacent bed. "All we do know is we're heading out tomorrow first thing. Looks like we're starting off with a bang this year. That being said, I'm going to sleep."

"Not unpacking?" Gangrel asked.

"I'll do it when we get back. I've got enough rounds on me to last for a while. That's probably all I'll need."

Gangrel knew after dealing with him for so long that trying to enforce any sort of organisation on the smaller Faunus would be a wasted effort. So he simply shook his head as if to say "Suit yourself," and turned his attention back to Artemis, who was currently unpacking some of her own supplies.

"Are you giving me that bottle back? 'Cos if I have to raid your panty drawer to get it back, you and Rover are both going to be upset. Team cohesion and all that, right?"

"Don't get me involved in this," Rover said lightly as he sprawled out on the bunk opposite them.

"Gang, the day you see my unmentionables is the day you can and will die happy," came the reply. Gangrel gave a small smirk. If she was joking again, then the issue had been temporarily forgotten.

"And you can have it back when we get back from whatever this mission is, but I'll be keeping an eye on you," she added.

"Victory drinks it is then. Sounds fair," he replied standing up and stretching as he made to close the curtains. He stopped to look at the night sky for a moment. Like most residents of Lower Atlas, he appreciated the view. Then a thought hit him. Turning and making for the door, he addressed his teammates on the way.

"I'm going out for a jog, not especially tired. If I try and sleep now I'll just be laying there listening to Rover and Missy be an adorable couple... be in your own beds when I come back. Please." Looking over his shoulder, he saw Squish cackling silently into his pillow, Artemis shaking her head in frustration, and Rover giving him the finger.

It really was good to be back together.

Gangrel closed the door behind him and quietly made his way to the end of the hallway, where he proceeded to open the window and jump out.

* * *

Blake Belladonna was sitting on the roof of Beacon Academy, hugging her legs with her knees drawn under her chin, and putting enough distance between herself and her own dorm room that she wouldn't be able to hear the uproar currently being produced by her newly formed team.

Her team... was an interesting bunch.

There was Ruby. Initially, Blake had assumed that Ruby was some sort of child prodigy, having been accepted into the academy two years early and then made team leader to boot. But the scythe wielder had disillusioned her of that notion with the combination of nervous energy and hyperactive exuberance she had been displaying the whole way to the dorms. That was a façade that Blake saw through clearly, and she could see that Ruby was just as shocked as anyone else at the outcome.

Blake sighed. At least that meant she wasn't arrogant enough to just assume she'd be in charge. She would probably need someone to look out for her… Someone that wasn't as utterly insane as her sister. That brought Blake's thoughts to her own partner, Yang Xiao Long.

Blake would happily admit to herself, if no one else, that Yang was gorgeous. However, she was also distressingly brash, boisterous and cheerful. Probably a morning person as well. Blake frowned. The sunny disposition of her partner would either rub off on the Faunus or drive her to commit murder over the next four years.

And then there was the final member of team RWBY. Weiss Schnee. Blake frowned at the thought. She would require delicate handling. The heiress to a corporation she'd spent a considerable portion of her short life fighting against. Her Faunus ears were twitching against her black bow in irritation at the thought of living in close proximity to the petite girl who had already displayed the exact sort of imperious and condescending attitude that Blake expected from someone of her background.

Sighing to herself, she contemplated heading back to her dorm, if for no other reason than to check that the structural integrity of the room hadn't been compromised by the antics of the rest of her team. The thought left her mind, however, as she heard an echoing crack directly behind her. That was a sound she knew well.

A small smile tugged at her lips as she felt the presence of her old friend looming over her. "It's been a while, Gangrel."

"Not nearly long enough," he ground out, placing his gargantuan frame next to her. "You being here is not part of the plan." His voice was terse, stress evident in it.

"I'd hardly call what we had a plan. It was the germ of an idea at best."

"You're a fucking germ."

Blake laughed at that. It had been too long since she'd spent any time with Gangrel. His blunt attitude and brutally straightforward way of speaking seemed undiminished by two years of 'polite society' at Beacon.

The Bear-Faunus continued on. "Seriously, you came to my place over the winter break and told me you're out of the Fang and you left Adam 'cos he's gone off the deep end and you need my help to reel him back a bit before he gets a lot of people killed including himself, and then you go and do this? I didn't ask questions 'cos you were a mess at the time and looked like you were about to have a breakdown. At no point between then and now did you think to let me know you were going to come to Beacon so I could try and plan ahead and decide what I'm going to tell Adam when he asks why I didn't notice his deserter ex-girlfriend walking around the halls? You're gonna get me fucking killed, Blake."

"I'm sorry Gang, I just… I just didn't know where else to go." Her voice cracked at the statement, her amber eyes downcast. "I couldn't keep running from Adam. I don't know how much you've heard while you've been at Beacon, but he's taken to killing people that try to leave."

"Which brings me back to the fact you're going to get me killed when he finds out you're here. I've heard the rumours," Gangrel stated flatly.

"They're true," Blake informed him. "He's allied the White Fang with a faction that wants to take over the whole of Remnant. They're slowly building enough of a power base to do it. It's not about Faunus rights anymore. Adam wants to help destroy the world and carve out a piece of what's left."

"Sweet fucking Oum," Gangrel breathed out, his head in his hands. "That explains Torchwick, then."

"The dust thief?" Blake asked, arching an eyebrow.

"Yeah, I noticed over the summer that he seems to be welcome at a lot of White Fang spots. Our parties... the arcade we run by the docks... couple of the businesses we use for money laundering... I suppose if Adam's playing by a new set of rules, he'd mind working with him less. Wars need funding, after all." The distaste seeped into his voice at the thought. Gangrel had met the career criminal not long after moving to Vale and was deeply unimpressed by the man.

"The operation I left," Blake started, "Wasn't targeting the SDC. We were targeting an Atlesian military shipment. The plan was to steal what we could and destroy the rest. It went south pretty quickly after every robot onboard activated. We planted the charges, but Adam wanted to kill the humans driving the train as well; there'd been whispers from some of the older members that he was going down a dark path for a while, but I think at that moment I looked at him and didn't recognise the person I saw." She sniffled, determined not to shed another tear over the man her lover had once been.

"That is a bit on the harsh side." A lesser man would have buckled under the look Gangrel received for that statement. "What? I agree with you, killing the driver just 'cos they were there is too far. I'm not too bothered about him blowing up a train though and I give no fucks about Atlas military."

"We were supposed to protect Faunus rights!" Blake hissed incredulously.

"And sometimes we have to break heads to do that!" Gangrel shot back "We tried doing things peacefully. I spent five years in care off the back of it. You mean well Blake, but you've got too big of a heart for this world."

"I'll take that as a compliment."

"We're getting off topic. Please tell me you have some sort of a plan?"

Blake took a deep breath at her old friends' question. "The White Fang in its current form needs to be stopped for their own sake as much as everyone else's. I need you to help me do that from the inside. You're probably the only person Adam respects enough to be told 'no' by. Even when I was with him, I couldn't do that... I couldn't see past my own infatuation with him." That last part was more to herself.

"Yeah, you're definitely getting me killed." Gangrel's tone was an odd mix of amusement and abject horror. "Sad part is I can't even disagree. Are any of our old network even left? I know Tukson went into hiding when Sienna got locked up." Blake shook her head.

"Fagin Grey had to go on the run. I think he's hiding out in Vacuo somewhere. Harry is in an Atlas jail awaiting sentencing for things he did in another jail, and I haven't seen anything Luna or Felix since Kai-"

Gangrel held a hand up, cutting Blake off. Kai was still a sore subject, but he had better news. Reaching into his pocket, he showed Blake an image on his scroll.

"Felix and Luna moved to Vacuo as well. I spent the first week of Vacation over there for their wedding. You should have been there."

Blake gave a squeal of delight at the sight of the images. Nobody but those closest to her would ever believe that noise had come from her mouth.

"Oh my Oum, she looks amazing. They both do… remember growing up, when you had a massive crush on Luna?" Blake teased.

"Remember when you did as well?"

Blake closed her mouth with an audible click.

"As we were saying, though," Gangrel began as he pocketed his scroll, "I'm barely involved in Fang work while I'm at Beacon, but Adam is seeing someone else now." He paused to see Blake had seemingly took that bit of information in stride. "She's a second year here, I saw her getting bothered by some racist fucks and thought she needed a hand. They know each other through me, so I can probably use that angle to keep tabs on Adam. I can't start botching operations, but I'll pass on whatever info I can get my hands on. But only on the understanding that it doesn't go to the authorities."

Blake considered that for a moment before nodding in agreement. "Okay, that makes sense. We'll do this as 'in house' as possible."

"So you're on a team with a Schnee now."

She looked up at the sudden change in subject. "Yes. She hasn't said anything outright racist yet, but I'm probably going to be keeping this bow on for the next four years."

"I was deliberately not bringing that Oum-awful thing up for discussion. I might play that angle up to Adam though."

"What?"

"When- not if- when he finds out you're here, I'm going to tell him that I left him in the dark on purpose so he could focus on the Schnee. I'll tell him if he knew you were here he'd do something stupid, possibly fuck up his new relationship, and cause a bigger target to run."

Blake gave the Bear-Faunus a disgusted look. "You're going to throw her to the Beowolves?"

"If he makes a move on her while she's at Beacon, he'll tell me about it even if it's just a courtesy call to say he doesn't want me on the job or to get me off campus so I've got an alibi. I'll let you know with enough time to work something out… But on a serious note, fuck the Schnee family as a whole. I don't especially care if anything happens to her."

"Gang." Blake's tone was delicate as she put a hand on his shoulder. "She would have been a baby when your mum died if she was even born, please don't start thinking like that… it's the first step on the road Adam is going down. Please don't follow him, I can't watch anyone else turn into a monster."

"No promises, kid." Gangrel stood up and stretched. "I've got a mission starting first thing tomorrow, and I'm heading back to my dorm. You should probably do the same."

"You'll have to introduce me to your team. I'd love to meet the people who've kept you on the straight and narrow for this long," Blake called after his retreating back.

"That's more my Dad than anything else, but yeah, we'll probably see each other at some point," he called back, before vanishing with his usual sound, leaving smoke dispersing in his wake.

* * *

Gangrel reached his dormitory and entered silently. He could've used the window as a line of sight to teleport into the room, but he never did so out of respect for his teammates and their sleep. His Faunus eyes unhindered by the gloom, he took a long look at the people whose lives he had been entrusted with. Artemis had found her way from the top bunk into Rovers' bed, and the pair laid asleep in each other's arms. Gangrel was genuinely happy for them. With her steadfast refusal to tolerate any of his attitude over the years, Artemis had been, despite being the same age as him, the closest thing to a mother he'd ever had. Rover was probably the most normal person he knew. Considering that the Dog-Faunus was a hunter-in-training, that was a testament to the life Gangrel had lived thus far. The pair truly deserved happiness, and them finding it in each other warmed their leader's heart... Not that he would ever say that out loud.

Removing his armour and climbing into bed, he looked over at Perdu, the first friend he had made in Vale and quite possibly the most loyal person he'd ever met. Squish would follow Gangrel to the end of Remnant, and the leader had a sinking feeling that that could well be where he was leading him. He would keep his end of the arrangement with Blake. He knew her well enough to know that if she said Adam needed to be pulled back from the brink, it was not hyperbole. He had a bleak view of this situation and desperately prayed to any deities that would listen that if this house of cards he was slowly building for himself collapsed, that none of his team had to suffer for it.

 _If this ends in blood, then just let it be mine. I've done enough to deserve it._

 **Author's Notes**

Notice: As of February 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

Firstly, I'd like to give a big thank you to Blu3 Fir3 for the constructive criticism and feedback on this story.  
So now things are definitley in motion. Unfortunately, due to me starting a new job next week, expect a slowdown in the rate for new chapters. I'll still do what I can because writing this is fun.

As always, thank you to everyone that reads this, and an extra large thank you to those that choose to make my day and stroke my ego by reviewing and following the story.


	7. 07: Class in Session

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 07: Class In Session**

Velvet did not consider herself an angry person. It was quite the opposite, in fact. Growing up with her younger siblings had given her a Zen-like level of tolerance for petty antics that many people could only hope to achieve. But her patience was being tested deeply right now.

 _If whoever is throwing those keeps up, there will be blood_ , she silently fumed to herself.

As if on cue, another scrunched-up wad of paper hit her on the back of her Faunus ears and landed in front of her. Unfolding, it she was greeted with a messily scrawled message reading "Go back to Menagerie." Taking a deep breath, she steadfastly refused to turn around to give her tormentor the satisfaction of seeing the anger and hurt she was struggling to keep from her face. This morning had gone from bad to worse. Coco had gone straight to sleep after the initiation ceremony, and the promised talk between the two of them was foregone. The tension in the room the next morning had been almost palpable, and the pointed comments from Fox about that matter, while well-meaning, hadn't helped. The first lesson of her first day back at Beacon had been a weapon maintenance class- a subject that was largely irrelevant to most of her team, but Velvet knew better than to try and have the talk with Coco during that class Raising any issues with Coco while she worked on her mini-gun would undoubtedly do more harm than good. After that, she had parted ways with the rest of her team to attend first-year history, a subject she'd found painfully dull the first time she'd been subjected to it. It was no better this time around. Looking around the lecture hall, she saw that several of her classmates were faring no better than she was. The small girl with the red cape was resting her head on the desk, clearly struggling to stay awake while seemingly immune to the furious diatribe issuing from her white-haired partner's mouth in a furious whisper; the word 'dolt' seemed to be a recurring theme in the girl's hushed lecture. The tall blonde whom she thought was the leader of his team had his earphones inserted, tuning out Oobleck's high velocity ramblings, and he was occasionally glancing at his red-haired partner's notes and copying them.

 _THWACK._

Another wad of paper hit Velvet. This time though, she managed to see who had thrown it from the corner of her eye. It was a tall muscular boy with a square jaw, crew-cut brown hair and dark beady eyes filled with ill intent. turning in her seat to face him Velvet silently mouthed some truly vile threats and curses that caused his mohawk-wearing teammate to look at him with a twisted smirk. Velvet's tormentor held her gaze for a few seconds before silently mouthing back a single word:

"Outside."

Almost as soon as he'd finished forming the word, the bell for the end of the lesson sounded. Velvet rapidly threw her belongings back into her small rucksack and hastily made for the exit. She'd barely made it into the hallway before something grabbed her rucksack and attempted to pull her back. Dropping the bag from the shoulder she carried it on, she turned to face her assailant.

"So" the tall boy began, cracking his knuckles. "My Mum gets fucked by Cat Faunus doggy-style and I'm just upset because I was only allowed to watch?"

Velvet smirked as he quoted part of her silent tirade back to her. She did, after all, know some very creative insults.

"Sounds about right to me." She smiled at him sweetly, acutely aware of the small crowd that was starting to form around them and realizing the situation was rapidly leaving her control.

"Okay Faunus bitch," the boy spat. "I'm gonna teach you a few simple tricks. Like _roll over_ and _play dead_."

Velvet took a step back, feet shoulder width apart right heel raised the ball of her foot supporting her weight, her right arm close to her body covering her ribs, elbow protruding slightly; and her left arm slightly forward fist-level with her nose. Her assailant might be bigger and physically stronger, but if it was going to be a fight, Velvet had every intention of landing some solid hits. But before things could escalate further, her would-be opponent staggered forwards as someone crashed into his back. The blonde boy with the earphones had apparently only just left the lecture hall and had tripped over his own feet and stumbled into her antagonizer.

"What the fuck are you doing, Arc?" the boy snapped, turning to the blonde.

The blonde turned pale. "H-hey Cardin, didn't see you there," he said shakily.

Velvet shook her head in utter disbelief before retrieving her rucksack and making her way towards her next lesson. Sensing that the show was over, the crowd started to disperse.

 _Fuck today_ , Velvet seethed to herself. _There is no way anybody else's day is going this badly._

* * *

"There's no way anybody else is dealing with shit like this!" Gangrel roared in frustration as he hacked and slashed his way through Ursa after Ursa. His team's first mission of the semester led to them being woken up by Professor Goodwitch at an ungodly hour and being informed that the traditional initiation process tended to leave the Grimm in the Emerald Forest more active and bolder than they usually were, and that his team's job was to head into the forest and reduce their numbers while pushing them back far enough to create a buffer zone. They would have no assistance from the professors in order to test their ability to function independently in the real world. For students with two years of experience under their belts, the task wasn't especially difficult, but it was seemingly endless. Wave after wave of Grimm rushed forward to meet their violent end.

"Just push through to the clearing and we're done," Artemis's voice sounded in his ear. Team GRAP had taken to wearing headsets on missions and starting a conference call on their scrolls in order to stay in contact with each other.

"This is a joke," Gangrel growled back. "We're basically mowing the fucking lawn, send me back to the front lines. At least the Grimm there were worth the effort." Another Grimm burst from the surrounding foliage, only for the back of its skull to explode in a display of smoke and darkness as a round from Atermis's rifle entered its eye socket and exited the back of its head. Gangrel turned to find Artemis perched on a tree branch behind him several feet above the ground, her body shrouded by a camouflage sheet she wore on missions  
"I had that," he said.

"I know."

The brief conversation was interrupted as three more Ursa came crashing into view. The first fell prey to a well-placed gunshot. Gangrel leapt forward and head-butted the nearest monster, cracking the bone plating covering its snout on impact, before bisecting the creature with a single swing of one of his swords. Vanishing and reappearing on the other side of the remaining Ursa, he followed the attack with his second sword, severing the creature's head.

"Gang," Artemis sighed. "You just head-butted an Ursa."

"Yeah?"

"Head-butted. An. Ursa," she repeated, slowly and clearly enunciating each word before seemingly thinking better of trying to understand her leader's approach to combat. "Whatever, come on, that's the job done."

Gangrel nodded, sheathing his swords before speaking into his headset. "Squish, Rover we're pretty much finished here. How are things on your end?"

The sound of gunfire answered him, moments later Perdu's voice responded. "Yeah, we're wrapping up back here as well."

"Meet us at the evac point. Me and Missy are moving to secure it now."

"Yes, fearless leader," came Squish's reply, and Gangrel just knew he had mock-saluted when he said it.

* * *

Squish and Rover had worked out a system for the times they were paired together on missions. It was more common than one would assume, despite the fact he was Gangrel's partner; the Bear-Faunus tended to take Artemis with him. Her precise marksmanship was more suited to working around allies that could teleport than his own rapid firing. The system he and Rover had was simple enough. Rover used his Semblance to herd Grimm into an enclosed area where Perdu waited, concealed by his own Semblance, and either silently took down single targets with his bladed pistol or cleared out batches of them with his rifle. Right now it was the latter as Beowolves littered the ground, each of them expiring before the last could dissolve.

"Time to go," he called to Rover. His team-mate skidded into view, kicking up dust behind him and hitting Grimm with enough force to send them crashing through the nearest tree even as he slowed down. Taking a few seconds to catch his breath before responding, his voice was muffled somewhat by his mask.

"Okay, no problem, want me to give you a lift?"

"Oum no, never again." Squish shuddered at the thought. "Go on ahead. I'll catch up."

Rover nodded before seemingly vanishing in a trail of sparks and arcing electricity.

* * *

Gangrel and Artemis were back-to-back in the clearing that was to be their designated evac-point. The Cat-Faunus had her weapon in its close combat form, the Naginata blade wreathed in flame as it tore a Beowolf's lower jaw away. She followed her swing through to spear an Ursa that had been attempting to charge Gangrel, who'd since teleported in front of her and swung both of his swords in wide arcs, using Gravity Dust to fuel his attack, and sent a wave of sheer concussive force outwards, simply disintegrating several approaching Grimm. An unnaturally strong gust of wind behind him informed him that Rover had reached them. Turning around, he saw the Dog-Faunus with his mask removed planting a quick kiss on his partners lips.

"Miss me?" he asked.

"Only slightly," was Artemis's reply.

Gangrel cleared his throat. "You can have your moment when we're on the bull-head. Where's Squish?"

Rover turned to his leader, keeping his arm firmly around Artemis' waist. "On the way, picking off any stragglers. You called for evac?"

Gangrel shook his head "I'll do it now. Stay with Squish next time." Reaching for scroll, he ended the team conference call, which would be redundant anyway when Squish reached them. He then called the number Professor Goodwitch had given him  
"Professor, this is Team GRAP reporting back. Mission's complete… I assume we get the rest of the day off after this?" A few seconds later, he closed his scroll and turned to the other two members of his team that were currently in the clearing.

"Our ride should be here in ten to fifteen minutes, and we're still expected to be present for the last two lessons of the day. I've got first dibs on the shower."

Rover looked ready to comment on not getting a day off after spending all morning on the hunt, until a deafening screech pierced the air.

"Nevermore!" Gangrel barked out, readying his weapons again.

"There, flying close to the treetops. It's following something" Artemis intoned as she readied her rifle for the shot. It soon became apparent what the Grimm was chasing as Squish burst from the tree line at a full sprint, holding his rifle, Breaker and firing behind him as he went. The Nevermore made to swoop and snatch the Squish in its talons. Acting on pure instinct, Gangrel teleported, grabbed his partner, and returned to his previous position before retching as the side effects of carrying passengers made themselves known. Artemis fired off a single shot, which shattered a joint in the beast's wing. Sprinting forwards and shifting Hakai Suru back to its Naginata form, she opened the Grimm's belly as it passed overhead. Falling from the sky, it crashed into the ground and began to dissolve on impact. When the smoke cleared, she turned to face her team.

Squish gave her a pointed look. "I had that."

"I know," was her only reply.

* * *

Velvet was currently in the library working on assignments alone. Classes had ended for the day, and she had showered, changed her clothes, and immediately left the dorm. She was currently waiting for a reply to a text from Gangrel. She'd asked him if he wanted to meet up and possibly give her a hand. The quiet buzzing of her scroll pulled her attention away from the book that had barely been able to hold her attention in the first place.

 _Sorry Thumper. We got sent on a clear-out mission first thing and still had to go to class after. I'm having an early night._

Velvet sighed as she read the text message. She couldn't really blame her friend, though.

 _No problem I'll see you at breakfast tomorrow or something….And when did I become 'Thumper' anyway?_

The answer came almost instantly. _Round about the same time you kicked a cop through his own car yeah I heard about that, keep up the good work ;-)_

Velvet struggled to contain a laugh. She was in a library, after all. _Oh fuck all the way off,_ she typed back.

 _Was your mouth that filthy before you started using it on Adam?_

"Asshole!" she hissed, louder than she had intended, before returning to her work. Within minutes, she was interrupted again as someone tapped her shoulder. She turned to see Fox smiling at her.

"Hey Velvet, still avoiding Coco?"

"I'm just working, why? Did she send you to come and find me?" Velvet bit her lip, slightly nervous. Coco's displeasure with her being left to fester was probably only going to make things worse.

"Nope," Fox answered as he took a seat next to his teammate. "She's not mentioned you all day. Honestly, I think she expects you to go to her. And to be honest, you did just lose your temper with her yesterday."

"I haven't seen any of my team in person all summer, and literally the first thing she does when she sees me is complain," Velvet fumed.

"Well you did fa-"

"Oh, fuck Oobleck's history class. When has anyone ever cared about it before?"

Fox sighed, running his hands through his hair in frustration. "Come on, don't make me the bad guy here. Coco's a hardass. Trust me, I know. She's my partner, but you didn't say a word when that new friend of yours looked about ready to start something. I'm trying to keep the team on speaking terms here."

"Honestly, Fox, it's a bit late for that." Velvet laid a hand on his shoulder. "You're the only person in the team I talk to. Nobody else has made any effort over the last year."

"But still," Fox sighed, sounding truly upset at the state that Team CFVY had been allowed to degrade to. "We need to have each other's backs."

Velvet snorted. "The way you've all had my back every time some anti-Faunus bigots have tried to make my life miserable. I nearly ended up fighting with one of them today."

"I heard," Fox said, his expression pained. "Look, Velvet, I'm going to say something now, and I'm telling you this as a friend, just hear me out… You're training to be a Huntress. This is a combat school. As much as I want to, I can't fight all your battles for you. You're going to have to at least try and defend yourself."

"Just go, Fox!" Velvet snapped, unable to control the sudden anger inside her. "I've never had the team's support, whether I needed it or not. Coco's latest attitude problem changes nothing. Tell her if me showing her same treatment that she shows me bothers her that much, then she should come and talk to me about it."

Fox stood up. "If that's what you want. I'll be around if you need me."

"No you won't," she muttered at his retreating back. She sat in stony silence for a few minutes before the sound of her scroll demanded her attention. Opening it, she was greeted by a message from Adam.

 _Evening gorgeous, how was your first day back?_

Velvet looked at the message for a few moments before making a decision.

 _It was an utter nightmare. Are you free this weekend? I've been thinking… I think it's time I joined your organization._

 **Author's Notes:**

Okay, this one's a short chapter, but I think it does what it needs to.  
What does everyone think of the way I've wrote the other members of Team CFVY thus far? I don't want to make them villains, but at the same time, they've never done anything to help their teammate.

Also, what do people think of Velvet and Cardin's little confrontation?


	8. 08: Noticing Senpai

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

Also TWO CHAPTERS IN THE SAME DAY, I'M ON A ROLL

 **Chapter 08: Noticing Senpai**

Professor Goodwitch surveyed the class of first year students. It was the final lesson of the first week of term and thus it was time for a yearly tradition that she personally found distasteful, but saw the need for it as well. It was time to utterly break the new students' morale. After a successful initiation and only sparring with others on a comparable level to themselves, many first years began to develop an arrogant streak that could cost them their lives in the field. As a countermeasure to this, she brought in a team of older students at the end of the first week to ensure that they understood the difference in calibre between what they had faced and what was to come, and the extent to which they would have to push themselves to bridge that gap.

Surveying the newly-formed teams, she pondered which of them should be thrown under the proverbial bus for the sake of education. Emerald eyes peered over the top of her glasses at Team JNPR. No, they would not work. Nikos was a world-class fighter and Arc, while lackluster, had a truly impressive amount of Aura. They would still be beaten, but the first-years would be left thinking it was a fluke. Deciding that they would be unsuitable, she turned to Team CRDL, only to immediately dismiss them as a candidate. Their aggressive tendencies had already been noted, and their classmates would be too absorbed in the spectacle of their defeat to truly learn anything from it. She passed over several other teams of frankly unremarkable students before her eyes fell on Team RWBY, and it was here that she found what she was looking for. This was a team with varied capabilities led by a child prodigy who lacked experience. They would be well-suited for the demonstration. Realizing she had allowed silence to reign in her class for long enough, she cleared her throat and addressed the students.

* * *

Ruby Rose watched as Professor Goodwitch's eyes roved the class, seemingly staring into the very soul of each student. Her sense of apprehension grew with each passing second. While new to the school, she already knew how the disciplinarian operated: Straight to business with no theatrics. The fact she had apparently chosen the end of the first week to buck that trend seemed important.

"Well, students," the professor began, her voice demanding the complete attention of all, "I would like to congratulate you all on successfully completing your first week at this prestigious academy. However, it is time some of you were shown the truth of matters that you are yet to fully grasp. Many of you seem to be under the impression that the way you acquitted yourselves during initiation is proof that you are ready to be Hunters. This is simply incorrect."

Ruby gulped. The professor paused just long enough for nervous whispers to begin spreading through the room before continuing. "As you are now, you would be laid low by the Grimm. You are simply the raw materials from which Beacon Academy shall craft the swords and shields that shall guard the future of the Kingdoms. To make sure that this is thoroughly understood, I have enlisted the help of a team of older students." As she said this, the door behind the professor opened, and four individuals stepped out.

Ruby discretely activated her semblance, and her ability to process information accelerated to match the super speed she was gifted with. All four of them were Faunus. One was dark-skinned with short hair, with a weapon slung over his shoulder and tail wagging seemingly in excitement. The second student was a clash of vibrant colours, white and pink outfit, pink hair, and mismatched eyes. Following her was a student that was smaller than Ruby, wearing loose-fitting clothes and armour covered with sharp edges, and his pale yellow eyes seemed to hold the promise of mayhem. The final student to enter the room was simply gargantuan; a towering mass of muscle and armour with a ferocious face and a pair of swords that Ruby was almost certain were larger than herself slung over his back. Bringing her senses back to their normal levels, she returned her attention to her professor

"Students, I would like to introduce you to Team GRAP, a third-year team of students that have competed in the Vytal tournament, served beyond the front lines, and in this week alone achieved more confirmed kills than your entire class _combined_. Today, they will be sparring with a first-year team of my choosing."

"This is gonna be so cool!"

Ruby's hands covered her mouth as her eyes widened. The words had left her before she could contain herself. But how could she have helped it? The front line was the buffer zone between the influence of each kingdom and the uncharted territories that had been left to the ravages of time and the Grimm. Serving beyond the front lines meant taking the fight to the enemy and was considered the sign of truly remarkable skill and resolve.

Goodwitch smiled, in a way that promised nothing good. "I'm glad you think so. I think Team RWBY will be the perfect candidate to show what this year's new recruits have to offer. Team RWBY, make your way to the stage and quickly decide amongst yourselves who will be the first."

* * *

Rover Tan suppressed a small chuckle at the girl's outburst. It was the girl that Artemis had been sure was too young to attend. She'd asked other students and found out the girl was allegedly a child prodigy who had been allowed to enter two years early. Clearly she still had plenty of childlike wonder left in her. This thought caused a small frown; that would be another thing that would need to be drilled out of these students. Gangrel had given his team strict instruction upon receiving this assignment- they were to give the same treatment that they had been given by Victoria Arc and Team VVID in this scenario two years ago.

As it was announced that her own team was facing them, he saw the girl's eyes light up as a smile split her face from ear to ear, and she raced from her seat to the edge of the stage faster than most eyes could track, unwittingly broadcasting her Semblance to the world. Rover immediately knew who would be facing her.

As the rest of her team made their way to the stage, the scythe-wielder climbed up and smiled at the older students. "I'll go first! Who wants to spar? Oh, which one of you is the team leader? I think the two leaders facing off against each other would be an awesome match!"

Gangrel gave her a genuine smile and nod of approval. "I'm the team leader. Kid, you've got some guts, which I like, but I've got a better match up in mind."

Rover knew what the next words would be before Gangrel turned to him.

"Rover, you're up."

The protective shield that encased the arena to prevent stray shots from hitting the audience had been activated by now, and Goodwitch was finishing up her usual reiteration of the rules. Meanwhile, Ruby drew Crescent Rose and deployed its scythe mode. Her opponent slid a gunmetal-grey protective mask over his face, but made no attempt to reach for his own weapon.

The Professor looked at both students, confirming that they were ready, before calling out. "Begin!"

Ruby launched herself forward with a burst of speed, intent on landing a solid hit early on. Crescent Rose swung in a wide arc… and hit nothing but air.

Using her momentum to run along the inner surface of the domed shield, Ruby returned to her starting position. Her opponent appeared to have remained in place despite the evidence to the contrary. Shifting her weapon to its rifle form and focusing her semblance, she was vaguely aware of the rose petals forming around her as she snapped off three shots in rapid succession. Then she saw it: Rover activating his own semblance.

The features of his body became blurred and indistinct as arcs of golden lightning coursed over his body, sparks trailing behind him as he casually sidestepped each of her shots. With a start, Ruby saw why he had been chosen to face her- he was just as fast as she was.

Realizing that this was not a battle she could win at range, she made to return her weapon to its close combat mode, right before blinding pain erupted in her jaw. Rover had rushed at her faster than she could track and swung his elbow upwards directly into her chin. Correction: he was _faster_ than she was.

Crescent Rose flew out of her grasp as she sailed back into the shield and ricocheted off it. She staggered forwards, only to be brought to her knees by a tremendous blow to the back of her head. The strikes had been perfectly timed and fluid.

Ruby looked up in time to Rover flip his short-handled axe, which would have cleaved her skull if not for her aura, converting it into a short-barrelled shotgun which proceeded to discharge and throw her back into the shield again. Her adversary took a step back, allowing her a chance to stand. Daring to glance at the screen, she was horrified to learn that those three strikes had depleted a third of her aura.

"You're fast," Rover said to her. "But you need to learn how to use that speed. Let me show you."

Ruby frowned and dove for her weapon, only to see it kicked away before she could reach it. Rover then proceeded to literally run rings around the younger fighter, and Ruby briefly had a moment to wonder what the point of that was, until she realized that her lungs were struggling to pull in air. He was creating a rudimentary vacuum, and it was working too well. Then, as suddenly as he had begun, the attack stopped, and he skidded to a halt directly in front of her before charging. Ruby attempted to block the incoming strike, only to be left disoriented as the faster hunter literally ran _through_ her.

Her ears left ringing by the sensation,she barely had time to comprehend what had happened before Rover, now behind her, landed a devastating kidney punch that floored her again. As Ruby laid on the floor, desperately trying not to be sick, he placed the barrel of his weapon directly to her temple.

"This is gonna hurt," he informed.

* * *

Yang looked on in horror that slowly gave way to rage as her sister was sent skidding across the floor, the final attack resulting in a resounding boom that left Ruby wreathed in smoke and ashes. Her opponent had used a fire dust round to finish the match.

"Ruby Rose's aura has dropped into the red. She is unable to continue," Goodwitch informed the class.

A stunned buzz filled the room as the shields were lowered. It was quite a shock to see a girl who had decapitated a giant Nevermore be soundly defeated in less than thirty seconds without even landing a single hit on her opponent.

Rushing onto the stage, Yang helped her sister up "Ruby! Ruby, are you okay? Talk to me, sis."

"I'm fine, Yang," Ruby mumbled, steadying herself with a strange look in her eyes.

Yang turned her attention to Rover, who had also exited the stage. "Hey jackass, what's the big idea?" she said angrily.

"Miss Xiao Long!" Professor Goodwitch warned.

Gangrel stepped forward, coming to his teammate's defense. "The big idea," he growled, "Was to make a point. Your sister ran down here showcasing her semblance, and I wasn't gonna ignore that. Anyone else would have struggled to combat her speed, but I let Rover deal with her because he was most suited to the task." He turned to Ruby. "As a leader, you need to learn how to best utilize your teams' abilities. It's one of the easiest ways to keep them safe."

"So that's what you were doing?" Yang smirked. "Just keeping your team safe? You're just a big ol' Momma Bear."

The silence was deafening as Gangrel took a moment to process the pun he had just been subjected to. "Squish?" he asked, turning to his partner, who was currently in the throes of a silent laughing fit.

"Yes, boss?" he managed to gasp out.

"Put her in the ground."

Perdu looked across the stage at the blonde brawler that was to be his opponent. She had deployed a pair of gauntlets that were fitted with shotguns and was currently sizing him up with a smirk. The Faunus almost shook his head in disbelief. Surely she didn't think being short was going to stop him, did she?

"Begin," Goodwitch intoned.

Perdu rushed forwards, forgoing either of his weapons as he closed the distance and ducked under Yang's left jab. Now with an opening, he threw a straight right that connected with her jaw and returned to his proper stance before swinging his left leg low to the ground, knocking Yang from her feet. The blonde recovered quickly and retaliated with a salvo of shotgun rounds as she rose back up. But Perdu, having guessed this was coming, sidestepped the attack and sent a spinning kick into her midsection followed by a knee to the face, sending her sprawling onto the arena floor, gasping for breath. Perdu took the opportunity to reach for Fixer, his bladed pistol. As soon as Yang managed to get back to her feet, a shot impacted her knee, buckling it. She made the mistake of clutching her leg in pain rather than keeping her guard up, and was promptly rewarded by a sharp pain across the face from the blade of her opponent's pistol. Then she noticed for the first time several strands of blonde hair falling to the ground. A familiar rage set in, and she let loose an angry howl as she triggered her semblance. With a new pool of power, she landed a devastating haymaker on Perdu, sending to the ground.

The reptilian Faunus took careful note of Yang's red eyes and burning aura. "So you've got a cool semblance. Me too." He gave a grin that displayed his needle-like teeth before he turned invisible.

Now with the freedom to move again, he got up and crept around the edge of the arena, making sure to keep his movements as inconspicuous as possible. If she caught sight of his still-visible outline, then his advantage would be lost. But he didn't have to worry, as Yang's rage gave way to confusion as she glanced around, looking for her opponent.

Perdu waited patiently for her eyes to return to their normal color, and the second that it happened, he covertly deployed Breaker and unleashed a hailstorm of bullets, eating up the Yang's remaining aura in seconds.

"Yang Xiao Long's Aura has dropped into the red, and she is unable to continue."

As soon as the words left Goodwitch's mouth, Perdu reappeared, nodding to Yang as he hopped off the stage. "Good game. You need to hold your Semblance for Xiao-Longer than that, though."

The blond laughed. "That pun was terrible."

"You'd be the expert."

* * *

Blake had watched the previous two matches while remaining as detached as possible. It was evident that Gangrel had grown into more than the rowdy kid from the orphanage that did Adam's bidding. He was a capable leader, but seeing Yang's temper had reminded her that Gangrel had one of his own. Taking advantage of it might be the key to leaving this with some of her team's self-respect intact.

She jumped onto the stage. "So who's next, then?" she challenged. "How about you, big guy? Are you planning from leading from the rear all day?" There would be no way he could ignore being called out like that.

Gangrel, however, only snorted. "I'm fighting the Schnee," he said flatly. "But since you're eager... Missy, go for it."

 _Apparently he could ignore it_. Blake fumed as Artemis entered the stage, lowering her goggles onto her face.

As soon as the signal from Goodwitch was given, Blake drew her sword and rushed forwards. She feinted with a slash while at the same time activating her Semblance and leaping to the side; her shadow clone followed her feint through as she reached for her secondary weapon, before a ringing impact hurled her back against the protective shield. Picking herself up, she saw her opponent's rifle trained on her with the shadow clone nowhere to be found. Trying again, Blake sent a shadow clone rushing forwards while at the same time leaping into the air and preparing to bring her sword down on her opponent's head. A shot rang out, hitting her square in the chest, and Blake found herself struggling to her feet again.

By then, she had realized that these weren't lucky shots. Her opponent was somehow immune to her semblance. Throwing caution to the wind, she charged forward, shifted her blade into its pistol mode, and fired. Artemis retaliated by changing Hakai Suru to its naginata form and deflecting before sweeping low as Blake approached to force her to leap over the blade.

The two Faunus danced around each other, blades clashing at blinding speed, before Artemis managed to gain the advantage through a deft spin away from Blake's assault and a forcefully apply her weapon's blunt end to the back of her opponent's knee. As Blake staggered forwards, Artemis got the shaft of her weapon around her throat and choked her from behind until her weapon fell from her hand and Professor Goodwitch stopped the match.

"Blake Belladonna has been left unable to continue. Artemis Blush wins the match by default."

Before preparing for his bout, Gangrel shot Blake an apologetic look as she staggered off the stage, struggling to catch her breath. That had been the closest fight yet, and Artemis's victory would be a good lesson in the long run. But that didn't keep it from being painful.

* * *

Weiss Schnee fixed the brutish-looking behemoth across from her with a cold stare which he seemed more than happy to return. He had specifically said that wished to face her as if she was just another first year. However, he was about to learn the error of his ways.

"Begin," came Goodwitch's instruction.

Weiss drew her sword and moved gracefully around the perimeter, never breaking her form. Gangrel, whose name she had just learned, hadn't even bothered to draw his own weapons; a presumptuous mistake she assured herself he would suffer for. The two of them circled each other around the arena before she decided seize initiative, even if it was only in the theatre of psychological warfare.

"Do you intend to continue stalling? I thought this was what you wanted, or is an adversary who won't be bested by boasts and savagery a little beyond your scope? I can't say I expected much better." Her sweet tone did nothing to hide the venom permeating the words.

The Faunus simply shrugged off the barb before offering one of his own. "Who carved your face, Schnee? I'll buy 'em a drink next time I'm in Atlas." Weiss couldn't help but notice his accent. He was indeed a native to her homeland, if only the lower part of the kingdom.

"So that's the Schnee ancestral sword," he continued, nodding towards Myrtenaster. "How many Faunus have died on the end of it?"

Weiss let a cruel smile play across her lips and hissed her next words so quietly that only those gifted with the enhanced senses of a Faunus could hear. "Always room for one more."

Weiss saw Gangrel's eyes take on a wild look right before he vanished into thin air. She had only a split second to realize she had miscalculated before he reappeared behind her and his gargantuan fist planted itself between her shoulder blades, sending her staggering forwards and suddenly Gangrel was in front of her again, his left hand connecting with her right cheek and throwing her sideways. Myrtenaster flew out of her hands and rolled across the floor as her vision swam. She reached out desperately for it, only to see a booted foot crash down against the rotating chamber with enough force to bend it. The same booted foot then connected squarely with the bridge of her nose.

Gangrel fought through a haze of red, the heiress's casual comment having sent him into a berserk fury that he struggled to bring himself back from even as he unsheathed his swords and continued his onslaught. Weiss had taken to throwing up glyphs to shield herself from his attack. It was a powerful weapon in her arsenal against any other opponent, but she simply could not protect all angles at once, and wherever the glyphs failed to guard was where Gangrel struck from with powerful blows that sent Weiss reeling. The terror became more and more apparent in her face with each passing second.

he activated his Semblance again reappearing to her left, blades crossed over his chest, the right sweeping low and taking her legs out from under her, left swinging down catching her squarely in the throat in a blow that would have decapitated a lesser opponent, this was followed by a vicious kick in the stomach as he re-sheathed his weapons and proceeded to pin Weiss against the protective shielding by her throat and draw his hand back for as many punches as it took to end this-

"I forfeit! I forfeit!"

Gangrel's world was brought back into sharp focus by her wavering voice. As the blood stopped pounding in his ears, he took a long look at his opponent and finally noticed the tears streaming down her face. Setting her down, he stepped back on legs that no longer wanted to support his weight as waves of disgust washed over him. He didn't even hear Goodwitch proclaim him the victor as he turned away from the young woman he had just brutalized. It took a supreme effort to force the emotion out of his voice when he spoke.

"Get the fuck away from me Schnee, for both of our sakes."

* * *

Team GRAP made their way back to their dorm room. Three of the members happily discussed the preceding events, while Gangrel was silent and painfully aware of the looks Artemis was giving him when she thought he wouldn't notice.

"But seriously, though." Squish turned to the Cat Faunus. "How did you even deal with those shadow clones?"

Artemis smiled. "My Semblance lets me see Aura; theatricality and deception are powerful agents to the uninitiated."

"Excellent choice in pop culture references," Squish commended.

Any further conversation was cut off by a gust of wind that scattered rose petals everywhere, and suddenly Ruby Rose stood before them. "Hey, can we talk?" she asked nervously.

Gangrel forced himself out of his thoughts. "What's up, kid?"

"IwaswonderingifyourteamcouldhelptrainmyteamthewayyouallfightissocoolIwantteamRWBYtobeabletodowhatyoudo."

Gangrel cocked his head at the verbal barrage. "Rover, shoot her again and see if she makes more sense afterwards."

"I'm sorry." Ruby sighed and made an attempt to repeat herself, making sure to not get overexcited. "I was wondering if your team could help train my team. The way you all fight is so cool, I want Team RWBY to be able to do what you do!"

"Ruby, have you lost your mind?" Yang Xiao Long roared as she came into view. Weiss remained behind her, choosing to keep some distance between herself and the older students. Blake seemed to be shooting the heiress some baleful glances as well.

"But-" Ruby began, only to be interrupted by her sister, who pointed at Rover.

"He used super speed to phase right through you, punched you in the kidney, and shot you in the face at point-blank range with a dust round!"

"And it was awesome!" Ruby gushed, getting a laugh from Team GRAP.

"Y'know what, I say we do it." Rover looked to his team, seeing if any shared his opinion.

Predictably, Artemis was the first one to come to his side. "You're the kid they let in early?" Seeing Ruby nod she continued "Yeah I agree, no offence but you'll need all the help you can get, even if you have got the raw talent"

"If you're doing anything with my baby sister, I'm gonna be there." Yang placed an arm around Ruby's shoulder.

"Cool." Perdu smirked "Maybe you'll learn to appreciate my mastery of puns."

Gangrel looked from his partner to the blonde and sighed. "Sweet fucking Oum, just kill me in my sleep. It'd be kinder." He shot Blake a look that clearly said _help me out here_ , which she promptly ignored.

"I think learning from students with recent experience in the tournament and the real world is a great idea." Unbelievably, Blake had the cheek to smile right at Gangrel while she said that.

Weiss seemed to fold in on herself at this, sending pangs of guilt and shame through Gangrel's psyche. He realised it would be fruitless to argue the point, however, and simply resigned himself to the task. He couldn't even have a week before everything went to shit.

 **Author's Notes:**

Notice: As of March 2017, this story is being proofread chapter-by-chapter by Air Force Muffin, so a sudden increase in typos from one chapter to the next means the chapter hasn't been proofread yet.

Thank you to MangaReader88 for their review of the last chapter.  
Okay this one was a lot of fun to write, I needed a way to introduce the rest of teams RWBY and GRAP to each other and thought was a fun way to do it, students from different year groups face each other in the Vytal Tournament so it makes sense for the professors to show the younger students exactly what to expect.

The title comes from how I imagined Ruby reacting to the older students. This is the same person who asked Goodwitch for an autograph.

And yes, Rover has super speed, but he uses it differently than Ruby. In simple terms, Ruby is a marathon runner while Rover is a sprinter. He has a higher top speed and can accelerate faster, but has nowhere near as much stamina. Furthermore, Rover knows how to apply super speed more effectively. I watch 'The Flash' and that is the standard I hold speedsters to.


	9. 09: Trial By Fire

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 09: Trial By Fire**

Gangrel watched from the sidelines as the rest of his team trained three of the four members of Team RWBY. Most of the other students utilizing the training room had given up their own pursuits in favour of watching the sparring match taking place between Blake and Squish. Both of them being acrobatic fighters with a flair for the dramatic had resulted in a spectacle. His partner, while a skilled Hunter, had yet to dispatch the former White Fang officer as soundly as he had her partner the day before. Gangrel considered telling him that his opponent was an ex-Fang, before deciding it would only complicate matters further. Squish wasn't high up enough to be involved in anything major; he only knew Adam through himself anyway, so why get him involved in this mess? The Bear-Faunus turned his attention to Artemis, who was currently working with Yang Xiao Long, wearing a pair of mitts and correcting what few faults she could find in the blonde brawler's technique as Yang launched a seemingly endless string of combos. And Rover had taken the opportunity to train Ruby and was currently gauging the limits of her Semblance on a treadmill. Gangrel walked over to his teammate and the crimson blur that was Ruby Rose.  
"How long are you gonna have her on that?" he asked.

Rover gave him a disbelieving stare as he replied. "As long as it takes for her to wear down."

Gangrel cocked his head. "How much has she got in the tank?" Not many people could give Rover a challenge.

"Her acceleration topped out at about two-thirds of my top speed," the Dog-Faunus informed him "But I can only keep that up for a few seconds. She's been going steady for about five minutes now… She's insane, but impressive."

"Don't let Missy hear you talking like that... she'll get jealous," Gangrel teased. "Speaking of," he continued, "Me and Squish have got work to do tonight, so you two have got the dorm to yourselves."

"Okay, firstly fuck you, just for implying I'm going to cheat on my girlfriend—especially with someone who's under age." Rover shook his head in mock disgust. "Secondly, thanks Gang… stay safe out there."

Gangrel gave a small nod before tapping the side of the treadmill, getting Ruby's attention. She slowed down enough to be visible and glanced at him.

"What's up?"

Gangrel glanced at her t-shirt, which had a band logo on it.

"Guns and Roses" he asked, giving her an amused stare.

"Yang bought it. She thought it was funny." Gangrel sighed as the considered the pun.

"Of course she did. Anyway... I only see three of your team. Where's the heiress?"

Ruby's shoulders slumped as she pressed her fingers together in a nervous gesture. "She, um, she didn't want to train with us. She and Blake seem to be having issues with each other at the moment, and um... I-I think she's a little bit scared of you after yesterday."

The older student forced his expression to remain neutral at the explanation; the lesson had been intended to drive home the message that the first years were unprepared and there was certainly no love lost between the Schnee family and himself, but he had not meant to lose control to an extent that left his opponent avoiding him in fear. _Damn it._

"Well, me and Squish were probably gonna have to leave early today anyway. I think I might go for a jog or something… Tell the heiress she's welcome to train with any of Team GRAP."

"Her name's Weiss," Ruby called after him as he left

* * *

Velvet was resting against one of trees lining the campus, having taken to avoiding the rest of Team CFVY as much as practically possible. Coco had insisted they spend the first weekend back at Beacon together last night for a movie night in the dorm instead of heading into Vale to sample the night life. Velvet had excused herself at the earliest convenience and predictably wasn't missed, and she eventually made her way to the library to sleep uncomfortably for a few hours. She'd left early in the morning to avoid being seen by anyone else.

"You look like death," a deep voice overhead informed her.

She opened her eyes and saw Gangrel towering over her. "Good morning to you too," she deadpanned, stifling a yawn.

"It's afternoon and seriously, you look like you slept on a park bench."

"It probably would've been comfier." Velvet chuckled lightly. "Can't stand the being in team dorm at the minute. I ended up in the library."

Gangrel took a deep breath, his expression clearly stating that he was refraining himself from unleashing a litany of insults at the Rabbit-Faunus, before he pulled her to her feet. "Is your team at the dorm now?"

"No, Gang don't look for them and start a fight," Velvet warned.

"As much as I want a friendly spar with Fox—" Gangrel caught sight of her expression and backtracked. "No, seriously, a friendly spar. He seemed cool enough when I met him. But that's not the issue right now. You know what's happening tonight, and trust me, you'll need to be on point for it." He glanced around before jerking his head towards the school. "Let's go back this way and talk."

"So what are we doing?" Velvet asked as Gangrel led her back towards the school.

"We're going to your dorm, you're going to get the outfit you're wearing for the job, and then you're going to my dorm. Get a shower and sleep there for a few hours. The rest of my team are training. I'll tell them to either avoid the dorm or be quiet."

"Thanks, Gang. You're a good friend." Velvet beamed.

Gangrel gave her a conspiratorial wink and a stage whisper.

"Shh, never say that out loud. People might believe it."

* * *

Ruby Rose, Squish thought to himself, was an incredibly enthusiastic, comically childlike, innocent, and Oum-damned _PEST._ After Rover had finished running her through drills intended to increase her short-distance speed, she had moved over to Artemis, who had her spar against Yang in an effort to see what hand to hand capabilities the girl had; Artemis had then proceeded to chew Yang out for not teaching her sister how to throw a proper punch. Perdu had thought he may have finally escaped Ruby's incessant barrage of questions with her seemingly endless amount of energy finally depleted, but no, here she was, fawning over his rifle after grilling him as to the specifications and how he'd designed each of the individual mechanisms while he continuously checked the time and noticed how soon it was getting to when he needed to meet Gangrel.

He looked over to Yang, who was currently unloading on a punching bag, while Blake and Artemis ran though various techniques with their weapons. He decided he'd take a parting shot before he left.

"Hey Xiao Long, would you mind telling your sister I need Breaker back? Normally I'm not going to complain if someone is this enthusiastic when handling my weapon, but she is fifteen." Waggling the scaly ridges he had in place of eyebrows, he watched the blonde's expression turn to one of sheer bloodlust.

"YOU MONSTER!" She launched herself at him, only to be held back by Blake while the older students shook their heads and sighed in disdain while Ruby looked on, confused as Squich plucked his weapon out of Ruby's hands and left.

As he walked out, he heard Ruby's enquiring voice

"What? He does have a really great weapon."

Squish cackled to himself as Yang Xiao Long's resulting frustration could be heard halfway down the corridor.

* * *

Velvet was waiting in team GRAP's dormitory, having woken up after a much-needed sleep and shower. She was clad in black sweatpants and a matching hoodie both bereft of any brand names or logos that could be easily identified. Her weapon rested under the clothing, and she had a pair of black leather gloves in her pockets. Gangrel was pacing the room, wearing his black combat gear with the heavy armour removed.

"Really filling me with confidence here," Velvet joked. Gangrel gave an annoyed growl.

"Don't be confident. It gets people caught." Then he sighed. "You'll be fine. Adam isn't going to let anything happen to you."

"So what's up then? You look nervous."

"I haven't been on a big job for a while. Most new recruits get something basic for an initiation, but if Adam is running this job personally, it's going to be something important." Hearing this Velvet took a moment to think.

"Gang, just how high up in the White Fang is Adam? I mean, I gathered he's someone with a lot of sway, but you make it sound like he's the person in charge."

Gangrel made a sound that could have been a laugh or strangled cry of distress.

"Well, when we changed our approach from strictly pacifist, a lot of our old leadership resigned. That was a few years ago. Since then, a lot of the new leaders have either been imprisoned, executed, or died in 'accidents.' Most of the high ranking officers are hiding out in Vacuo, and the people that were left needed someone to rally around. Adam ended up being that person."

"You're joking."Velvet gasped "Sweet Oum, I'm actually dating the leader of White Fang." Gangrel held up a hand to stop her.

"Interim leader. As soon as the actual leaders get out of prison, he'll hand the reins over." He turned away after that, but Velvet didn't fail to notice the bitter scowl that formed on his face as he said those last words. She would've asked about it, but the conversation was ended abruptly when Perdu opened the door, a smug grin covering his face.

"Who've you pissed off now?" Gangrel ground out.

"One of the fresh meat, the blonde one."

"Any particular reason?" Gangrel dared to inquire as he massaged his temples. His partner merely chuckled.

"Partially because of that haymaker yesterday, but mainly just because I'm that much of a dick."

"No argument there, go get ready," Gangrel muttered.

Velvet couldn't help but giggle at the pair's antics as Squish went into the bathroom, singing as he did so.

"We're all born with a dream, we wanna make come true. The rest will climb to the top like me, the rest will end up like you!" Gangrel let out a groan.

"I swear, if I don't get killed by the Grimm, the law, or somebody else, I'm probably going to end up in an asylum."

* * *

Adam waited in the passenger seat of an unmarked van parked under a bridge as the sun set and darkness descended on Vale. A familiar mix of apprehension and giddiness was washing over him as the mission drew closer and he checked the time yet again, waiting for his co-conspirators to arrive.

Before long, the rear door of the van opened and a pair of Faunus clad in nondescript black clothing clambered into the back of the vehicle. A third opened the driver's-side door and sat next to him.

"Hey boss!" Squish greeted him cheerily.

Adam gave a curt nod—as much civility as he was willing to show his old friend's partner. Then, before he could say anything, Velvet poked her head out of the back to greet him with a passionate kiss as she wrapped her arms around his shoulders.

After a few moments passed in that way, Gangrel cleared his throat from behind them.

"As cute as you two are together, I've just eaten, and Squish's driving will be enough of a challenge," he said.

"Fuck you Gang, your own Semblance makes you throw up," Squish shot back.

"Deal with it," Velvet said, laughing. "I haven't seen him in a couple weeks, and I kinda missed the doofus." She elbowed Adam playfully.

Adam, for his part, refused to acknowledge the heat rising in his own cheeks. Revolutionary leaders did not blush when a girl said she missed them. "Anyway," he began, "Now that everyone's here, I can tell you what the mission is. I didn't want to risk anyone else knowing about this." He took a moment to pause for effect. "The Atlesian Military is smuggling hardware into Vale, and I know how and where." Squish gave a low whistle, while Velvet looked confused.

"Why would they be smuggling weapons into Vale?" Adam grimaced.

"Honestly, I'm not sure. But we know it's not the security detail for the Vytal festival. They plan on making a show out of that arriving, but whatever it is, it can't be good for Faunus." Velvet's resulting expression made Gangrel chime in.

"Do you know why the reason that a lot of Faunus who can move to Vacuo go ahead and make the move? It's because the kingdom has its own nationalized Dust mines, which means the Schnee Dust Company has a lot less influence there. As a general rule, wherever the SDC goes, Faunus rights get trampled and nothing makes the SDC more money than the Atlas military.

"Oh," Velvet said softly.

"So what's the plan Adam, smash and grab?" Gangrel asked. Adam shook his head

"No, I'm not making that mistake again. They're bringing the tin cans in on unmarked trucks. The plan is to destroy everything."

"And the people driving those trucks?" Gangrel asked.

Adam frowned. He'd been expecting Velvet to be the one who asked that question. "If they're just civilians that don't know what they're carrying, we knock them out. If they're military, we're going to have to fight them as well." He nodded to Perdu. "Squish, pass me the bag I left under the seat." When he received the item, he withdrew the contents—a black baseball cap and a sheet of paper. He handed them to Squish. "Put those co-ordinates into the GPS on your scroll. That's where we'll be intercepting."

"No mask?" the smaller Faunus asked, holding up the baseball cap. Adam shook his head.

"Not risking anyone seeing you wearing it while driving. If all goes to plan, you should be staying in the van anyway." Next, he handed Gangrel a white vest adorned with the emblem of the White Fang, which he proceeded to put on. The last two items were a pair of masks, one silver and unadorned, with with holes for eyes and the mouth, which was handed to Velvet. Gangrel's own mask shaped to fit his snoutlike face, porcelain white and stylized to like the bone mask of an Ursa, with four exaggerated fangs extending down from his cheeks, and a single short horn set between the eyes. Adam took a look at those accompanying him as he donned his mask.

"Okay, let's go save the world."

* * *

They arrived at the location earlier than anticipated, thanks in no small part to Squishs' loose interpretation of traffic laws. Now they were parked on a small side street facing the road their quarry was expected to take, with the engine running and headlights turned off. Gangrel waited for any indication from his partner that the convoy was approaching, while the Faunus in question was at that moment trying to antagonise the leader of the White Fang.

"Hey Kirito… Kirito, guy in all black who loves his sword way too much." Gangrel let out a quiet chuckle.

"I think he's talking to you."

"I know he is," Adam growled. "I was trying to tune him out. What is it?"

"What's happening with the warehouse? Have you got a new location picked out yet?"

"No, and even when I do, I probably won't tell you. I'd rather not have cocaine being snorted from every flat surface," Adam replied, his voice a forced monotone. "That being said, I've managed to find out what happened to Junior. His whole operation got ransacked by a trainee huntress. Someone called Xiao Long."

"No way!….We've actually met her!" The reptilian Faunus cackled.

"Oh, have you?"

"I took her apart in a sparring match literally yesterday! I can't believe she took down Junior's place! The only one on her team who actually put some sort of defence was the chick with the shadow clones."

Adam's head jerked up at that, his eyes boring into Gangrel's directly through their masks. Gangrel silently willed his partner to shut the fuck up.

"Beating first years is hardly worth bragging about, though is it?" Gangrel interrupted. "I did manage to make the Schnee heiress forfeit and break down crying though," he added, turning back to Adam. That had done nothing to allay him, as the vicious scowl on his face was visible below his mask. It was almost a relief when, seconds later, the sound of approaching vehicles came from down the road.

"Three trucks, that's them," Squish called as the trucks in question drove past their position.

"Follow them and don't engage until there's nowhere for them to turn," Adam instructed as the van lurched into motion.

Gangrel unsheathed his swords as the van gained speed. Time slowed to a crawl and all sounds were drowned out by the engine and his own heartbeat.

"Show time, people!" Squish barked, his previous joking gone. Gangrel made to open the rear door of the van as it raced to get alongside the rearmost truck in the convoy, but Adam momentarily stopped him with a look.

"Come to my place tomorrow. We need to talk."

Gangrel nodded tensely, opened the doors, and leapt from the vehicle, teleporting immediately. He swung his blades downwards the second he reappeared, the hooked edges of his weapons tearing into the trailer of the truck as he steadied himself atop it. Glancing downward, he saw that Adam had used fire dust rounds to create a burning barrier on the road behind them, preventing the trucks from turning back. Gangrel took a deep breath to steady himself as he joined his swords together, converting them to their rarely utilized longbow form. He drew a collapsible arrow from one of his pouches—it was tipped with a solid fire dust crystal and would do a fair bit of damage. He extended the projectile, pointed the bow directly down, and fired. The result was instantaneous and explosive, the arrow tearing the rear half of the truck apart and forcing the front wheels into the air, while the truck skidding to its side in a mess of twisted and burning metal. Gangrel had used his Semblance to avoid the blast, while the remaining two-thirds of the convoy roared away, the sound of weapon fire ringing in the distance. The Bear-Faunus approached the wreckage and ripped the door off the cab, pulling the unconscious driver to safety. Moments after completing that task, the sound of whirring machinery made itself known. There were supposed to have been twenty Atlesian Knights on each truck. Seven of those stored in this particular truck had survived the attack and were now training their weapons on him. Snarling and readying his swords, Gangrel charged into battle.

* * *

Adam listened to the combined uproar of Squish's demented laughter and gunfire as the smaller Faunus opened fire from the window of the van, targeting the wheels of the second truck. Finally, the sound of tires screeching informed him that Squish had found his target.

"I got this," Squish called to the pair in the back of the van as he pushed the engine to its limits and switched his rifle to its dust firing mode. "Hold on tight!"

Adam gave Velvets' hand a reassuring squeeze. They braced themselves as the van turned one-eighty. Squish leaned out of the window and fired an ice-dust round directly into the grill of the remaining truck, which began to skid to a halt as its engine block froze. The van turned the right way again and Adam leapt out, drawing his weapons. A thud behind him informed him that Velvet had followed suit. Aiming Blush, he fired a round through the wind-shield of the front truck. The middle truck was smoking at the side of the road. Apparently, more than its tires were damaged.

"Everybody out! Now!" Adam roared. The drivers rushed to comply, one of them running away from the scene as fast as his legs could carry him. They were civilians, then. But Adam's relief was short-lived as the driver of the lead vehicle pulled out a small remote.

"You sure about that, Fang?" he challenged. " _Everybody_ out?"

Knowing what was about to happen, the crimson-haired Faunus raised his weapon and shot the man in the upper arm, causing him drop to the floor, crying out and clutching the limb in agony. But it was too late. The sound of the Atlesian Knights activating could already be heard. Adam charged his Semblance, a bloody glow appearing around him as his Aura became visible to the naked eye; swinging Wilt in a wide horizontal arc, he released his attack. A blinding arc of light that ignored all resistance in its path neatly bisected the truck and the automatons within.

"Velvet!" he called to his partner as he sprinted forwards. "Take out the few that made it off that truck! I'm going to deal with the other one!" Reaching his target he fired a fire-dust round into the trailer to create an opening. However, he was unprepared when the truck returned fire and sent him sprawling across the ground.

Weapons thrown from his grasp, Adam forced himself back to his feet and saw something he'd hoped he would never have to face unprepared again. A fully automated Atlesian Paladin.

* * *

Velvet looked on in horror as she saw Adam face down the mechanical titan that had emerged from the wreckage of its transport. The few remaining Knights had provided little resistance as she broke them apart with Aura-fueled blows. Now she watched Adam weave through the Paladin's onslaught, unable to retrieve his weapons, and made a decision. Drawing Leporidae Rampant, she focused it on her partner's discarded weapons and took a picture. Running into the fray, she triggered her weapon, forcing hard-light copies of the sword and rifle into existence. Her Semblance let her learn a skill instantly for a short period of time, and with the new weapons, she attacked from behind, aiming for the pistons in the machine's leg. Without Adam's semblance though the blade got stuck halfway. Velvet raised her copy of the other half of Adam's weapon and fired until the weapon faded from view. The gunshots tore the limb apart and crippled the Paladin as it turned to face her, giving Adam all the time he needed to retrieve his real weapons. As Velvet prepared to summon another copied weapon, she heard him call out.

"GET DOWN!"

Dropping to the ground, Velvet saw another swathe of crimson light fly overhead and mangle the machine, its movement halted as its essential components were torn asunder. Adam staggered towards her, clearly drained by the use of his Semblance, and helped her to her feet. Velvet held him up as his arms found their way around her waist and her lips to his ears.

"Don't scare me like that," she whispered to him, resting her head on his shoulder. Adam kissed her forehead and brought her head up to meet his eyes.

"You just rushed in and crippled a Paladin by copying my weapon and attacks?" he asked breathlessly. Seeing Velvet's nod, he pulled her closer to him. "Sweet Oum, I love you."

Unfortunately, the moment was cut short by Squish honking at them from the van as he drove over to them. Velvet shook her head as he approached.

"Oh, now you decide to contribute something," she said. Perdu leaned out of the driver's-side window and held his hands up defensively.

"The plan was I stay in the van and protect it. Look, one of the drivers got away. We need to get moving now. I've got word from Gang everything's done on his end, so he'll make his own way back."

"Okay, let's go," Adam agreed, taking Velvet's hand as they climbed into the back.

Squish had mercifully chosen to close the partition between the front and back of the van in a rare bout of situational awareness. Velvet placed herself on Adam's lap the second they had started moving, the Bull-Faunus in question currently left breathless as his partner pressed her lips against his in another desperate kiss. Her arms wrapped around his shoulders as she repositioned herself so she was straddling him.

"Where were we before he interrupted?" she breathed into his mouth, seemingly unwilling to stop kissing him for the time it would take to speak fully.

Adam's hands found her hips as he kissed her back and gently took her lower lip between his teeth, eliciting a small gasp of pleasure from her. "I told you that I love you," he whispered as Velvet pulled the black hoodie she had worn for the mission over her head. Discarding it, she pinned her partner against the side of the van while kissing his neck and whispering into his ear.

"I love you too." She moaned softly as his hands roamed over her body, and she felt his arousal pressing against her. Then Adam stopped.

"We can't do this here."

"You nearly got yourself killed in front of me," Velvet responded. "I'm not leaving you" Her hands cupped his face as she kissed him again. "Take me home, Adam."

 **Authors Notes:**

So… that was a thing. The first mildly smutty scene I've ever written.  
Velvet is now a member of the White Fang. She just doesn't have the uniform yet.  
Adam is now aware that Blake is at Beacon and that Gangrel didn't inform him.  
As always, thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review (Especially the review part).


	10. 10: Reckoning

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 10: Reckoning**

Adam woke up to an unfamiliar weight resting on his chest, his mind replaying the events following the previous nights' mission as he came fully to his senses. The first time between himself and Velvet had been a frantic expression of need and lust each of them desperate to feel the other against them as if it were the only way to assure themselves that their lover had indeed made it home safe; their subsequent experience had been a gentle and tender affair culminating in them collapsing in exhaustion and falling asleep in each others arms. Adam smiled at the sight of Velvets' sleeping form, her head on his chest and a leg draped across his waist, tightening his arm around his lovers' waist and softly kissing the top of her head he attempted to extricate himself from his current position without waking her, the attempt was in vain however as the sound of someone pounding on his front door resounded through the apartment, jolting Velvet awake  
"Huh-wha….where am….oh hey" Velvet mumbled, still half asleep as attempted to make sense of her surroundings, face reddening slightly as she bit her lip nervously as she realised her own state of undress under the sheets, it was an expression Adam found utterly adorable  
"Morning beautiful" Adam beamed leaning in to kiss her "You wanna take a shower first? I'll go see who that is" he indicated to the incessant knocking as he left the bed and searched for some clothes, moments later he opened the door clad in faded jeans and a black T-shirt to reveal a bleary eyed Gangrel who glanced at Adams' current attire as he invited himself in  
"Fuck me, you get laid once and it puts Hot Topic out of business" Adam admittedly saw the funny side of the comment but kept his expression neutral  
"I'm not in the mood for jokes today" he said simply "We need to have a talk"  
"I gathered" Gangrel yawned, cracking his neck as he did so "Hence me being here on a Sunday morning when I could be nursing this hangover in bed" the Bear-Faunus had apparently chosen to celebrate the victory in his usual fashion  
"So" Adam began "Blake Belladonna, former White Fang officer, my previous partner whose face you definitely know considering that we grew up together has fled to Beacon after deserting us, you apparently knew this because you have sparred with her team. You chose not to tell….care to explain?" Gangrel gave a small growl of irritation  
"Okay Adam, firstly remember I'm not one of the grunts, the whole menacing routine doesn't work on me, hasn't for years. Secondly, yeah I kept it quiet for the time being….what are you gonna storm Beacon to find her? Then what?"  
"Then she answers for what she did!" Adam snarled "If I have to storm Beacon I will!"  
"Do you fucking hear yourself right now?" Gangrel spat "You're going to risk having Ozpin of your back, hell both of our backs, just so you can deal with your ex….That'll look great from Velvets' point of view as well"  
"Do not bring Velvet into this"  
"She's already in, you saw to that when you let her join" Gangrel countered "On top of that your ex and current girlfriends go to the same school and don't know about each other, by keeping Blake quiet I am keeping Velvet out of it as much as I can" sighing he added "Besides you're not seeing the big picture" Adams' eyes narrowed  
"Oh this should be entertaining, go on Gang what big picture am I missing?"  
"Weiss Schnee is a Beacon first year" the Bear-Faunus sounded exasperated  
"Literally everyone knows that, it was on the news that she chose to attend an academy outside of Atlas"  
"They're on the same team, Blake is hiding the fact she's a Faunus. If you rush in like an idiot you're going to fuck everything up, her Dad will pull her out and we'll have lost a chance for anything you're planning and we'll have the SDC on our backs like never before, Blake will probably vanish, you'll probably get me and Squish caught, there's a good chance of fucking up your relationship with Velvet which as a friend I'm warning you against, she's good for you, you'll be pissing off Ozpin himself, and on top of that it'll tighten the security around the Vytal Festival which Atlas Military is contributing to and I don't know what your new partners plans are but I doubt any of this'll be good for them either" Gangrel finished with his hands running through his hair in stress while Adam gave him a calculating look  
"Okay fine, I'll admit Blake is a sore subject for me" he sighed "But don't go over my head like that again Gang, I give you a lot of leeway to basically run your own show but you should have told me. What do you know about the new business partners?" Gangrel shook his head  
"Only rumours I've picked up, a few people think you're planning on taking over the world"  
"Nothing that ambitious" Adam grinned "But keep what you've heard to yourself, this is information only the high ranking officers are supposed to know about"  
"I thought I was one?" Adam shook his head at Gangrels' question  
"You've spent the last two years at Beacon and coming on the occasional small raid when you can, if I'm bringing you in on this I need you to take a more active role, to be honest I want you to anyway"  
"Why?"  
"Our new partner has us working with people like Roman Torchwick" Gangrel nodded, already being aware of this "I need people I can trust and there's nobody I trust more than our old group from Lobo-Cachorro, without Blake you're the last one left, Felix and Luna are in Vaccuo, Fagin had to vanish, Harry's in a cell and Chitin…." Gangrel shook his head silencing Adam, it was a rule Gangrel insisted on _We don't talk about what happened to Kai_ the Bear-Faunus looked pensive  
"So what do you need me to do?" Adam considered for a moment, the sounds emanating from the bathroom suggesting that Velvet was done with her shower  
"I'll let you know, but I'll be glad to have you back it's been way too long….By the way, did you really make the Schnee cry?"  
"She's seventeen and half my size" Gangrel sighed shaking his head "It's not exactly something I'm proud of" he turned to leave, Adam giving some final words  
"Don't get soft on me now Gang"

Weiss Schnee did not take disrespect of any form lightly, it was not befitting of someone of her social stature, therefore she had spent over a day gradually growing more and more enraged at the behaviour of the most solitary member of her new team, Blake Belladonna had been shooting harsh glares her way and had seemingly done her best to limit interaction between the two of them as much as possible ever since her training match with that _monstrous, brutish….thug_ sapphire eyes narrowed at the mere thought of Gangrel Slate, Weiss had spent almost the entirety of yesterday repairing the damage he had wrought on her families' ancestral weapon. It was to this end that she had handed a not inconsequential amount of Lien over to Yang and told her to take Ruby out somewhere in Vale and enjoy some of their weekend away from the campus in an attempt to capture Blake alone, the girl in question now entering the dorm returning from breakfast  
"Good morning" Weiss started, keeping her voice as cheery as she could "Do you have any plans for today"  
"Get some peace and quiet" Blake said tersely, a frown forming almost as soon as Weiss had spoken, the heiress forced herself not to react  
"Okay, well if you're studying then how about we work to-"  
"You're not getting the hint" Blake interrupted "Leave. Me. Alone"  
"Okay that does it!" Weiss cried, rising to her feet and closing the distance between the two of them "I can accept that you are just not a very sociable person, but you have been positively rude to me since Friday and I demand to know why!"  
"Of course you _demand_ " Blake emphasizing the last word "You're a typical Schnee, I had hoped you might be different to the rest of your family"  
"How dare you!" Weiss gasped "You know nothing about my family"  
"I know you're a bunch of bigots" Blake shot back, stunning Weiss momentarily before she recovered  
"What is this really about Blake, we're team-mates and I want us to be friends, I'll apologise if I've offended you but I need to know what I've done" Blakes' gaze remained cold  
"You need to apologize to every Faunus who was in our combat class in Friday, starting with Gangrel Slate" Weiss looked utterly dumbfounded  
"W-what!" she sputtered out "He should be the one apologizing to me for his conduct, he's an utter savage!"  
"It was a training match!" Blake shouted "And you chose to antagonise him 'always room for one more' Weiss, really!"  
"Why does it even matter so much to you?" Weiss watched as Blake reached for the bow atop her head, blood rushing from the heiress's face as Blake revealed a pair of feline ears that she had kept hidden  
"Oh sweet Oum" Weiss whispered, mortified "You're a Faunus"  
"Yeah I'm a Faunus" Blake sneered "But don't worry I'm not going to shed all over the dorm, I don't need to be house trained and I won't eat your homework….or what other racist joke you're thinking of right now" reattaching her bow she made to leave, Weiss grabbed her wrist to stop her  
"I had no idea, Blake I am so sorry" her voice wavered as she spoke "Why didn't you tell any of us?" Blake looked Weiss as if she were an idiot  
"I'm a Faunus on a team with a Schnee, we've been here a week and you've already shown everyone exactly what you think of my people"  
"I don't hate Faunus" Weiss whispered, seeing Blakes' stare she continued "I grew up pretty sheltered, I've never actually met a Faunus in person before-"  
"So that excuses it?"  
"No" Weiss cried "It's just, I've grown up with it just being a normal thing to me, Faunus are the butt of a lot of jokes at the sort of dinner parties my family had me attend. I know you're people, I'm not one of those that see you as animals, my Sister served with Faunus in her unit before she became a specialist….What I said on Friday, it was stupid I know that, but he just got under my skin with the comment about my scar" her voice trailing off and head lowering in shame, Blake sighed  
"Yeah, Gang does get pretty nasty when he's trying psyche people out" Weiss looked up at Blake, realizing that her team-mate had the faintest traces of a Lower Atlesian accent  
"You two knew each other before you came here?" Blake nodded  
"I don't have any parents, well I never knew them I was placed in care at birth in a poor part of Lower Atlas, when I was five Gangrel came to the care home, he was there for five years while his Dad was in prison. I look at him as an older brother"  
"What about his mother?" Weiss asked  
"She passed away a few years before, an accident at an SDC facility" Weiss covered her mouth, realising just how hurtful her comments could have been  
"Where will Gangrel be right now?" Weiss steeled herself "I'm going to apologise….but can you come with me, please?"

Velvet returned to Team CFVYs dorm to find it seemingly empty, stretching out on her bed and turning her head at the sound of the bathroom door opening to reveal her team leader  
"Hey Coco, where are Fox and Yatsu?"  
"Yatsuhashi went into Vale and Fox is in the gym" something seemed to be bothering the fashionista"I thought you having a team weekend?" Velvet asked, Cocos' face darkening  
"We were, you excused yourself Friday night and you've only just come back now….where the hell were you?" the Faunus rolled her eyes  
"You didn't seem too bothered about it at the time, I went out with a few other friends and my boyfriend"  
"Wouldn't happen to be the same friends the were going to jump Yatsu on the flight here would it?" Coco hissed, Velvet sighed _there is no way she's still bothered by this_ she thought to herself  
"Yes I was with some of Team GRAP, they had their weapons trained on Yatsuhashi because he went over there and started trying to use his size to intimidate Gangrel, and let's not pretend you had nothing to do with that. So come on Coco, what is your actual problem?"  
"My problem is you stood there and did nothing!" Velvet leapt from the bed enraged  
"Oh this is fucking rich, I'm expected to have everyone else on the teams' back with no questions asked but when I get racist abuse almost daily I get told I'm on my own, Fuck you Coco!" the two were inches apart now  
"Oh come off it Velvet" Coco laughed "I've seen you put your foot through a Grimms' skull, surely you can handle them"  
"It's not the point!" Velvet shouted "It's that you never tried to help! I know I can beat them if it comes to that Coco but I hate hurting people, it's not like fighting Grimm" Coco pulled the Faunus into a hug as she saw the tears welling up in her eyes  
"I'm sorry Velvet, I just thought you needed toughening up a little….I, fuck, I'm sorry"  
"It's fine" Velvet mumbled into her shoulder  
"No it's not" Coco sighed "I made a decision as leader and fucked up, I told the boys to let you deal with it, I didn't think it upset you this much…why didn't you say something"  
"I didn't think you'd care, I mean it's not like we're great friends"  
"Oh for fu- of course I care about my team" Coco sighed "We're the same age but you're all like annoying little brothers and sister to me" Velvet gave a watery chuckle at the joke  
"So what happens now" she asked "I would ask if we're back to how things were but honestly they weren't great" Coco sighed  
"You're right they weren't I've been a disappointment where you're concerned…..and that's why your new friends don't like me isn't it?" she asked connecting the dots, Velvet nodded  
"I think Gangrel has got the idea you're a little racist against Faunus"  
"Oh my Oum, Velvet what the fuck?" Coco mouthed, utterly aghast  
"I know, I'll talk to him and tell him you're cool" Velvet made to leave Coco pulled her back a devilish grin on her face  
"Oh no, we still have a lot to talk about" she savoured Velvets' confused look for a moment before continuing "Since when did you have a boyfriend? I want the details and I want them this instant, _all of them_ "

Gangrel rested under one of the trees lining Beacons' campus with a large bottle of something distinctly non-alcoholic, he'd inflicted enough on himself following last nights' mission and the conversation with Adam had done nothing to aid his headache, the Bear-Faunus grinned to himself as he realised his position was a cruel twist of fate considering how he'd found Velvet yesterday, hearing footsteps approach him he kept his eyes closed simply stating  
"Thumper if that's you don't worry I already know the jokes your gonna make"  
"It isn't" recognising Blakes' voice he opened his eyes, grimacing at who was currently stood next to her  
"Blake….the fuck is this?" Weiss Schnee stepped forwards with some trepidation, Gangrel could see the fear in her clear blue eyes  
"I wanted to apologise, what I said the other day before our match was inexcusable" _T_ _his is…._ _unexpected_ he thought to himself, needed a few seconds to process what he'd heard before responding  
"You're right, it was….But I'm guessing your scar is a sensitive subject as well" he watched her nod imperceptibly, her hand raising to trace the wound seemingly unconsciously  
"It is, but I shouldn't have rose to it" Gangrel made room and motioned for them to sit down  
"Forget about it, I'm trying to" he sighed "I went overboard and I'm sorry about that, that was not the way the match should have gone"  
"So are we okay?" Weiss asked, seemingly hopeful  
"Well I think you're the first Schnee in history to apologise" Gangrel smirked "So yeah we're cool" this drew a nervous smile from the heiress  
"Hey Weiss" Blake started "Not to be rude but would you mind if me and Gang catch up, we haven't seen each other properly in a long time"  
"Oh, of course not, I should finish the repairs on Myrtenaster anyway"  
"If you need a hand I can message one of my team and tell them to meet you in the workshop" Gangrel offered her as she left  
"No but thank you for the offer" she called over her shoulder, a few seconds passed by before Blake cleared her throat to get his attention  
"Please stop watching the way she sways her hips when she walks Gang" the Bear-Faunus had the decency to look embarrassed  
"No idea what you're talking about"  
"Of course not"  
"You read way too much smut, it's putting ideas in your head" Gangrel looked at Blake knowingly and added "And if we're going down this road let's talk about you salivating over your team mate when she was training yesterday" the feline blushed and punched Gangrel playfully on the arm  
"I was not 'salivating' I was merely….Appreciating her technique"  
"Technique?" Gangrel waggled his eyebrows suggestively "First time I've heard 'em called that….anyway, what's so important you had to send Weiss off like that, 'cos that was a little rude" Blakes' expression became serious  
"I saw the news this morning, a freight company had a convoy utterly ripped apart last night; you know anything about it?"  
"I was there"  
"Gangrel what the hell?" she hissed "I thought you were going to tell me if you heard anything" the Bear-Faunus shook his head  
"Didn't find out the job was until I was already en-route, besides Adam was taking charge personally….which reminds me, he knows you're here" Blake paled at that before asking in a tense whisper  
"Do you have any good news for me" Gangrel shrugged  
"He's not going to storm Beacon to find you, nobody died last night although I heard he did shoot an undercover Atlas operative in arm, those trucks were carrying smuggled in military hardware so realistically the fact we got rid of it is probably a good thing and Adam wants me to take more jobs from now on, so I'll have more chances to find out what's going on"  
"Okay that makes sense, let me know if you hear anything important" Blake sighed, when the older Faunus nodded to show his complaints she continued "How have you been anyway, I heard from your friend Artemis that you drink a lot now….that you started around the time you left Atlas after the last Vytal Festival, that would have been when" Gangrel gave her a look that silenced her  
"We are not talking about Kai, Adam already brought him up earlier today and I have got enough on my plate without dealing with the ghosts of dead friends"  
"He was my friend as well Gang" Blake whispered placing a hand gently on his shoulder "We all miss him, don't blame yourself and don't suffer in silence when you know that there's people you can talk to"  
"Blake, I'm going to tell you this once" the Bear-Faunus snarled "Drop this subject and let me handle it my own way" Blake got to her feet and gave her old friend one last sorrow-filled look before leaving  
"Okay fine but understand that I'm not going to be the one to bury you. We've lost people to prisons, racist attacks and living conditions that would make people sick if they knew, I'm not losing you to a bottle of liquor"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so to summarise: Adam knows where Blake is but he isn't going to go on the attack _right now,_ Gangrel is being brought back into regular operations with the White Fang giving him more access to information to pass onto Blake, Weiss now knows Blake is a Faunus but not that she used to be in the White Fang, Coco  & Velvet have had a reconciliation. Right now everything is somewhat stable, will it last? Well this story is ongoing so what do you think?  
Chitin/Kai: the name has come up a few times now, I'm seeding plot points for later on, mainly the Volume two time-frame. Right now we're about two thirds of the way into Volume one (any spur of the moment ideas for chapters I have notwithstanding)  
Smut: Yes the end of the last chapter and the start of this one probably earned this story its' M rating but that's probably as graphic as I'll get, I have nothing against graphic smut it just doesn't seem to sit right with the rest of the way the story is written

Also THIS STORY HAS OVER A THOUSAND HITS, I feel loved

As always thank you to everyone that reads, favourites, follows and reviews; special thanks to Air Force Muffin for reviewing the last chapter


	11. 11: CRDL Sins

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 11: CRDL Sins**

It had been several relatively uneventful weeks since the events concluding the end of the first week of term at Beacon. Team GRAP had joined Team RWBY at their usual bench for lunch, subsequently being joined by Team JNPR with whom the other first years were seemingly well acquainted. Gangrel had been somewhat surprised by Weiss sitting next to him, either she had managed to shake her apparent fear of him and truly had no issues with Faunus or was putting on a very convincing brave face, either way his estimation of the heiress rose considerably; Jaune Arc sat across from him next to Pyrrha Nikos the blonde obviously had something on his mind if the glances he was giving Gangrel were any indication  
"Go on kid, speak up….I don't bite" the Bear-Faunus grunted, Jaune still needing an encouraging look from his partner before replying  
"It's just, well, you and Weiss seem to be okay now but that sparring match a couple weeks ago….did you or anyone else on your team really need to be that brutal? I think everyone got the point after the first fight" Gangrel smirked as comprehension dawned on him, t _he kids' got a thing for her_ choosing not to bring the boys' feelings to the attention of everyone present and make the meal awkward he answered the question truthfully  
"It's the same way my team were taught when we were in first year; beat 'em bloody and scuff the green off 'em, exact words"  
"What kind of maniac teaches like that?" Jaune grumbled, a feral grin forming on Gangrels' face as he delivered the punchline  
"Your sister Victoria, she ended me in two hits"  
"Yeah that sounds like her" the blonde groaned Pyrrha chimed in with her melodic Mistrali accent  
"Jaune I didn't know you had a sister"  
"I'm surprised you don't know her Nikos" Gangrel raised an eyebrow "Victoria Arc, the 'Victory Goddess' of the under seventeen tournament scene" the redheads' emerald eyes widened as she turned back to her partner  
"That's amazing, I saw her final match live when I was twelve; watching her for years was one of the things that inspired me to compete in those tournaments myself"  
"Hold on" Weiss gave Jaune a calculating stare "If members of your family compete in the tournament scene how is it that you didn't recognise Pyrrha at initiation" he shrugged  
"I kinda stopped watching them after Victoria came to Beacon"  
"Hold on a sec" Yang leaned over, making her presence known "If your sister is such a bad-ass how come you've got the family weapon when you're a bit of a wimp?" Gangrel tried his best not to laugh, Jaune was beyond any shadow of a doubt a far cry from what his sister had been, but it seemed unfair to help emasculate him in public  
"She's got her own weapon, her and my oldest sister Antonia made it"  
"A weapon made by Toni Arc?" Ruby gasped wide-eyed, the inventor was a legend in the kingdom of Vale "What does it do?" Gangrel felt he was qualified to answer, having been subjected to the full range of the weapons' capabilities  
"It's called _Siegebreaker_ , a giant two handed war hammer about the size of your scythe with a small force field generator fitted in the head, it pretty much evaporates whatever it hits" hearing the discussion had turned to weapons Squish decided to contribute to the conversation  
"It's other mode was a shoulder mounted electromagnetic rail gun that could be fitted to fire dust rounds" Ruby looked positively giddy at the idea of such a weapon while a some of the others present wore nonplussed expressions  
"It's also a gun" they both said at the same time  
"You should see what Toni is helping one of my younger sisters make" Jaune gave a proud smile at the thought of his family "Citrus will be coming to Beacon next year, she has a prototype of what the two of them are calling _Dragonslayer_ it's a bigger version of my shield but as well as a sword it has two twin-linked heavy duty flame throwers fitted to the inside of it, they're working out the bugs on making the whole thing transform into a jet pack, the shield and blade of the sword breaking apart and forming the wings" there were nods and sound of appreciation all round at the description of the equipment that the Arcs brought to bear, even the hyperactive Nora looking at her own hammer as if it had offended her by failing to measure up, the brief lull in conversation gave Gangrel chance to look over and see Velvet eating alone at a table across the hall  
"She told me she was on better terms with her team now" he growled in concern, Weiss looking over to see who was being spoken about  
"Who Velvet? She's in second year but takes first year history, her own team might not have lunch until next period" Gangrel saw the truth in that statement and proceeded to shout to get the Rabbit-Faunus' attention  
"Velvet, over here!" turning to see her friends she gave a bright smile and stood up to join them, walking directly into Cardin Winchester

"Watch where you're going freak!" he spat grabbing hear Faunus ears, Gangrel made to intervene the rest of his team and to his surprise some of the younger students doing the same, a glowing white glyph appearing on his chest stopping him, he turned to give Weiss a disbelieving glare, the heiress simply smiled  
"If you jump in, he'll just wait until you're not around to continue; besides he's been trying to provoke Velvet for weeks, let her have this" Gangrel snarled turning his attention back to the unfolding situation.  
Velvet batted Cardins' hand away and took a step closer to him, preparing to get inside his guard if it came to blows; vaguely aware of the rest of Team CRDL circling around her and a commotion coming from where her friends were seated  
"Don't touch me again Cardin. I've been more than reasonable with you, now I'm done"  
"Or what?" Cardin sneered making to grab her rabbit ears again; Velvet threw a left as soon as she saw his arm move, the blow connecting with Cardins' right bicep before he could fully prepare his Aura to absorb the force leaving the arm hanging limp, a follow up right hook sent him staggering back a few steps upon impacting with his jaw, Velvet assumed a kick-boxing stance as Cardin tried and failed to move his right arm before turning to face her, his expression furious  
"Don't do it" Velvet warned, fighting to keep the pleading edge out of her voice this only incensed the bully further, driving him to give a wordless shout and charge at her pulling his left hand back for a clearly telegraphed haymaker; seeing the attack coming Velvet swung her right leg as he approached, her shin connecting with the inside of Cardins' right knee the combination of the attack and Cardins' own weight currently being supported by the limb in question resulting in a sickening crunch, sending him sailing past Velvet and rolling to a stop on the floor his breathing ragged as he tried not to scream at the sensation of his broken leg. Pain erupted in Velvets' head as something struck her across the temple, turning to face her attacker she saw Cardins' partner Russell Thrush with his weapons in his hands, the pommel of one of the blades apparently being what had struck her, the green haired boy lunged at her clearly intending to stab before Velvet had a chance to prepare herself; the attack being halted by a glowing white glyph appearing between them, Velvet looked across the hall to see Weiss Schnee standing with her hand outstretched with a group of students she recognised from her first year history class alongside three quarters of Team GRAP who were rising to their feet and drawing their weapons to dissuade any of the remaining members of team CRDL from deciding to join the fray, the sound of Gangrel teleporting turned her attention back to Russell Thrush who had himself turned around to face the Bear-Faunus just in time to receive a fist in the stomach, taking a step back as the boy dropped to his knees Gangrel followed this up with brutal kick to the face before picking Russell up by the back of the head and smashing his face into the nearest table with a series of nerve rattling thuds; the onslaught being halted by an invisible force holding Gangrel in place, causing his to drop Russell, blood flowing freely from the boys' nose, mouth and spit eyebrow  
"Never in all my years of teaching!" Professor Goodwitch raged as she strode into the hall, her Semblance separating the fighters "Have I seen such behaviour from students Slate, Scarlatina you will report to my office immediately and wait there until I return"

Velvet sat in Professor Goodwitchs' sparsely decorated office, the sound of the clock ticking the only thing to distract her from her own nervousness and rapidly growing feeling of self loathing, she hated having to hurt people, fighting Atlesian robots or Grimm was never an issue they weren't alive but something about turning her capacity for destruction against a living breathing person brought the bile up in Velvets' throat  
"Relax" Gangrel yawned, Velvet turned to see him slouched in his seat with his arms behind his head somehow able to make himself comfortable and by all accounts looking at home "I'm guessing it's your first time getting a disciplinary; the professors don't exactly advertise the fact but this is a combat school for people with unlocked Auras they don't actually mind us having the occasional brawl to resolve issues Goodwitch is gonna go off on us for the fact that the fight happened in the hall, offer us a sanctioned match to clear any bad blood and that'll be the end of it"  
"That's insane" Velvet hissed, sounding thoroughly appalled, Gangrel shrugged  
"Probably the only reason I've not been expelled though, I think before I left for Atlas in first year I'd had a fight with at least one team in every year group" he finished the sentence with a wicked grin, moments later the door opened Professor Goodwitch stalking into the room with Cardin and Russell in her wake the former visibly limping and the latter sporting a truly spectacular black eye, neither boy it seemed had a vast amount of Aura at their disposal, taking position behind her desk, the furniture separating her from the students the Professor fixed them all with a harsh stare  
"It comes to something when the threat of Grimm is not enough for our aspiring Hunters and Huntresses and they feel a need to find others to fight against and use racial bigotry as a justification to do so" silencing Cardin, who looked ready to interrupt she continued "I am more than aware of the actions of Team CRDL under your leadership Mister Winchester and I find them deplorable in the worst way, I have accounts from several witnesses that today was not the first time you have accosted Miss Scarlatina and as such I will be taking no further action against her for her part in what transpired today" Velvet couldn't believe what she was hearing  
"So am I free to go?" she asked hesitantly  
"That remains to be seen" Goodwitchs' eyes roamed the teens assembled in front of her "After seeing your partner receive his comeuppance and lose a fight of his own making, you Mister Thrush chose to attack an unarmed student from behind; were the decision mine to make you would be out of this prestigious academy by nightfall and you Slate over the last year you have made considerable headway in controlling your temper, I thought we had long passed this stage" she peered over her glasses silently demanding an answer from the older student  
"I don't like racist cunts" he said simply, the Professors' eye twitching in barely contained anger at the profane response  
"Be that as it may" she ground out "Miss Schnee had already moved to de-escalate the situation, several other students had clearly intervened without direct violence yet you chose to dive in and attack; I feel I must ask this question….Will I need to organise a sanctioned match with the headmaster as referee or will be the end of this idiocy, Miss Scarlatina you are the injured party despite how the confrontation actually ended, what say you?"  
"N-no Professor, I'd rather forget that this happened" Velvet stammered hurriedly, Cardin made the mistake of scoffing audibly, Gangrel flew from his seat and using his forearm to pin Cardin to the wall by the throat, getting nose to nose with the bully  
"Don't think you're getting off that easily, me and you can go whenever the fuck you want boy!" every snarled syllable dripping with malice  
"ENOUGH!" Goodwitch barked "I've seen enough, the four of you will be attending a two on two sparring match, scheduled for the day after the annual first year trip to Forever Falls, normal tournament rules will apply….And if this isn't the end of the matter Oum help me but I will see to it you are expelled, now get out of my sight all of you" Cardin and Russell positively fled the office, Gangrel jogging to keep up with Velvet as she stormed away from him  
"Hey Thumper, come on surely you're not mad?" she rounded on him, expression stormy  
"I am so far passed mad right now, you utter idiot! You could have gotten away from that with no consequences but you chose to carry on acting like that, what the hell is wrong with you" Gangrel frowned  
"Because they would have gotten away with no consequences as well. You don't seem to get it Velvet there's nobody looking out for Faunus except other Faunus, this is why I joined the Fang, this is what we do….we protect our own and sometimes that means defending ourselves against people like them. And you signed up" his voice lowering as he spoke  
"You don't get it either" Velvet shot back, barely able to contain her frustration "I can look after myself, I had Cardin and I could have beaten Thrush as well but I'm not like you; I hate losing control like that. You're doing what Coco did, trying to force me to 'toughen up'; you seem to love fighting with people but when I punch someone and feel a nose break or a tooth come out under my fist I genuinely want to be sick!" Gangrel let out a long groan of frustration as he realised the mistake he'd made  
"Fuck, okay I'm sorry. I can talk to Goodwitch, see if I can get the match changed to a two on one, Thrush and Winchester'll both go for it"  
"No" Velvet stopped him "I don't want to fight if I don't have to, but you said it yourself, this is what we do and I signed up"

It was early evening when Coco Adel left the workshop after tinkering with Satani Arbor for a few hours after her last lesson, determined to minimize what little recoil the gargantuan weapon still generated, it was also something that helped her handle stress and hearing through he grapevine that her team-mate and Gangrel Slate had been escorted to Professor Goodwitchs' office had definitely been a source of a lot of stress; she still hadn't learned the specifics choosing instead to take a few hours to calm down and find out the facts from Velvet without jeopardizing the uneasy friendship they'd formed over the weeks following their confrontation in the dorm, making her way upwards to the ground floor she traversed, the hallways stopping at the training room as half crazed snarling caught her attention; opening the door as quietly as possible and peering over her sunglasses she was treated to the sight of Gangrel slate raining blows on a punch-bag as if it had insulted his family, she observed that his fighting style was a form of kick-boxing with elements thrown in that had clearly been honed over years of fighting on the streets; it lacked the grace of Velvets' blend of Muai Thai and Capoeira but made up for it in sheer brutality, upon closer inspection she realised that the way he incorporated his Semblance into his fighting style was fairly straightforward, he simply strung combos together as if he were fighting a single opponent while simultaneously teleporting to find better angles and jump from target to target, it was simple but effective. Stopping a few minutes after Coco had begun watching the Bear-Faunus didn't even bother turning to face her before growling over his shoulder  
"Come on then Adel, bother me. You know you want to" Coco stepped into the training room raising her hands to show that she did not want trouble  
"I was just heading back to my dorm, heard you going a little nuts on the bag and checked to see who it was; but seeing as we're both here I was going to wait until I saw Velvet to find out what you two got yourself into, feel like telling me" Gangrels' eyes narrowed slightly  
"Yet again some little shit thought it was okay to pick on her, yet again you weren't there"  
"I was in lesson" Coco shot back  
"Yeah well, now it's me and her in a two on two sanction match" Cocos' eyes narrowed  
"Two on two? What happened, exactly?" her tone icy  
"Cardin Winchester grabbed her ears started running his mouth off, they had a scuffle and Velvet ended him; then his partner blind sided her and pulled his weapons out, Weiss Schnee broke the fight up but I jumped on Thrush and broke his face on a table" Cocos' face darkened with each word she heard, knuckles clenched and shaking with unmitigated rage she looked at Gangrel  
"Three things Slate. Firstly I don't know what you've heard but I have no issue with Faunus I am not a racist, I want that right out in the open" Gangrel nodded Velvet having cleared up the misunderstanding between then "Secondly I need to thank you, between this and introducing Velvet to her new boyfriend you've been a better friend than I have to her; I haven't seen her this happy before. Thirdly we're going to Team CRDLs dorm right now for a talk" Gangrel cocked his head, smirking  
"A talk?"  
"Yeah a talk" Coco confirmed, with a truly evil look upon her face

The door of Team CRDLs dormitory had never been subjected to such misuse before, currently it sounded as if whoever were knocking on it were particularly inept at using a battering ram, Cardin Winchester turned to his partner  
"Russ are you gonna answer that?" the teen in question currently observing his Mohawk in the full body mirror they kept in the dorm  
"You're nearer" Cardin frowned at his team-mate before clambering from his bed and opening the door revealing a handbag carrying brunette whose hair was mostly covered by a beret peering at him over a pair of sunglasses; his eyes roamed her body lingering on her sweater clad chest that was highlighted by the black waist cincher she wore, the visitor gave Cardin a sweet smile before his entire world became an explosion of pain, dropping to his knees as Coco Adels' boot connected with his crotch, the second the blow landed another figure came into view having been hidden out of the line of sight afforded by the doorway, Cardin had a split second to register Gangrel Slates' hysterical smile through watery eyes before the Bear-Faunus vanished, re-appearing behind him dragging his prone body back into the dorm. The brunette followed them in kicking the door shut behind her as she entered, her handbag dropping from her shoulder filling the room with mechanical sounds, Cardin managed to look up for a second and see a mini-gun being trained on the other members of his team who had been herded into a corner of the room before Gangrels' foot impacted on his chest, the Faunus spoke with a terrifying mix of hatred and glee  
"Evening boys, this lovely lady is Coco Adel; the Team Leader of that Faunus girl you've been picking on, we want a talk" Coco decided to chime in, her voice chilling Cardin to the bone  
"Yeah a talk; the thing is people like you only really speak two languages, fear and pain….luckily I'm fluent" Gangrels' grin widened as he cracked his knuckles  
"This is going to be an enlightening conversation for you boys"

 **Authors Notes:**

Yeah you read that right, Velvet went full Nora Valkyrie on Cardin; the reason I'm going to explain how she broke his leg is that he's a glass cannon he can hit hard but his Aura doesn't grant him a lot of protection, think of him as an anti-Jaune  
Also, I'm assuming two on two matches are a thing seeing as Pyrrha was allowed to run roughshod over the whole of of team CRDL on her own  
As for Gangrels actions, if he seems a bit contradictory, good _he's meant to_ he knows that Blakes' pacifistic attitude won't help the Faunus, he's seen it go wrong; at the same time he doesn't believe in the hard line tactics Adam is moving towards and is happy to save an old friend from himself if it comes to that; Gangrel sees himself as a realist and said it himself "There's nobody looking out for Faunus except other Faunus and sometimes that means defending ourselves"  
As for Jaunes' sisters, no they won't be a major plot point I just like making the world feel more 'lived in' as opposed to things like a character having seven sisters and a family full of legendary fighters being mentioned once and then forgotten about, I know I broke naming conventions with Victoria and Antonia I couldn't help it I wanted his oldest sister to be someone who indirectly inspired Pyrrha Nikos and have a name based on Victory, and if you don't know who an inventor named "Toni Arc" is a reference to then I honestly don't know what to say, also it was a chance to throw in some of my rejected weapon designs

As always thank you to everyone that reads, favourites, follows and reviews.


	12. 12: The Calm Before

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 12: The Calm Before**

Adams' fist connected with the wall of the apartment as he let loose a stream of vitriol at the subject of his ire in their absence before making for the door, his coat and weapons forgotten in his fury; a pair of arms reached around his waist from behind and pulling him back a few steps causing him to turn back to face Velvet, her Faunus ears drooping and a pleading look in her eyes  
"Adam where are you going?" her crimson haired boyfriend taking a few deep breaths in a failed attempt to calf himself before answering  
"I'm going to Beacon, where I will proceed to find these two bastards, drag them out onto the main road and spend the remainder of the day throwing them under passing cars! Nobody puts their hands on you!" Velvet tightened her arms around his waist and gave him a bemused yet exasperated smile  
"Okay that sounds like the kind of threat Gang would make, which is proof enough that you need to calm down. It's fine Adam"  
"No it's not" he breathed softly as he kissed her forehead, his voice softening "Nobody hurts you and gets away with it Velvet, I'm not just going to let this go" Velvet gave him an irritated huff  
"This is why I didn't tell you until today, I knew you'd react badly"  
"A pair of jumped up racist scumbags attacked the woman I love, right now I don't see another way to react" Velvet frowned at him, she had indeed held off of telling Adam about the specifics of her upcoming sanctioned match against two members of Team CRDL until she saw him in person, her apprehension seemingly justified  
"And as sweet as it is that you get protective of me like this" she cupped his cheek and held his gaze "I need you to calm down, the first year trip to Forever Falls was today, they're probably just making their way back now. Tomorrows match will be the end of it, Goodwitch made it clear that if the situation carries on we could all lose our places at Beacon. Please Adam stay out of this, for me" the Bull-Faunus pulled her into him, enveloping her in a tight embrace and murmuring in her ear  
"Okay, I'm not happy about this Velvet and so help me Oum if I ever see either of them outside of Beacon I'm going to hurt them, but I'll drop it for now. Anything for you"  
"I suppose that's the best I can ask for" she sighed, swatting his chest playfully "So does this count as our first argument as a couple"  
"I guess it does" Adam answered slowly, unsure of what Velvet was thinking, until she suddenly pushed him back into his sofa and positioned herself on top of him, making herself comfortable she whispered in his ear  
"I told my team not to expect me back tonight" taking his earlobe between her teeth before adding "So since we just had out first argument, you've got plenty of time to make it up to me"

Gangrel Slate was currently in what he considered his second home at Beacon, the gym; his partner spotting for him as he bench pressed an amount that could barely be considered taxing as he was merely warming up for something much more entertaining. After a few sets Perdu motioned for him to stop, nodding at something just out of Gangrels' field of vision replacing the weights he sat up to see Jaune Arc approaching them, running his hand through his hair in apparently unconscious nervous gesture  
"Hey baby Arc" Squish greeted him  
"H-Hey Perdu" he managed to stammer out "C-Can I talk to Gangrel alone for a sec?" Gang raised an eyebrow at this  
"Surely whatever it is you can say it in front of Squish, I mean he'll tease you for the rest of the year in private but nobody else will know your business" the smaller Faunus nodded enthusiastically in agreement, a wide grin on his face  
"Yeah Jaune don't worry" Squish then activated his Semblance, his form ripping like water as it faded into invisibility "It'll be like I'm not even here" Jaune audibly gulped before steeling himself  
"Okay Gangrel, Gang listen I've got seven sisters two of which are older than me but I don't exactly see eye to eye with my Dad….I need advice about a couple things and honestly you're the only person I could think to ask"  
"Don't worry you're supposed to have hair there….and yes anything more than two shakes is playing with it" Squish managed to wheeze out between laughs as he came back into view, seemingly solidifying the empty space, seeing the blonde lower his head in a display of utter dejection Gangrel took pity on him  
"Squish give it a rest. Fine what's bothering you Jay I've got a bit of time on my hands right now, I might be able to help" blue eyes looking hopeful as he realised Gangrel actually seemed to like him enough to give him a nickname he took a deep breath  
"Okay, I got back from Forever Fall a few hours ago and I don't know if you've heard about what happened to Cardin?" Gangrel shrugged  
"I heard some rumours about one of the fresh meat pissing themselves and running from an Ursa" Jaune nodded solemnly  
"Yeah, that was Cardin. He's been giving me a hard time since the start of term, but he's been quiet since what happened with you and Velvet in the hall; like really quiet he hasn't said anything to anyone, today he came over to me while we were on the field trip and tried to act like his old self until my Aura flared itself, then the Ursa came and he bolted. The Professors asked me what happened and I just told them I was focused on killing the Grimm and assumed he was going to get backup" the blonde paused for breath realising he'd been rambling "The point is I know I should tell them Cardin ran, but he's got something on me and he'll make sure I get expelled if he does; but that doesn't change the fact that he could have gotten his whole team killed today by running, if I let him get away with that and something else happens I'm responsible" Gangrel shook his head  
"He made a choice to come here, the same as you did. And if your Aura still flares itself then I guess at what he's got on you….I'm right aren't I?" the last part added when he saw Jaunes' head drop in shame  
"Fucking idiot!" Gangrel hissed cuffing Jaune round the back of the head sending him staggering a few paces, unprepared for the older students' strength "Don't worry about Cardin getting himself killed, worry about yourself. If the Grimm don't kill you, your sisters will and if the Grimm do kill you, your sisters' will probably kill me" shaking his head in disdain before continuing "You're lucky though Pyrrha Nikos is your partner, train with her every day even weekends, my team are already giving Team RWBY pointers as it is; we can probably find a way to work you in. As for Cardin, fuck him. Grimm are attracted to fear and I've got him good and scared right now"  
"You have?" Jaune mouthed out slowly  
"Well me and Velvets' Team Leader, we decided to pay his whole team a visit and express our extreme displeasure at the little fuckers attitudes….at gunpoint" the Bear-Faunus sniggered at the memory of the four of them grovelling at the barrel of Coco Adels' weapon, he had pictures but they were being saved as insurance"  
"What happened about that anyway?" Jaune asked  
"Two on two sanctioned match tomorrow night when team CRDL have had chance to recuperate, keep it quiet though these matches are actually private; speaking of the other day though I saw you were one of the ones to stand up and look ready to get involved. Good lad, keep it up and we just make a hunter out of you yet"  
"Thanks, just did what I thought was right" the blonde rubbed the back of his head "So just to be sure you think I should keep quiet about Cardin?"  
"Exactly" Squish chimed in, his smile taking on a sinister edge "He can't hold anything over your head any more, you're even; besides nobody likes a squealer" Gangrel nodded in agreement  
"So what's the other thing you need help with?" Jaune seemed if anything more nervous at this, blushing slightly  
"Weiss"  
"What?" Gangrel laughed  
"Well, I've been trying to talk to her and she just keeps blowing me off; I wanted to know how you ended up being sort of friends with her after what happened between you" Gangrel fixed Jaune with a disbelieving stare while Squish had to prop himself up against the weight bench as his body was racked with spasms of silent laughter  
"Right, first off" Gangrel sighed, pinching the bridge of his snout like nose "Friends is a bit of an exaggeration and secondly you're not trying to talk to her to be friends; how many times has she told you she's not interested now?" he gave Jaune a knowing look which the boy paled under  
"Erm, sixteen….I think" Squish fell to the floor howling with laughter at the answer, Gangrel just shook his head trying not to laugh himself  
"The only advice I can give you is stop. Not stop whatever approach you're trying; just stop. She's not interested" seeing the crestfallen look on Jaunes' face Squish decided to add some profound advice, or at least what he had in place of it  
"Jaune, seriously why are you chasing her around? Have you seen the women you share a dorm with? The redhead….the bouncy redhead that has a grenade launcher, I mean yeah she's fifty shades of crazy but still" Gangrel and Jaune were left staring at the reptilian with utterly lost expressions before Jaune managed to form a response  
"I think she actually likes Ren they've known each other for years; I'm not sure how he feels about her though" Squish made a sound of pure frustration  
"What in Oums' name is going on with your team, it's madness I tell you. In a sane world your dorm would be a pit of debauchary" another round of laughter ensued, joined this time by another voice causing everyone to turn and see Fox walking across the gym to join the trio, Gangrel rose from the weight bench to greet his new sparring partner  
"Fox this is Jaune I used to know his sister, Jaune this is Fox he's on Velvets' team; he's actually got a backbone, so now I'm going to pull it out and beat him with it"

Velvet and Gangrel stood at one end of the arena, facing their opponents with the headmaster stood between them, the lecture hall used for combat class otherwise deserted. Gangrel rolled his shoulders back and cricked his neck as the protective barrier began to encase them, casting a quick glance to his left he saw Velvet adopting her usual fighting stance a hard expression on her face  
"I'll rush 'em and give you time to close the distance, you take the one with the hair I want Cardin" he muttered under his breath, she answered with a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement. Professor Ozpin was currently concluding the pre-fight explanation of the rules, Gangrel was unsure having tuned most of it out but thought it was verbatim copied from Goodwitch, perhaps it was standardised for all referees, reaching back to grab _Iorek_ and _Iofur_ as he saw Russell Thrush twirling his twin blades _Brutus_ and _Longinus_ in an attempt to look menacing, Cardin had drawn his weapon _Jericho_ in its' collapsed form, the shaft currently extending and the individual parts of the mace head rotating into place. There was a moment of tense silence before Professor Ozpins' voice rang out  
"Begin" Gangrel drew both his weapons and pivoted as he activated his Semblance, reappearing level with Russell and Cardin who both charged forwards; his right blade connected with Russells' windpipe forcing him from his feet in an artless parody of a back-flip; his left blade finding its' way under Cardins arm the hooked tip latching onto an armoured shoulder, Cardins' own momentum turning against him as he was forcibly spun to face Gangrel who followed up with a vicious slash across the chest, knocking him back and tearing the right shoulder of his armour away, the two locked eyes for a moment before rushing in for the next exchange.

Velvet rushed in as Russell rose to his feet and charged her, holding the blade in his right hand in a reverse grip; seeing the incoming slash at her face Velvet countered, her right fist striking the inside of his wrist sending the weapon flying from his grasp and stepping into his guard, redirecting his momentum as her right shoulder collided with his chest to send him into the protective barrier and following up with a spinning back kick, the armour plated heel of her boot impacting against Russells' cheekbone; from this point the fight was merely a formality Russell was dazed and cornered, his moves predicted and countered with breathtaking efficiency; his wide swipe with his left at Velvets' neck was ducked under before the Faunus leapt into the air and drove her knee into his chin, his back hand avoided and countered with a left hook to the temple. Several pain filled seconds later Russell Thrush was declared unable to continue the fight.

Gangrel took Cardins' blow to the chest and leaned into it resulting in a deafening clang and the younger student staggering back, his weapon reverberating in his hand  
"See, this is what real armour looks like" Gangrel taunted having gained the upper hand early on in the bout, his opponent was tiring already. Hearing Ozpin declare Thrush out of the fight brought a cruel smirk to his face as he sheathed his weapons and stood with his arms spread wide, motioning for Cardin to take his best shot, the bully charged forwards enraged swinging Jericho overhead before it could connect Gangrel vanished leaving nothing but smoke in his wake, reappearing behind his target the Bear-Faunus caught the head of the weapon as it completed its' arc bringing it level with Cardins left shoulder, grabbing the shaft with his right hand and kicking Cardin in the back of the knee Gangrel proceeding to choke him with the shaft of his own weapon before calling out  
"Velvet! Finish him off!" the Rabbit-Faunus in question produced her camera and snapped a picture of Cardins' weapon before manifesting her own copy of it and charging, Gangrel releasing his victim and shoving forwards only for a replica of his own weapon to strike his face with earth shattering force  
"Cardin Winchesters' Aura has dropped into the red, he is unable to continue. Mr Slate and Ms Scarlatina are the victors of this match" Gangrel was sure he could hear an amused edge in the Headmasters' voice, seeing Ozpin turn to face the defeated fighters he surreptitiously removed his Scroll from his pocket  
"Now I trust that this will be the end of this nonsense?" Ozpin asked Cardin, the boy looked over at Gangrel who flashed him his scroll, showing the images of his entire team at the mercy or lack thereof of Coco Adel; the boy gulped and nodded. The professor then turned to Velvet and Gangrel beaming  
"I would also like to congratulate you two, your performance tonight has earned you and your respective teams their places in the Vytal Tournament should you choose to compete"

Teams' CFVY and GRAP had started the party to celebrate their early qualification in team GRAPs dorm, this had proven insufficient when Team RWBY along with Jaune and Pyrrha had joined them, Yang Xiao Long seemingly able to detect any party in her vicinity by some unknown sixth sense; this had led to the current situation of fourteen students in various stages of intoxication on the roof of Beacon, the younger teams having been given a stern warning by Artemis  
"If anyone gets so drunk they fall off the roof, we might get help but we'll definitely take pictures" the party, as many parties do had broken into smaller groups over time that occasionally contributed to each others conversations, a drunk Yang and Squish were currently trying to out-pun one another while Blake and Gangrel watched on shaking their heads in resignation at their respective partners  
"Please stop" Gangrel said in a pained groan Yang winked at Squish before turning to him  
"Why, are the puns becoming un-bear-able?" The Bear-Faunus gave a grunt  
"This is the thanks we get after we had to clean up the Emerald Forest after 'em" Squish nodded sagely at his leaders' comment before turning to Yang  
"What he's saying is if you go down to the woods today you're in for a big surprise" Gangrel got to his feet, abandoning Blake to her fate as his partner sung the last part, a parting shot from Yang following him  
"Okay we'll cut back on the puns, just the….Bear Necessities" tuning out the sound of the two of them bursting into song he looked for someone else to talk to.

Velvet sipped her beer, nearly spilling it as Coco gave her another slap on the back, the fashionista could not handle her drink as well as she thought she could  
"Who knew our little Velvet was such a bad-ass" she slurred "What happened over the summer, did you get bitten by a radioactive rabbit?" Velvet looked at Coco, whose sunglasses were currently sliding off the end of her nose  
"How much have you had?" Coco gave a confused shrug indicated that she'd stopped counting, Velvet shook her head continuing "I don't know I think I just ran out of patience for people like Cardin over the summer, I still wish we'd spent some of it together"  
"Me too" Yatsuhashi chimed in, his voice softer than one would expect, Coco held her hands up in submission  
"I know I know" she apologized "I was working every shift I could at my families restaurant, I'm eighteen now I wanted to save some Lien so I could travel remnant next summer, I want to see more of it than the Grimm nests we'll be going to on the job, just to remind myself what we're fighting for" Velvet nodded at the unusually deep answer from Coco before turning to Yatsuhashi  
"Where were you anyway? We barely spoke at all last year even when we shared a dorm" Fox burst out laughing at the question, Yatsuhashi looked away nervously  
"Oh go on tell her why you were so quiet" Fox cackled, hearing the giant of a man make no effort to answer the blind fighter continued "I have no idea how you didn't realise this Velvet but the only thing in Beacon bigger than Yatsu is the crush Yatsu had on you last year….he's shy" at this Yatsuhashi stood up, picking a drunk Coco, whose sunglasses had finally fallen from her face, up with him  
"Okay I think I'm gonna call it a night and someone needs to get Coco back to the dorms safely" Fox sniggered after his team-mates retreating backs, as Velvets' Faunus ears covered her face in embarrassment, she'd truly had no idea.

The party was winding down as Gangrel found himself alone with Weiss, team CFVY having disbanded for the night, Rover and Artemis returning to the dorm early, Gangrel asked no questions; Jaune helping Pyrrha whom the Bear-Faunus noticed was wearing the blondes' hoodie back to their dorm; apparently the Mistrali didn't drink before coming to Beacon and had no tolerance for alcohol, Gangrel had given Blake a salacious wink and thumbs up when he'd seen her taking a very drunk Yang back to their dorm only to receive a rude hand gesture in return. Ruby and Squish were….somewhere  
"So what was it like being in care?" Weiss asked tentatively Gangrel gave a drunken snort  
"Well aren't you the life of the party" the heiress grinned at the comment before continuing  
"It's just that I know you grew up with Blake and she never talks about it, I want to try and understand" Gangrel nodded, deciding in his slightly inebriated state that Weiss, despite her family name wasn't a bad person; reaching for his wallet he withdrew a single creased picture showing a group of eight young Faunus, one of which was clearly Blake  
"It's fine" Gangrel sighed "I was there for five years while my Dad was inside but I actually have some pretty good memories of the place despite everything, it was tough though the orphanage never had enough money for most things but we made do" a small smile tugged at his lips, Weiss looked at the picture realising which of the Faunus was Gangrel  
"Oh my Oum you look so small there" she laughed, Gangrel joining in, he was indeed lacking in both height and muscle in the picture  
"Yeah well this was taken when I was twelve, a few weeks before my dad was released actually, I knew I'd be leaving and I wanted to get a picture with everyone in case I didn't see them again"  
"Was that all the kids from the orphanage?" Weiss asked, Gangrel shook his head  
"Nah, just the kids on my wing, it was two kids per room and the rooms were tiny, the other girl is Luna, Blakes' first crush and old room-mate she'd have been fourteen here so Blake would be ten or eleven, she actually got married to Felix over the summer" Gangrel indicated to a pair of Cat-Faunus "The gangly kid with the horns that you can barely see through his messy hair is Adam, he's only a year older than me but he was the big brother of the group, him and Felix shared a room, the kid with the big teeth and rat tail is Fagin Grey, he's in Vaccuo now the one with the beak and talons for hands is Harry Regal" Weiss leaned closer to Gangrel, head on his shoulder to get a better look at the picture before indicating to the person he hadn't named, a boy with antenna sprouting from his head and an organic exoskeleton covering parts of his skin who was stood next to a much younger and more innocent looking Gangrel in the image  
"Who's that?" Gangrels' head sunk for a moment before he continued, pain and sorrow evident in his voice  
"Chitin Greenwood, little Kai he was my old room-mate" Gangrel took a deep breath before continuing "He was murdered in a bar fight while I was back in Atlas for the Vytal Festival" Weiss' hands shot to her mouth  
"Oh my Oum, Gangrel I'm so sorry" The Bear-Faunus barely seemed to hear her as he continued  
"I was there when it happened, it was after Team GRAP lost; someone picked a fight with him they had an unlocked Aura and he didn't I saw him get hit in the face with a barstool and die on the floor from a broken neck and a brain injury before I could do anything to stop it" Weiss didn't know what to say, her sheltered life in the echelons of Upper Atlas left her with no experience with the casual crime and violence that people like Gangrel had to deal with, instead she squeezed his hand, her own delicate one dwarfed by his large paw, he turned to look at her with glistening eyes  
"Thanks Weiss" he murmured, squeezing her hand in return while wiping his eyes with his free hand "So, if we're trading fucked up stories what actually gave you that scar?" Weiss looked away from him, eyes downcast until Gangrel cupped her cheek and traced the scar with his thumb  
"You don't have to tell me" he said softly "But honestly, wear your war wounds with pride, they just mean you were tougher than whatever tried to kill you" Weiss gave a weak smile  
"I've never looked at that way, I just see it in the mirror every morning and remember the time I wasn't good enough; but thank you"  
"Well I can sink to the sort of comment Squish would make and tell you it brings out your eyes if it helps?" Gangrel said with a smirk, getting a small giggle from Weiss  
"That is terrible" she said grinning, face reddening slightly as she became aware that Gangrel was still caressing her scarred cheek, the moment ended however with the sound of retching nearby, causing the pair to jump to their feet startled looking for the source of the noise, eventually discovering a panicking Squish holding Rubys' cape back as she vomited  
"Hey Gang" the smaller Faunus greeted, trying his best to mask his nerves with his cheery tone  
"You've been letting her drink?" Gangrel snarled indicating to Ruby, while phrased as a question the underlying threat was unmistakable  
"Yeah, we were talking weapons and I was drinking so I passed her one….then kept passing her more when she finished a bottle"  
"You irresponsible, cretinous, lecherous little half-witted pervert" Weiss hissed as she moved towards her partner "For what innocent reason could you be getting a fifteen year old girl drunk?" Squish paled  
"I honestly forgot how old she is, besides I started drinking before I was le-" he closed his mouth at the frosty glare Weiss gave him, Ruby chose this moment to drunkenly mumble  
"Don't talk about me like I'm not here, I'm grown up enough; I drink milk" Gangrel doubled over with laughter at this  
"Well next time stick to milk then kid" turning to Weiss he added "Do you need a hand getting her back to the dorm?" Weiss shook her head picking up Ruby who had in the interim passed out drunk  
"Oh for Oums' sake" she huffed "I bet she tried to match you drink for drink as well to show off how grown up she is for you didn't she?" she raged at Squish before Gangrel stepped in  
"What you think Ruby has a crush on this idiot?" he indicated to his partner disregarding his protest at the description, Weiss gave an irritated huff  
"She's fifteen and practically worships Hunters and Huntresses, she's crushing on almost everyone at Beacon in some way shape or form, I'm taking her back now; when Yang finds out about this do not expect her to be reasonable or civilized" She turned and left, the sounds of Gangrel venting at his smaller team-mate with some exceptionally colourful language gaining one last smile from her.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, this chapter wasn't actually part of my original plan but it ties up lose ends heading into the climax of Vol.1  
I'm honestly not sure anyone knows how qualification to the Vytal Tournament works considering Pyrrha beat all of Team CRDL & Mercury forfeited yet they were all allowed to compete, also who did Jaune actually beat to qualify?  
So to sum up, I've showcased a little of Adams angry and possessive side (Although the anger was warranted in my opinion) wrapped up the whole Team CRDL issue and dealt with Forever Fall, Jaune being a fraud and what happened in Team CRDLs dorm at the end of last chapter….While watering some of the seeds I've been sowing.  
Also, let me know if this chapter doesn't seem to flow right; it's the first time for this story I haven't wrote the entire chapter in one sitting

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	13. 13: Operation Snowfall

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 13: Operation Snowfall**

Gangrel leaned against the heavily rusted railings of the docks the smell of fish and seawater assaulting his acute sense of smell as he inhaled, he'd spent the previous few hours with Squish at an arcade roughly a quarter of a mile down the road that was owned by the White Fang and served as a place to launder money while simultaneously affording the organisation somewhere from which to keep track of the comings and goings at the dock; ostensibly he'd visited the arcade to play a few rounds of the latest iteration of a game he and his partner both enjoyed, in reality Adam had instructed him to go there for a few a while and keep an eye on things as the usual security was preoccupied, Squish had gone with the ulterior motive of doing some less than savoury dealings with one of the cashiers the pair heading their separate ways after concluding their business, the remaining members of Team GRAP had chosen to spend their Saturday at Artemis' parents house, Rover having been fully accepted by his girlfriends' family. Brought back to his senses by the feeling of his scroll vibrating in his pocket Gangrel withdrew it and saw that it was Adam, looking around and seeing that the other pedestrians were wrapped up in their own affairs he answered the call, taking care to keep his voice down  
"What's up?"  
"Are you still at the arcade?" his old friend asked, his voice distorted as if wherever he was had very poor reception  
"Nah" Gangrel informed him "Left a while ago, no problems there"  
"Good, I'm almost sure someone was stealing from the place though" Adam stopped himself before the conversation could veer off topic "Anyway where are you now?"  
"Just at the docks, some of the students from Vaccuo are meant to be arriving soon I thought I might see if there's anyone I recognise from the last time" Gangrel squinted in confusion at his scroll as Adam let out a string of curses before composing himself  
"Get away from the docks, now"  
"Why are you expecting a raid on the arcade or something?" Gangrel asked, lost as to the cause of Adams apparent panic  
"No, but Operation Snowfall is happening today you can't be seen at the docks it'll blow your cover" Adam told him frantically  
"Hold on" Gangrel asked an amused edge creeping into his voice "The fuck is Operation Snowfall? 'Cos that is an edgy try-hard codename even for you"  
"We're taking a shot at Weiss Schnee" Adam told him, the words making Gangrels' heart leap into his throat and blood run cold, oblivious to this Adam continued "There's no way she's not going to come down to the docks and get a feel for the competition herself, we've got a few people posted on the route she'll take from Beacon to the docks; honestly I'm not expecting to be able to deal with her today but I want to know how much security the SDC has got trailing her, this is more of a scouting job"  
"And a shot at Blake" Gangrel said slyly  
"That's a fringe benefit" Adams' smirk was almost audible "Seriously though you need to get away from the docks, we'll catch up when I'm back in town"  
"Wait where are you, back in Atlas?" Gangrel asked  
"No, _I'm out of town_ out of town; one of our joint operations with the new business partners" Gangrels' frowned at the ominous sound of that, the euphemism meaning that Adam was beyond the walls of the Kingdoms, saying his goodbyes and ending the call he began typing a message to Blake  
" _Are you with Weiss?"_ seconds dragged by as he awaited the reply  
" _Yeah, she wants to get a look at the Vaccuo students"_ Gangrel groaned while internally cursing Weiss' competitive streak  
" _Change your plans, if you can't talk out of it then stall for time. I got the courtesy call from Adam"_ Hoping Blake would understand the meaning he set off along the docks, his progress halted by someone barrelling into him  
"Sorry bro" the open shirted teen chuckled as he untangled himself from the Bear-Faunus and carried on sprinting, Gangrel registering the boys' monkey tail and Vaccuo accent then the two police officers shouting about a stowaway, Vaccuo was notorious for being the place criminals went to hide out or retire, shaking his head while absent-mindedly wondering how insane someone had to be to have to smuggle themselves _out_ of such a place he continued looking for a vantage point from which he could find Adams' henchmen.

Blake was numb with shock at the news that Adam was planning a public attempt on her friends' life in broad daylight, this was beyond anything he'd done in their time together yet she knew it would be hopeless to try and talk Weiss out of going to the docks without revealing her former involvement with the White Fang as she'd been planning the trip all week; this left her with the option she was currently employing, namely stalling and redirection  
"Oh come on Blake" Weiss huffed as Blake stopped at yet another book shop, making a show of browsing the window display  
"What, this place is deals in second hand books, they might have some stuff I can't get elsewhere and it's probably cheaper" Blake reasoned, she was not strictly lying as she checked the sign intending to memorize the name for later and was momentarily stunned as she read "Tuksons" _It can't be the same person_ she thought to herself before Weiss' voice brought her attention squarely back to the current situation  
"Yes but must you do this right now?" the heiress huffed in exasperation "I want to see the students from Vaccuo, this is our first chance to analyse our competition"  
"Oh come on Weiss" Yang chuckled "They'll be at Beacon for at least a month before the festival, we've got plenty of time for espionage" Blake silently thanked Oum for the beautiful saviour with an endearingly questionable sense of humour that was Yang Xiao Long  
"A few students might be coming early now but the main ship won't dock until tonight anyway Weiss you said that yourself" Ruby chimed in, her white haired partner turning to her  
"I don't believe you get a say, didn't Yang ground you after you decided to get so drunk you passed out on the roof?" Ruby blushed and covered her face with her hood in shame  
"Ugh, I don't even get how Yang can ground me I'm the leader" she whined  
"Yeah well take the punishment from me or I call dad" Yang sternly told her sister while placing her in a headlock "So how about, since we're here we make a day of it; starting with getting something to eat and we'll go the docks later" Weiss considered it for a few moments, Blake trying not to show how relieved she was when she finally acquiesced; the four of them set off for the nearest fast food diner that Yang suggested, Ruby making to rush off ahead only to be brought crashing to a halt as she ran into someone  
"Ow, who has a head that hard?" the smaller girl grumbled looking down at the owner of said hard head, a petite girl with a pale complexion and orange hair smiling up at them with vibrant green eyes  
"Salutations….Meat-bags"

Gangrel was currently perched on the roof of one of the larger buildings surrounding the docks trying to locate the White Fang operatives without being seen by them or anybody else, feeling exposed without his armour and weapons having left them at Beacon in his dorm instead of his locker leaving him unable to summon them to his location if the need for discretion were suddenly outweighed by the need to fight; he'd toyed with and dismissed the idea of calling Rover and asking him to use his speed to run to Beacon and retrieve them for him, deciding to limit the amount of people involved in this as much as possible; growling in frustration he used his scrolls' camera to get a magnified image of the streets below, better than would be afforded by his own Faunus senses when he spotted it, they weren't in uniform but there were three groups of five Faunus each lurking in a different side street off of the road that Team RWBY would have taken if they had travelled directly from Beacon, Gangrel took an educated guess that if he were to search them they would all be carrying masks, searching further he saw a fourth group seemingly patrolling the vicinity, the leader of which instantly stood out; clad in an all black outfit that was baggy enough to hide the curves of her feminine figure and carrying a duffel bag that almost certainly contained a mask, weapon and a jacket with a White Fang emblem, fierce yellow eyes and a pair of feline ears poking out from black and orange hair that was naturally striped and had been dread-locked, the braids tied behind her head reaching between her shoulder blades; the Tiger Faunus carried herself in a way that set alarms ringing in the minds of all who saw her. Gangrel taking in the familiar appearance of the obvious leader of this operation had a single ineloquent thought cross his mind; _Fuck_

Weiss looked at her new acquaintance and decided that were was something decidedly _off_ about the girl, she couldn't tell if Penny was actually as socially awkward as she first seemed, and she gave Ruby a rare challenge in that regard; or if she had reached a hitherto unknown level of sarcasm and was silently laughing at all of them. While wandering the streets of Vale they came across a small Dust Shop that judging by the shattered windows and police cordon set up around it had been the victim of a robbery the previous night, causing the group to speculate as to the perpetrator  
"It could be the work of the White Fang" Weiss suggested, her tone disgusted at the thought "Remember those trucks that were ransacked, it was on the news a couple weeks ago"  
"This isn't a White Fang job" Blake said bluntly her team-mates and Penny looking at her strangely, Weiss considered herself lucky that Blake had chosen to confide in the rest of the team that she was a Faunus, the heiress was ashamed to admit it but she may have said something she'd later regret had she not known  
"I grew up in Lower Atlas, trust me I know what a White Fang Job looks like, it's either meticulously clean or utter devastation; this just looks sloppy" Blake said with a shrug seeing the looks her team-mates were giving her, Penny fixed the crime scene with a harsh stare  
"There's only one path to peace; their extinction" the small girl declared, her voice darkening and dropping an octave with the last two words  
"Easy there short stuff!" Yang exclaimed with a concerned look "We're Huntresses, we protect people; the hard-line extermination rhetoric isn't really our thing" Penny fixed the Blonde with a stare that was both somehow sympathetic and mocking at the same time  
"I know you mean well; you want to protect the world but you don't want it to change"  
"It might not even be the White Fang" Ruby interjected trying to diffuse the situation "That Roman Torchwick guy is still out there, dust robberies were kinda his thing so…." she trailed off seeing the glare Blake was giving Penny, her harsh attitude and tone with Yang had seemingly gotten under her skin; Weiss saw her partner trying to be a friend to everyone and envied her innocence and naivety  
"Hey Penny" she said sweetly "My team have got something we need to do, maybe we'll see each other around" the strange girl gave her a bright smile  
"Sensational, we can paint our nails and try on clothes and talk about cute boys" she said before turning to leave _and that_ Weiss fumed _Is precisely the sort of thing that makes me think she's being sarcastic  
_ "Thanks for that, both of you" Blake said softly, Weiss made to reply but saw the Faunus only had eyes for her partner and simply smiled, choosing to say nothing  
"Soooo, now what?" Ruby asked seemingly disappointed that her attempt to make a new friend hadn't gone quiet as planned, seeing that the sun was starting to set Weiss took charge  
"We're doing what we came here for, we're going to the docks" with that Team RWBY, unaware that as they made their way through the streets that were emptying as shops concluding their business for the day they had picked up a tail in the form of two groups of five Faunus reaching into their assorted jackets to withdraw masks

Blake was the first to hear them and silently thanked Oum that she'd taken to carrying her weapon with her at all times since Gangrel told her that Adam knew her whereabouts, the group of Faunus silently followed her team making no effort to seize the initiative which in Blakes' mind could only mean that they were walking into a trap that was yet to be sprung; her suspicion was confirmed when two more groups of Faunus clad in the plain silver masks of White Fang initiates exited from side-streets ahead of them cutting off all exits as they converged, at the head of the new group was a woman wearing black pants and hoodie a white jacket displaying insignias thrown over the top of it, black and orange hair braided and tied back, yellow eyes filled with malice glaring out from behind a bone white mask covering her entire face and stylized to look like some sort of cat, almost the entire lower half taken up by a demented grin made up of sharp teeth, in one of her gloved hands she held her weapon, a blood red double barrelled shotgun with gold detailing the hammer of the weapon adorned with a golden spear tip hinting at its' alternate form, it was a weapon Blake knew well, having seen it employed on various targets of White Fang attacks; the weapon was named Shere-Khanage it's owner was Cheshire Motley, the Tiger Faunus that served as Adams' replacement for Gangrel when he left for Beacon  
"Evening Miss Schnee" Cheshire gave a mocking curtsy as her voice set the voice of all who heard it on edge "And Blake Belladonna as well, now this will put a smile on the bosses' face" Blake paled at the rapidly devolving situation, drawing her weapon she saw that only Yang was doing the same, Ruby had evidently decided that they did not have time to wait for their weapons to arrive via rocket locker and had taken up a combat stance that Rover and Artemis had drilled into her, Weiss stepped forward, furious but unarmed  
"I don't know what you and your pitiful assembly of degenerate miscreants hope to achieve here but I assure you that you will fail miserably" the Heiress stated confidently  
"Good" Cheshire cooed "I was hoping you'd be brave enough to die on your feet" with no more to be said she raised her weapon level with Weiss' face and fired.

Gangrel watched from the roofs as the scene unfolded below him; Weiss had managed to raise a protective glyph in time to protect herself from the gravity dust shotgun shell, the kinetic force still hurling her back several feet to land in a crumpled heap on the ground. Blake and Yang had charged Cheshire and the nine White Fang members accompanying her, Ruby was currently working her way through the ten that had been behind them, unarmed, her training with members of his own team was paying off; he watched as Weiss picked herself back up and looked around, deciding that were was little she could contribute to the maelstrom of fists and feet that was her partner she charged back towards Cheshire, Gangrel waited for his opening.

Weiss charged the Faunus with the shotgun which had since been converted to a spear who was currently engaged in single combat with Blake while Yang attended to her underlings, her team-mate had yet to employ her Semblance and was only using the sword component of Gambol Shroud, Weiss could guess as to the reason, the street they were on was a narrow one an unwieldy weapon such as her large cleaver and shadow clones would only be a hindrance in the confined space. Cheshire was currently gaining the upper hand on Blake in an impressive display of acrobatics as Weiss closed the distance, the Tiger Faunus had jabbed her spear into the wall and used it as a surface from which to launch a somersault which she carried through into an axe kick to the top of Blakes' head sending her crashing to the floor, without hesitation Cheshire ducked under her own weapon which was still embedded in the wall, grabbing it in her left hand as sprung forwards twirling the weapon before swinging it like a baseball bat under Weiss' guard sending her sailing through the air and crashing through the window of a recently closed shop.

Gangrel had wasted no time, the second he saw Weiss fly through the glass he crouched low enough on the roof that he could see inside the establishment and activated his Semblance, reappearing inside and pulling Weiss from the display she had reduced to splinters upon impacting against it  
"Weiss, Weiss can you hear me?" his hushed tone was frantic, Sapphire eyes stared into his own as she shakily rose to her feet  
"Gangrel, what are you doing here?"  
"No time to explain" the Bear-Faunus insisted as he tried to manoeuvre her in the direction of the staff room at the back of the store where he was sure there would be a staff exit "White Fang ordered a hit on you, you need to call your security"  
"Security?" Weiss asked utterly confused as she followed him, Gangrel growled in irritation  
"Come on Weiss surely the SDC has someone watching you, I'm surprised there hasn't been any sniper fire yet" he gave her an expectant stare waiting for her to call for help  
"There is nobody watching me, my father insisted that if I want to train outside of Atlas and forge my own path then I do it with as little assistance from him or the company as possible" Gangrel was sure his heart had stopped beating at those words, his entire plan had essentially been to get in, extract Weiss and vanish without being seen. The pair had made their way to the back of the store, the staff room naturally being locked; weighing up his options Gangrel pointed to the counter which held the cash register  
"Get under there and stay there"  
"I will not hide like some damsel" she hissed at him affronted at the suggestion  
"That is a White Fang Enforcer out there, you're not dealing with the average thug" Gangrel growled back his tone turning urgent "Please Weiss" slowly Weiss turned and did as she was asked Gangrel heading towards the ruined store front and looking for an opportune moment to strike

Blake watched as Ruby ploughed into the wall of a shop and skidded to a halt leaving a gouge in the pavement as she did so, after the last of the grunts had been rendered unconscious she had charged Cheshire, a low sweep of the enforcers' weapons taking her legs from under her, an enraged roar from Yang preceded the blonde charging in shotgun rounds from _Ember Celica_ punctuating every punch she threw, Cheshire however was more than a match for this, using her own weapon to redirect Yangs' strikes. Blake ran forwards from behind Yang and using the wall vaulted herself into the air readying Gambol Shroud for a downward slash; Cheshire reacted by seemingly _running up_ Yang, delivering punishing kicks to her chest and stomach before pivoting in mid-air using her own weapon to strike Blake in the stomach and turn her own momentum against her; the air left Blakes' lungs as she slammed back first into the ground Aura all but spent, her attempts to pick her self up halted when her attacker placed a foot on her chest Shere-Khanage had been returned to its' shotgun form and was levelled at her face  
"This is the part where I ask if you have any last words and then shoot you when you try and get off a witty one liner" Cheshire laughed clearly savouring the moment as she cocked the hammer back Blake looked around and realized that she couldn't see Weiss anywhere _Well at least one of us made it out  
_ "DON'T COUNT MEOW'T YET KITTYCAT!" Cheshire turned to face the source of the roared pun only to be greeted by the burning fist of Yang Xiao Long, a devastating right cross fuelled by her Semblance sending the Faunus crashing to the floor, struggling to her hands and knees and attempting to rise and was halted as Gangrel teleported into the street a foot in the air above Cheshire and brought his boot down on the back of her head with enough force to knock her out and crush her mask into fragments as it hit the pavement. Before Blake could process what had happened she was hauled to her feet by Yang who enveloped her in a crushing bear hug, her eyes returning to their usual amethyst  
"I thought for sure we were all dead" the taller girl mumbled into Blakes' hair overcome with emotion  
"And yet you still just had to have one last pun" Blake sighed in return as the pair broke apart, Yang treated Blake to a wide grin and a wink that made her heart flutter more than she would admit  
"If I'm going I'm going out with a Yang!" Blake gave a weak chuckle at her partners' antics before turning to Gangrel who was helping Ruby back to her feet  
"You're still a glass cannon then?" the Bear Faunus chuckled "Hit like a truck but can't take one back" before she could answer he turned his attention to Blake  
"Weiss is safe. I got her out of the way, police will be here any minute and I can't be seen here" without waiting for a reply he teleported with the usual accompanying noise and smoke  
"Hey Blake" ruby fixed her with an inquisitive stare "How did she know your name?" indicating to the prone form of Cheshire Motley before Blake could form a believable response Weiss climbed through the shop window she had been thrown through in the course of the fight  
"Because she's in the White Fang" the heiress looked at her with a mixture of betrayal and hatred written across her face, Blake froze painfully aware of her team staring at her waiting for her to deny it "I'm right aren't I, you and Gangrel are both members of the White Fang that's how they knew your name and why Gangrel ran off before the authorities get here"  
"W-Weiss it's n-not what you think" Blake stammered  
"Really!" Weiss screamed "Because it looks to me like you've been trying gain our trust so you can have me killed, all the detours today, were they just to ensure that your cohorts would be in place? The training from Team GRAP was just to learn how we all fight I presume? The fight with their leader would be a convenient way to fake your own death and remove suspicion from yourself" Seeing the unadulterated disgust and hurt on her friends face Blake did the only thing her reeling mind could currently think of. She ran.

Gangrel was making his way back to Beacon when his scroll began to vibrate, seeing the call was from Adam he answered it with some trepidation  
"Were you at the docks?" Adam asked without preamble, his tone panicked  
"Nah, I was on the other side of town" he lied  
"Thank Oum, that's something at least" Adam gave a relieved sigh before continuing "Snowfall went completely off script, nineteen decent workers just got arrested along with Cheshire"  
"You let the discount version of me handle something important?" Gangrel forced himself to react the way he normally would, annoyed at the mention of the Tiger Faunus who had taken over his role of being Adams' right hand in The Kennels  
"It gets worse, that whole outfit had an important job to do tomorrow night. I need you to take care of it" Gangrels interest was not piqued  
"What's the job?"  
"You won't like it, Roman is bringing in a massive Dust shipment to our warehouse in Shoalsdale, by the docks" Adam clearly meaning the freight docks as opposed to the one he had just left  
"You want me to make sure everything runs smoothly" Gangrel surmised, his distaste at having to work alongside the thief evident in his tone  
"Exactly, I'm not trusting Roman with the keys to the house so to speak so I need you to oversee things, don't take Perdu ends up distracting people"  
"Okay send me the details, who will I be working with?" the irritated huff Adam gave did not fill Gangrel with confidence  
"It's going to have to be some new recruits, I can't pull any resources from elsewhere for something that's basically routine at this point"  
"I'll make do" Gangrel told him "I need to go, talk in person when you're home" cutting the call short as he sensed someone behind him he turned to face them and was greeted with the sight of a puffy eyed Blake Belladonna  
"Oum Blake what's happened?" ignoring his question she instead asked one of her own  
"What's the job and how do we stop it?"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay yes, Operation Snowfall existed solely as a way for Team RWBY to find out that Blake and Gangrel have history with the White Fang and make completely the wrong assumption, but it worked.  
Yes that was a Sun Wukong cameo, no he will probably not be relevant to the story in any way (Sorry BlackSun shippers)  
My version of Penny is going to be a bit OOC (And in my humble personal opinion, awesome. Bonus points if you can name everything she quotes) she's an Atlas built robot with a soul, the way I see it is that while she is capable of loving, learning and telling right from wrong all of her perceptions are still filtered through the AI of an Atlesian battle system; which is why she was a bit of a stand in for Canon Weiss in that scene  
Surely I don't need to tell anybody what the weapon "Shere-Khanage" used by a Tiger Faunus is a reference to?  
No I haven't Nerfed Weiss, Gangrel pulled her out of the fight because she was unarmed and can't fight hand to hand as well as Ruby can, Ruby having been given a buff by her training with Team GRAP

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	14. 14: Dishonour Among Thieves

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 14: Dishonour Among Thieves**

"I think we need to have a serious discussion about calling the police" Weiss told her team-mates, preparing herself for the inevitable backlash; Yang and Ruby had convinced her to wait until Blake came back and explained the situation before passing judgement, that had been last night and Blake was yet to return currently tensions in Team RWBYs' dorm were naturally running high  
"You're that quick to judge her Weiss, really?" Yang sneered  
"A White Fang member sent to kill me knew her by name!" Weiss shouted stepping towards Yang  
"She was going to kill Blake as well you idiot!" Yang shouted back, the two of seemingly close to blows before the blondes' tone softened and she struggled to repress a shudder at the memory "You didn't see it Weiss, Gangrel got you out of trouble but I did, she was going to kill Blake right in front of me" Ruby took the opportunity to get between the two of them and attempt to be the voice of reason  
"Gangrel pulled you out of trouble when he saw you were unarmed, if him and Blake were trying to have you killed why would he do that?" Weiss frowned, admittedly the older students' actions didn't seem to fit her theory even if him fleeing the scene was suspicious to her  
"Ugh right now I don't care about Gangrel, we need to find Blake!" Yang cried  
"Okay, we should split up" Ruby decided "I'll be on the next Bullhead, I'm going to search Vale centre she might be in town somewhere"  
"I'm going to look around some of the shadier bars, I'm not saying Blake is a criminal but people who don't want to be found tend to go to those bars to meet contacts. I'll take Bumblebee, the drive might help my nerves" Yang mumbled the last part more to herself than anyone else  
"So what should I do?" Weiss asked  
"Stay here" Yang told her bluntly, her anger at Weiss evidently not forgotten, Ruby took a moment to consider before agreeing  
"Yangs' right Weiss, we need someone to stay here in case Blake does come back. While you wait go and find Gangrel and see if he knows where she might be, I think you probably owe him an apology as well"  
"Wouldn't be the first time" Weiss grumbled to herself as her team-mates set off without her.

Blake paced the living room of the dingy one bedroom apartment, at her insistence that she would not return to Beacon the previous night Gangrel had brought her to her current location; the apartment in the Kennels he had told her her was somewhere he and Squish along with other members of the street gang they had been part of before attending the academy had used to hide people and contraband; with Gangrel and Squish being the last two members of said gang remaining outside of prison it had been abandoned, the dust in the air confirming it. Gangrel himself sat on a threadbare sofa that sagged under his hulking form, the same sofa he had slept on the previous night after offering Blake the only bed  
"Please stop wearing a hole in the floor Blake, this place needs enough work as it is" Gangrel gave her a forced smile, which she rewarded with a glare  
"Don't tell me you're not a nervous" the Bear-Faunus shrugged  
"Yeah but we've done what we can up to this point, we're not going blind and we've got…..well the germ of an idea" Blake thought back to their conversation on the rooftop weeks earlier before responding  
"You're a fucking germ Gang" causing a weak chuckle from her old friend "Are you sure this will work?" she asked nervously  
"No" Gangrel told her simply "But it's the best I can think of on short notice; you drop in and cause havoc, disrupt the shipment as much as possible while taking out Torchwick. I'll cover the newbies I'm working with, then I'll head after you to make it look convincing and tell Adam I lost you when he asks"  
"There's a lot of ways this could go wrong and a very good chance that we don't come back from tonight" Blake whispered, the severity of what they were planning dawning on her yet again  
"Well in that case" Gangrel huffed as he rose to his feet "Go and talk to your team, tell them as much of what we're doing as you think you can trust them with and at least try and get a date with Yang, you're harder to watch than Jaune and Pyrrha for Oums' sake. Anyway, I'm heading back to Beacon, I might not wear my combat gear for White Fang jobs but I'm not going without my swords" Blake watched him leave and pulled out her scroll staring at her background image, hidden behind icons for various applications was a photo of herself and Yang that Ruby had taken after the pair had passed out in exhaustion from one of the more rigorous training sessions with Team GRAP her partners' head resting on Blakes' shoulder, smiling at the memory of Yangs' reaction when she had been shown the picture Blake made her decision _Survive tonight and I'll tell them everything.  
_

Weiss was lounging against the fountain that decorated the entrance to Beacon having spent hours in the dorm impatiently waiting for any word from her team regarding Blake or the Faunus in question to reappear and had grown restless, deciding she needed some fresh air she had found herself at her current location, one of few students in the courtyard on a Sunday afternoon. Looking up she saw a large figure making their way onto the grounds of the academy, it was a muscle bound profile and distinctive snout like face that she instantly recognised and hurriedly made her way towards  
"Gangrel, have you seen Blake?" the Faunus regarded her for a moment  
"Are you asking for yourself or the authorities?"  
"M-myself" Weiss stammered "Nobody has seen her since yesterday when…." she trailed off  
"When you accused us both of being members of the White Fang" Gangrel growled out "Come with me" Weiss followed as he led her to an even quieter part of the grounds before stopping and turning to face her, his expression stony  
"Gangrel what's going on?"  
"You were half right yesterday; Blake is an ex White Fang operative I still am one….But I'm helping Blake from the inside, we're trying to save the White Fang from themselves" Weiss was dumbstruck, taking a few moments to process what Gangrel had just revealed to her as her anger slowly set in  
"And how Gangrel does one save thieves and murderers from themselves?" she spat, Gangrel replying with equal venom in his own voice  
"By giving Faunus some better options so we never have to go down this road in the first place!"  
"You are not victims Gangrel, the White Fang are terrorists!"  
"The White Fang are the only people that gave a fuck about us" the Faunus snarled "They owned the orphanage I met Blake in and raised me when I lost my parents"  
"I bet your father was another violent criminal!" Weiss shouted, recoiling when she saw the Faunus tense up as if he was preparing to strike her  
"How did you unlock your Aura Weiss?"  
"What?" she asked, confused by the sudden change in subject  
"How did you unlock your Aura?" Gangrel repeated  
"I was twelve, my family had me start training when I was ten and after two years my father decided I was ready and unlocked my Aura with his own. What does this have to do with anything?"  
"I was seven" Gangrel started "This was back when the White Fang were still a workers union and lobbying group, after Mum died Dad used to bring me along to rallies. My Aura unlocked itself to repair my broken jaw and cheekbone and regrow my front teeth after a grown man threw a brick at my face, it turns out a human supremacist group had decided to hold a counter-protest; my Dad saw what happened and grabbed the guy that did it, he's not a hunter but he can fight like one, he ended up in prison for five years for assault, I ended up in care and the human that assaulted a child because they looked different got away without charges. You might not understand or believe this Weiss but sometimes violence is the answer. We tried peace, it didn't work"  
"But you're still trying to stop them, even though you agree with them?" Weiss whispered, Gangrel gave her a long stare before sighing  
"I am and so is Blake, the man running the White Fang now is getting too comfortable throwing the first punch and not caring if it hits the right person; I want equality for my people and his way of doing things isn't going to get that"  
"What can I do to help?" Weiss asked forcing her emotions back under her control "I might not have any sympathy for the White Fang, but Blake despite everything is my friend….and so are you"  
"Stay here" Gangrel told her raising his hand to cut off her protests "By getting rid of the group that attacked you yesterday I've been handed control of the job they were meant to handle tonight, the people I'll have with me are kids; honestly I'd be surprised if they've even unlocked their Auras; there is too much that can go wrong already I don't need anything else to keep track of" Weiss gave him a thoroughly mutinous look  
"Fine but please Gangrel whatever it is you're planning bring yourself and Blake home safe" the Faunus made to leave, heading towards the academy  
"That's the plan, hopefully everyone can stick to it"

Night had fallen and Blake was laid on the roof of the warehouse, staring out across the dockyard watching Gangrel bark out instructions to the new recruits he had been given command of, his apprehension clear even from this distance; it was warranted however as Roman Torchwick was late and Roman Torchwick was never late where profits were concerned. After a further ten minutes of waiting her enhanced hearing picked up the sound of engines over head, Blake frowned as three Bullheads came into view each of them carrying shipping containers, this was a departure from the plan, Gangrel stepped forwards as the aircraft landed and a ramp deployed from one of them revealing Roman Torchwick puffing a cigar  
"Good evening Mister Slate, I would say it's been too long since we last saw each other but honestly…." Roman trailed off, his tone mocking  
"Yeah I suppose your nose has only just healed" Romans' face contorted to a look of pure loathing as he made his way down the ramp, Gangrel continued "And what the fuck is this supposed to be? I was told you were bringing a freighter"  
"And I was told I'd be dealing with a Faunus with breasts, easier to look at than yourself" Roman retorted "I have a freighter but considering the way things went south for your organisation yesterday I'm being cautious, the ship stays out at sea and the bullheads will bring the cargo over in segments"  
"We'll be here all fucking night" Gangrel spat before nodding at the aircraft "Juniors hired help piloting those?" the dust thief shook his head  
"No some more people from your group, I was told specifically not to bring people from the Black Bear Syndicate here"  
"Smart choice, they're even less welcome than you are" the Faunus growled "Let's make a start then shall we?" as the White Fang initiates below moved towards the aircraft and their respective containers pushing pallet jacks and driving small forklift trucks Blake silently made her way from the roof, Gangrels' instruction also serving as the signal to begin her role; hitting the ground in a crouch she sprang forwards towards Gangrel and Roman, as Gangrel turned to face her she leapt into the air and launched a flying kick to his chest sending him to the ground as she sprung from him to Roman punching the redhead in the cheek with enough force to sending him rolling across the floor, the White Fang agents rushed to attack her unsheathing an assortment of simple knives, hammers and other household items in place of proper weapons before halting as Blake withdrew her sword and pointed it at Gangrels neck, seeing him wink at her from behind his mask she began  
"Brothers and sisters of the white fang, I am captain Shadow-cat Belladonna" she paused at the sound of her former title "Lay down your weapons and nobody needs to get hurt, allying the cause with human criminals like this will do nothing but hurt everyone" she looked around and saw that a few of those surrounding her seemed to consider it for a moment until a blow to the temple made her see stars; recovering she realised that Roman had recovered and attacked her from behind, his cane being what had hit her  
"I would dazzle you with a clever one-liner but you just pissed me off" at that Roman raised his cane and fired a projectile from it's base, Blake leapt out of the way and looked on in horror as the screaming rocket flew into the warehouse and exploded, igniting the dust already stored there.

Ruby had patrolled the streets of Vale, venturing further out from the city centre as night had fallen in the desperate hope of seeing Blakes' signature bow somewhere in the faceless masses of the thinning crowds to no avail, she had heard nothing from either of her other team-mates either but she steadfastly refused to give up  
"Ruby" a voice called out to her, turning to see the source her hopes were shattered as fast as they could form when she was greeted by the orange haired girl they had met yesterday  
"Hey Penny" she sighed "What are you doing here?" the girl gave her a broad grin  
"I was just exploring Vale, I'm new to the kingdom" Ruby gave small smile  
"At this time of night you'd be better off exploring with Yang she knows all the bars and clubs" Penny cocked her head to the side in a confused expression  
"We do not comprehend the organic fascination of self-poisoning, auditory damage and sexually transmitted diseases….Anyway what are you doing out this late" Ruby scoffed at her newest friends' comment before answering  
"Looking for Blake"  
"Ah, your Faunus friend?"  
"Wait how did you know?" Ruby asked startled  
"Her bow was clearly hiding cat ears" Penny said simply  
"Right" Ruby said slowly "Anyway, we got into a bit of a fight yesterday after you left and we haven't see her since. I have to ask, but you were saying some pretty harsh stuff yesterday….do you have a problem with Faunus?" Penny shook her head enthusiastically  
"Freedom is the right of all sentient beings. I fully support Faunus equality, I am opposed to the methods the White Fang use. Would you like me to help you search for your missing friend?" Ruby decided a second pair of eyes couldn't hurt  
"Sure"  
"Sensation-" Penny was cut off by an explosion close by sending a pillar of black smoke into the sky, Ruby groaned  
"I think we both know that's where Blake's going to be" Penny looked at the pillar of smoke for a moment before nodding  
"There is a high statistical probability of death by gunshot. A punch to the face is also likely….let's go"

Gangrel picked himself up from the floor to see that almost everything in the immediate vicinity was in flames, Romans' mishap having caused a chain reaction of Dust explosions that had torn the warehouses asunder from the inside, burning debris littered the ground and his ears were still ringing from the blast, shaking his head in an attempt to clear it he looked around and staggered towards the three bullheads' the first of the craft, the one that Roman had arrived in had lost its' entire left wing and engine and was currently resting on its' right side, looking around he saw many of the White Fang initiates he had been entrusted to lead rising to their feet dazed  
"Everyone who can stand, pick the injured up and get on the bullhe-" he was cut of as a red streak impacted with his chest, showering petals in its' wake which caught flame as the landed on the smouldering wreckage littering the ground, the assault sent him crashing through a mercifully empty shipping container, managing to stand Gangrel drew his weapons before his attacker pursued him and swept his blades in a low arc as they neared, Ruby rose hit nearest container with a resounding clang, Gangrel re-sheathed his weapons and lifted his mask to reveal his face and picked the girl up  
"Ruby it's me" she swung a punch at his face  
"I know it's you I just didn't want to believe that you're in the White Fang" the Bear Faunus growled in irritation  
"I'm undercover. Blake is here fighting Torchwick somewhere, I cant give myself away. Get. Blake. Out" seeing comprehension dawn on the girls face he let her go and she sped off in search of her ally, Gangrel head back towards the aircraft, picking up an operative with a wounded leg and helping him walk as he barked out orders  
"Everyone on those two Bullheads now! Anyone who can walk help someone who can't! I want wheels up inside of ninety seconds! Head to the freighter!"  
"Sir" the wounded Fang pulled on Gangrels' sleeve "Two of our team ran to help Roman deal with the intruder" Gangrel cursed loudly  
"I'll get them and Roman out, tell the pilots not to wait for me"

Blake was being forced onto the defensive by Roman Torchwick, who had more skill than most people would give him credit for and a pair of gung-ho initiates whose obvious lack of Aura left Blake pulling her punches when dealing with them when the sound of the Bullheads rising into the air caught her attention long enough for Roman to fire his weapon into her stomach and send her sailing back, before running in the direction of the aircraft waving his arms motioning for them to wait for him, in the seconds it took the White Fang members to decide if they should follow Roman or try to bring Blake in alive a figure emerged from the flames and smoke around them; petite with green eyes that seemed to glow in the darkness, the White Fang realised that someone was behind them too late the first one making an attempt to stab Penny in the stomach which was casually knocked aside before she picked the young man up by the head, his mask cracking under the pressure before slamming him into the nearest shipping container with a sickening crunch before turning to the second and fixing him with a cold glare  
"Your move, creep" The Fang dropped his weapon to the ground and ran, rather than give chase Penny stepped towards Blake and helped her to her feet  
"Come with me if you want to live"

Gangrel Saw Roman approaching him flapping his arms around like an idiot having abandoned his accomplices to their fate, his enhanced senses letting him see how the situation had unfolded, the newcomer knocking one out and letting the other run; stalking towards Roman Gangrel withdrew a small blade from his pocket, the same one he used to carve notches into his own armour after hunting Grimm  
"These kids just keep getting weirder man!" the thief exclaimed as the two of them met, equidistant from Blakes' current position and where the aircraft had previously been "Come on Slate time to go, teleport us out of here" Gangrel gave him a cruel smirk and there was a fraction of a second where Romans' eyes indicated he knew what was about to happen before it did, Gangrel lashed out with the small blade stabbing the thief twice in the thigh and a third time in the stomach leaving him to collapse to the floor; the wounds wouldn't be fatal, Roman had some Aura after all, but they would ensure that he was incapacitated long enough for the authorities to find him  
"Sorry Rome" Gangrel sneered "Someone has to take a fall for that warehouse you just blew up and it won't be me" before turning on his heel and vanishing, leaving Roman Torchwick uttering a stream of racial slurs interspersed with howls of pain as he tried to stand on his wounded leg

Blake and Penny rushed towards to the sound of Roman Torchwick screaming obscenities, Blake silencing him with a kick to the side of the head that knocked him unconscious, seconds later Ruby appeared propelled by her Semblance  
"Blake, Penny you're okay" she gasped  
"Yeah" Blake wheezed, still winded from her fight "And we've got Torchwick" Penny stared seemingly into space, following her gaze Blake realized she was staring at the second of the two retreating Bullheads' more specifically the figure crouching on its' outer hull  
"Target acquired" the small girl intoned, withdrawing weapons from a back mounted storage compartment that seemed far too small to contain the collection of swords that she was now somehow controlling  
"It's too late, they got away" Ruby told her, Penny ignored this and took a knee, her weapons reconfiguring themselves before hovering in front of her and rotating, an eerie green light forming in the centre, Blake realized too late what was going to happen  
"Penny no!" she screamed as the girl launched her attack, a burst of green light screaming like a firework as it travelled towards the aircraft Gangrel was currently travelling on and striking the shipping container full of dust still attached to its' underside, the resultant explosion ripping the vehicle apart and sending it careening into the sea in several burning pieces

 **Authors Notes:**

And that ladies and gents, is how you cliffhanger  
I'll admit Weiss was tricky to write in this chapter, in canon her response to Blakes' past in the episode _Black and White_ was "I've decided I don't care" it makes trying to figure out her thought process a little tricky  
Weiss and Ruby know at least part of what's going on now, Yang doesn't yet.  
Penny may seem a little ruthless, but remember her blowing the aircraft out of the sky is canon I just refuse to believe that nobody was hurt (Also more classic quotes)  
A slight change I made to the White Fang operation at the docks is that in canon Roman seemed to be the one picking up the Dust, that makes no sense to me he's the thief so I changed it so that he was the one dropping it off.  
Thank you MvDerek and Air Force Muffin for the reviews on the last chapter (Don't worry Muffin, Velvet will be back next chapter)

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	15. 15: Aftermath

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 15: Aftermath**

Blake was numb; she had been since since the docks when she watched the aircraft Gangrel was on crash into the water below, engulfed in flames the Bear Faunus she had known since he was an angry foul mouthed seven year old who was always spoiling for a fight go down with it, she couldn't even bring herself to rage and scream at Penny when the girl calmly replaced her weapons calmly stating _"Target eliminated"_ Ruby had come to her senses first and pulled them away using her Semblance as the sound of sirens grew closer, Penny had since left them cheerfully waving to them as she climbed into the back of a car with tinted windows that she had informed them was a friend of her father, the numbness had persisted when Ruby had called Yang and told her sister to meet them back at Beacon  
Which brought her to where she was now  
Standing in her dorm with Ruby behind her, Weiss and Yang stood in front of her regarding her with concerned and nervous expressions  
"Blake what's wrong?" Yang whispered, taking in her partners' ashen face, Blake tried to speak but no words came, just a strangled cry as the numbness subsided and tears finally came and she found herself enveloped in a crushing hug from Yang and began bawling into her partners shoulder.

Weiss watched Blake break down, her tears removing any possible doubt in her mind that something had gone very wrong, she looked at Ruby and saw that the younger girl wore a haunted expression  
"Ruby" she softly getting her attention "I need you to tell me what happened" Rubys' lip quivered and tears formed in her silver eyes as she managed to choke out  
"Gangrels' dead Weiss"  
"No" Weiss whispered, she refused to entertain the notion "He can't be, he must still be out there somewhere"  
"I saw it happen" Ruby looked as though she were going to be sick at the thought and ran to the bathroom, the sound of retching could be heard seconds later; Weiss moved towards Blake who was still crying silently on Yangs' shoulder while the blonde stroked her partners hair in attempt to soothe her  
"Blake, I spoke to him earlier" Weiss started apprehensively, not wanting to use Gangrels' name "He told me about what you two were doing and I'm sorry I ever doubted you, I honestly have no idea what to say but Gangrel….Gangrel was a good man" Weiss felt tears welling in her own eyes as she thought about the Bear-Faunus, behind the aggression, profanity and general tough exterior she'd seen traces of a caring man who would go to the end of Remnant for those important to him  
"What are you talking about Weiss?" Yang asked her, the blonde clearly being the last member of Team RWBY to be informed, Blake looked into her partners amethyst eyes and forced herself to stay calm for long enough to explain  
"I used to be part of the White Fang. Gangrel was still in but he was undercover giving me information and helping me disrupt their operations, He'd been left in charge of overseeing a huge shipment of Dust from Roman Torchwick at the docks tonight, the plan was to sabotage the job we were going to leave the Dust and Roman for the police to find while getting the White Fang operatives out of the way, they were just a bunch of kids most of them were on their first job"  
"What went wrong?" Yang asked hesitantly  
"Me and Penny showed up" Ruby answered, having re-entered the room "Gangrel left Roman for us and the teleported on to a Bullhead with his Semblance, Penny didn't know so, so she shot it down, there was still a container of Dust attached to it"  
"Oum" Weiss whispered, stunned, she had the most experience with dust of anyone on her team and could only imagine the fire storm that would result from what Ruby described  
"I have to go" Blake mumbled, Yang grabbing her by the upper arms and giving her a stern stare  
"No Blake. No more running" Blake shook her head to cut her off  
"That's not what I mean, there might not" she took a deep breath to steady herself "There might not be a body to identify, someone has to tell his team….Oh Oum, someone will have to tell his Dad" the Faunus made to leave the room Yang placing a hand on her shoulder  
"Then we'll go to Team GRAPs' dorm together"

Adam needed Velvet right now, needed the woman he was rapidly coming to consider his better half to help him manage the pain and grief that was consuming him after hearing reports from the members of the team at the docks who had escaped on the first aircraft, upon reaching the freighter they had sent word that the second Bullhead had been shot down by a group led by his former partner Blake Belladonna; nine members of the White Fang were unaccounted for, including his oldest friend, Gangrel Slate was currently missing presumed dead. Adam knew that he couldn't go to Velvet right now, she was here in the sprawling underground complex that was being constructed in the ruins beyond Vale, he had left her overseeing some of the logistics in an effort to covertly prepare her for a leading role in what was to come, Adam had another matter to attend to and since Velvet was unavailable to keep him calm he stalked the dimly lit corridors towards the room he was meeting his business partner in and took all of the grief he was feeling and channelled it into something more productive, pure unadulterated fury  
"I do not appreciate being summoned like a house pet human!" the target of his ire was a pair of golden eyes shrouded in darkness at the other end of the meeting room, at his words a flame appeared, conjured into being in the palm of a raven haired woman whose glowering expression was illuminated by the flames  
"Mind your tone Adam, misdirecting your anger at me is ill-advised" Adam turned on the lights of the room, refusing to let Cinder Fall use her pyrotechnics in a show of power  
"How much have you been made aware of?" Adam asked her, his tone gruff and an apology was noticeable in its' absence  
"Roman Torchwick was found wounded in the wreckage of your warehouse at the docks also found were two members of your organization, they have all been taken into police custody awaiting trial. What of the shipment Roman was entrusted with?" Adam paused for a moment, mentally reducing the amount of missing operatives to seven and inwardly smiling at Roman Torchwicks' fate  
"All but three containers were still aboard the freighter which is currently moving to offload at another site"  
"Good" Cinders' tone was still dangerous "However the fact remains that this is two failed operations on your part in as many days, how do you explain this Adam?"  
"Both instances were due to the actions of an ex-White Fang officer gone rogue, I will be prioritising tracking down her and other loose ends from now on" Adams' hand grasped the hilt of his sword as he spoke  
"See that you do" Cinder smiled "If a former agent has knowledge of our current operations it would suggest that you have a leak in your organisation somewhere, take this time to clean house, I would suggest starting with the officer who was supposed to lead tonight's….events" Adam gave a wordless growl forcing himself not to draw his weapon  
"The officer in charge of the docks tonight is loyal beyond question" he spat "All reports I've received say that he recovered as many of our assets from the docks as he could before retreating….his current status is unknown, his transport was brought down in the attack" Cinder considered this for a moment before asking  
"And what of the officer you originally intended for the job?"  
"Arrested in the wake of Operation Snowfall" Adam admitted  
"Do you think it possible that your rogue officer extracted information from Miss Motley?" Adam considered it for a moment, he didn't think Blake was capable of torture but then again he hadn't thought her capable of murdering Gangrel either  
"Uncertain but unlikely" Cinder steepled her fingers in thought before finally giving Adam a feral grin  
"Then we shall conclude this meeting with one final note, I will be bringing some of my own assets on board to fill the holes in the chain of command while you see to things within the White Fanf" Adam was startled as two people appeared seemingly from nowhere, one on either side of Cinder a dark skinned young woman with pale green hair and blood red eyes the second was a pale young man with stormy grey eyes matched by his hair  
"Meet Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai" the sound of a foot tapping the floor behind him made Adam whirl around in surprise, he was greeted with someone barely five feet in height with mismatched eyes that possessed an insane glint the girl gave Adam a mocking bow and a manic smile, her eyes never leaving his  
"And this" Cinders' smirk was evident "Is Neo….Romans' protégée, do bring her along when you move against your former agent, she has a vengeful streak that would be a shame to waste"

The public docks frequented by tourists were far enough away from the freight docks that they had been largely unaffected by what had transpired there hours earlier, even the curious spectators watching the explosions from a distance had dispersed and the police presence did not extend this far out, thus the area was deserted when the stillness of the water was broken, a single hooked blade breaching the surface and embedding itself into one of the walkways, Gangrel Slate burst from the frigid water using one of his swords to pull himself onto dry land and promptly collapsing; his snarls of frustration interrupted by coughing up seawater the Faunus forced himself back to his feet and sheathed his sword, the other had remained on his back as his left arm was currently hanging limp at his side, the shoulder dislocated. Gangrel had been on the outside of the aircraft when the dust had exploded managing to teleport to relative safety before he could be consumed by fire, his clothes were still tattered and scorched however and in addition to useless left arm his body was covered with a litany of small burns cuts and bruises that his spent Aura had yet to recover enough to attend to, if the bands of pain constricting his chest the whole time he had half swam, half floated his way here were anything to go by he had at least two broken ribs as well; withdrawing his scroll from the pocket of his waterlogged pants he was unsurprised to see the screen flickering as several error messages displayed themselves on the screen  
"Of course it's fucked, why wouldn't it be" he grumbled to nobody in particular, throwing the device back into the sea before removing the remains of his White Fang jacket and sending the garment below the waves and proceeding to limp his way towards the White Fang owned arcades he'd visited the day before, his shivering hands struggling to remove his mask as he went.

The White Fang initiate working the cash register at the arcade in the early hours of the morning assumed that they must have unwittingly annoyed someone higher up to be given this job, there were never any customers, the arcade was open twenty four hours a day strictly to facilitate any other less scrupulous dealings that went on within its' walls, that did not involve working at said cash register, before he could silently bemoan another eight hour shift without company or incident the sound of the door slamming open made them jump  
"Who's there?" the initiate called walking out from behind the register to see a hulking Faunus, over six feet and muscle bound wearing tattered clothing and clearly injured trailing muck and seawater as they staggered closer  
"Hey buddy, this ain't the hospital, I think you're in the wrong place" the Faunus responded by throwing something which the initiate caught, upon closer inspection it was a White Fang mask, but not the plain silver kind, this was the bone white and heavily personalized mask of an officer, the initiate gulped and stood to attention  
"Sir, anything I can do for you sir" the Bear-Faunus gave several hacking coughs before replying  
"Hang on" at this he walked towards the nearest wall and proceeded to put his own shoulder back in its' socket in a display that made the initiate feel ill "Right, now you can go into the back room and tell whoever's running this shift to send word to the boss, tell them Gangrel Slate is still alive. Take my mask with you" seeing Gangrel slouch against one of the machines the initiate hastily made to follow instructions  
"Anything you'd like me to get you while I'm back there commander Slate?" Gangrel thought for a second before replying  
"A taxi to Beacon, a peperoni pizza and the biggest bottle of whiskey you can find"

Squish was woken by someone pounding on the door of his teams' dormitory at a truly unholy hour, seeing Artemis and Rover glowering from their shared bed but making no effort to answer he groaned before leaping from his bunk  
"You two go put some clothes on" he instructed his team mates' seeing them head into the bathroom to get dressed he walked towards the door raising his voice so that whoever was on the other side could hear "I swear by all the shade in the world that is yet to be thrown this had better be important" opening the door revealed all four members of Team RWBY, in various states of distress foremost amongst them was Blake whose puffy red eyes were already beginning to fill with tears again  
"Squish" the Cat-Faunus began "We need to talk to your team, it's about Gangrel" with a sinking feeling of dread in his stomach Perdu ushered the girls into the dorm, as the two members of his own team made their way back into the room  
"What's going on?" Rover yawned, Blake took a shuddering breath to steady herself  
"How much do you know about Gangrels' involvement in the White Fang?" Squishs' feeling of dread impossibly managed to grow worse  
"I'm the only other person here involved in the Fang" he answered "Involved in the loosest possible sense, I joined when Gang did and all I do is occasionally steal cars and vans for jobs, even the drugs I sell are my own side job, I know Gang is pretty well connected though" Blake nodded at the answer  
"Gang knows the leadership of the White Fang through his time in care, the same way he knows me. I left the White Fang roughly six months ago and he's been helping me derail things; we both agreed that the way things are going the White Fang will only make things worse in the long run" Blake paused to wipe away fresh tears before they could fall "Tonight we were going to sabotage a Dust shipment he'd been put in charge of and capture Roman Torchwick, we managed to do that but there was an explosion, Gang-Gangrels' dead I'm sorry" her voice cracking at the last words, Yang putting a hand on her partners shoulder in attempt to calm her. Squish forced his breathing under control before he could start hyperventilating and looked at Artemis and Rover, Rovers' head was in his hands and he'd sunk onto Gangrels bunk, Artemis fixed Blake and Yang with a determined glare  
"Yang you have bike right?"  
"Yeah" the blonde asked with a puzzled expression  
"Give me the keys Blake you're coming with me, show me where it happened and I'm going to find him"  
"There might not be anything to find" Ruby mumbled from behind her sister "A full shipping container of Dust went up in flames" Squish winced but chose to cling onto what little hope remained  
"It's not the first time he's been blown up though, someone detonated the Dust rounds he had on in in the Vytal Tournament the explosion was literally in his pocket" he trailed realising how desperate he sounded  
"He's not dead" Artemis said bluntly "He can't be" as if summoned by her words the door was ripped almost from its' hinges, all present recoiling from the interruption and turning to see its' cause, looks of relief and pure joy crossed the faces of Teams' RWBY & GRAP as a battered and bruised Gangrel limped into the room drinking whiskey straight from the bottle. Ruby was the first to react, her Semblance sending her across the room in a crimson blur a split second later she was wrapped around Gangrels' upper arm, no part of her touching the floor and weeping as her emotions overcame her  
"Oh my Oum we all thought you were dead" what ever Squish had been expecting his leader to do if they saw each other again, his reaction wasn't it; he tore Ruby from his arm and hurled her across the room furious  
"Well I'm hard to kill, the six people your friend murdered tonight weren't so lucky!" turning to Blake with a look of utter loathing on his face  
"One pilot, five new recruits dead Blake, they were fucking kids! They plan was get them out safe!" Blake looked pitiable as she folded in on herself under his anger  
"I'm sorry, Penny didn't know you were undercover, she didn't know what the plan was"  
"Sorry doesn't bring people back! I've got to go to six families tomorrow and tell them that their sons and daughters aren't coming home and there aren't even bodies to bury!" Gangrels' fist impacted against the wall with enough force to leave cracks in its' surface as he lashed out  
"Get out of my sight Blake and Ruby" he fixed her with a disgusted look "Find the friend you brought with you tonight and tell them to get the fuck out of Vale because if I ever see them again I will take their fucking head as a trophy" even Yang seemed to shrink under the tirade Team RWBY slowly retreating from the dorm, Weiss casting one last concerned glance over her shoulder as she left  
"Feel better after that?" Artemis asked pointedly  
"Not really" Gangrel spat "Go back to sleep we'll talk in the morning"  
"So you're trying to bring the White Fang down?" Squish asked, Gangrel nodding slowly  
"Yeah but the plan was reel everyone in and go back to only fighting in self defence, killing people was never part of the plan" Squishs' pale yellow eyes hardened as he spoke  
"Well if you're involved I'm involved. Let me know what you need me to do" Gangrel stared at him in amazement for a few seconds  
"I don't say it enough Squish, but you are a great friend….Now if you don't mind, I've got a bottle of whiskey to finish, I want to go a few hours without thinking"

Adam closed his scroll and gave a quick glance around the corridor he was on to ensure he was truly alone before whooping for joy, the call he had just received had come by way of several proxies from the arcade, two photographs had preceded a short conversation the first being of a distinctive mask, styled to resemble the skull of an Ursa the second a still taken from a security camera feed showing the owner of said mask, a thoroughly soaked and bedraggled Gangrel Slate. The phone call had simply stated that his old friend was indeed still alive and had returned to Beacon after leaving his mask for someone to collect, Adam assumed that Gangrels' scroll was lost or broken and that was why he hadn't contacted him directly  
"Oh it was you making that noise, don't worry I won't tell anyone and ruin your image" Adam looked up and saw the smiling face of Velvet Scarlatina greeting him in the doorway of their quarters at the Mountain Glen site  
"Yeah it was" he smiled as he stepped inside depositing the small case he was carrying and removing his mask before scooping Velvet into his arms and kissing her  
"What's got you in a good mood? I heard a job went south" a guilty look crossed Adams' face at the question, there were still six dead members of his organisation to avenge, shaking the thought aside he kissed Velvets' forehead  
"It did, I just found the silver lining though, Gangrel was running that job I just got word that he made it out"  
"Is he okay?" Velvet asked panic creeping into her voice before Adam gave her a reassuring smile "He showed up to one of our shell businesses, they sent me photos to prove he's still alive; he's a bit scuffed up but it's nothing Aura can't fix in a day or two"  
"Oh thank Oum" she sighed  
"There's another silver lining as well" Adam smiled handing the case he had been carrying to Velvet "With what happened today and the plans we'll be moving forward with soon there's a lot of room for advancement for talented individuals….the kind of individual that helped me fight a Paladin for instance. Go and try on what's in this case and tell me what you think" Velvet stepped into the bedroom and a few seconds later a gasp and squeal could be heard  
"Adam this is amazing!" the Bull-Faunus in question smiled as he waited for Velvet to return, moments later she did, clad in a new outfit one designed to be a hybrid of her combat gear and a white fang uniform; Black leggings underneath white shorts, black boots with armour plating on the toe, heel and shin which had been painted a matte black, an assortment of belts around her waist and a strap across her right shoulder securing her weapon, a black tank top with a white sleeveless Jacket bearing the White Fang emblem on the collar and the back, gold armour plating adorning her shoulders and forearms, sharper than her usual set and giving her a more menacing appearance, black leather gloves covered her hands and her face was completely obscured by her new mask, bone white with narrow slits for the eyes the entire surface smooth and unadorned except for a series of engravings that had been painted black, each styled to look like stitches forming a cruel parody of the sewn together heart that was her emblem  
"So" Adam said as he took in the sight with a proud expression on his face "You like it?" Velvet then ruined the threatening image she was giving off by removing the mask and rushing forwards to embrace him  
"It's perfect, I love it, I love you" she punctuated each sentence with a kiss  
"I love you too….Captain Scarlatina"

 **Authors Notes:**

So, fifteen chapters and roughly sixty thousand words later we are done with Vol.1 thank you to everyone who has stuck with me thus far, allow me a week or so to solidify plans going forwards, the story will continue here I don't plan posting each volume under a different story.  
So to summarise: Gangrel isn't dead, just mostly dead. The plan to stop the White Fang still exists but Gangrel and Blake are not currently working with each other. Cinder just showed up and told Adam she'll be keeping a closer eye on things going forward, Roman is in prison a volume early also it's Vale police that have him and not Atlas military, Velvet just went deeper down the rabbit hole (Pun intended)

Thank you to the people who reviewed the last chapter:  
Air Force Muffin, the action will only be getting more intense from here on out as well as canon there are some seeds I've sown that are yet to grow  
MangaReader88, I have no response to your typed screaming but I share the sentiment  
KyranKandosa, your concern while understandable is nothing to worry about, my version of Penny is no more violent than canon Penny, actually less so. As for her _acting like HK-47_ (Also congrats on being the first person to recognise one of the famous robots she's quoted thus far) the way I write Penny is that she still has a soul and is still trying to be human but under all that is an Atlas battle robot. It doesn't change anything regarding her arc up to Vol.3 massively after that I have a few ideas fermenting but let's see where Vol.4 goes first.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.  
Stick around for Vol.2


	16. 16: Reunions (Vol2)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also. WELCOME TO VOLUME TWO

 **Chapter 16: Reunions**

Gangrel and Velvet made their way to Adams' apartment, it had been almost two weeks since the incident at the docks and his subsequent brush with death all his injuries had since been healed by his Aura with the exception of a fading bruise around his left eye and cheek, as he walked he noticed Velvet casting furtive glances at him pretending not to look at his black eye; he responded in kind pretending not to notice her staring as they entered  
"So how've you been Gang?" Velvets' voice caught him by surprise, the pair had been almost silent on the airship they had shared from Beacon into Vale after their last lessons of the day, her patience with her companions current demeanour was apparently spent  
"Yeah I'm fine" he answered, not meeting her eyes as they entered the apartment block and climbed the flights of stares towards Adams' residence  
"Come on don't lie to me" she sighed "You've barely spoken to anyone in the last two weeks, I know you're upset about what happened at the docks but you did what you could" stopping the Bear-Faunus and pulling him back a few steps to face her when he made to continue as if he hadn't heard her she fixed him with a concerned stare  
"Gangrel I'm worried about you, your team are worried about you, Adam is worried about you; Oum even those first years you were training are worried about you I've seen them staring after you at lunch looking like someone kicked their puppy when you don't go and sit with them" he rolled his eyes giving her a frustrated sigh  
"Don't worry about me, I'm the one that didn't die remember"  
"Yeah and you've spent the last two weeks trying to kill yourself with alcohol poisoning if what Artemis tells me is anything to go by, this isn't helping Gang you need to talk to someone….I'm just putting it out there that you're not on your own, you've got people who want to help" Gangrel took a deep breath silently cursing Artemis for acting like the mother he had no clue how to deal with, Weiss for big blue puppy dog eyes and Velvet for her Oum-damned persistence  
"Look Velvet" he forced out through clenched teeth "I'm not fine but I will be, because I have to be. That's all that matters" he knocked on Adams' door that they had reached while talking, Adam unlocking the door and letting them in, giving Velvet a brief hug and kiss on the lips before turning to Gangrel and giving him a brief 'Bro-Hug'  
"Oum it's good to see you in person" Adam murmured to his old friend, his Lower Atlesian accent returning for a moment before the Bull-Faunus regained his self control  
"Everyone's worrying about me, nobody needs to" Gangrel griped as he made his way to the sofa, Adam gave him a quick once over  
"Nice new outfit" nodding to Gangrels combat attire, it had been modified, a new pair of black pants and boots, the armour plating more visible due to being on the outside of the garments rather than integrated with it a form fitting white t-shirt under his chest armour replacing the old black tank top  
"The old suit got ruined in the crash" the Bear-Faunus said simply  
"And the fact you can say that completely calm is why I worry about you" Adam gave a sound that was a mixture of a sigh and a chuckle as he sat down on a chair opposite Gangrel, Velvet making herself comfortable on his lap  
"So anyway" Gangrel cut him off "I'm assuming you've got a job for me and I'm not just here to prove I'm still breathing?"  
"It's nothing too major, but it'll be a good chance for Velvet to handle an operation in the field" Gangrel did a quick double take upon hearing that looking to the Rabbit Faunus  
"You're an officer now?" she gave him a broad smile  
"Yep, Adam gave me my new mask a couple weeks ago"  
"Anyway" Adam continued the job is pretty simple there's an anti Faunus group called 'Sapient Prime' holding a protest right in the centre of Vale tomorrow, there's a group of Faunus who are going to stage a peaceful counter protest" Gangrel interrupted him with a derisive snort  
"My thoughts exactly" Adam sighed "But the fact remains they share the same goals as us so Velvet will be taking a small team to watch from the rooftops if things turn violent and provide a security detail for when the police fail to do there jobs, I want you to be there I'd suggest against either of you taking your weapons they're too distinctive to use in a crowd in broad daylight" Gangrel thought for a few moments  
"I'm bringing Squish"  
"Why" Adam ground out "He can't go anywhere without causing an incident"  
"Exactly" Gangrel reasoned "It's Velvets' first time leading, no offence Thumper, those protesters probably won't have any idea how to defend themselves and if it does go off script Squish is the perfect person to cause a distraction and get themselves out while the rest of us take care of things" Adam considered it for a moment  
"Fine, but keep him where you can see him" Gangrel gave a reassuring gesture to show he understood  
"Anyway" Gangrel rose from the sofa "I only came to hear what the job is, you two clearly want to be left alone, I'll head back to Beacon. Velvet I'll see you tomorrow" leaving the apartment he became aware that Adam had followed him into the hallway  
"It was Blake that nearly killed you wasn't it?" the Bull-Faunus looked murderous at the thought of his former partner  
"No" Gangrel shook his head "Blake got the drop on us, started trying to give a speech to the newbies, Roman tried to take her out and ended up blowing the dust so I gave the order to clear out, I don't know who it was that shot us down but it wasn't anyone on Blakes team" Adam looked troubled by the information  
"Did you get a good look at them?"  
"Not especially" Gangrel lied "Small and ginger, showed up out of nowhere and wiped the floor with Roman and the two newbies dumb enough to follow him"  
"Something needs to be done about Blake, she can't be left to cause problems for us" Adam looked at Gangrel seemingly seeking his friends advice  
"Do you already have something set up?"  
"No" Adam admitted  
"Then don't bother" Gangrel said bluntly "we don't need another fuck up like Snowfall. Word at Beacon is that the Atlas students will be coming this time next week, that means they'll have a military presence with them"  
"What about Blake?"  
"What's the time scale for this big operation that you and your business partners are planning?" Gangrel didn't expect Adam to reveal the full plan to him  
"The end of the Tournament" Adam told him, Gangrel thought for a moment  
"Move what you can to that site out of town you were at, keep the businesses running for the cash flow and deal with Blake after the tournament" Adam gave a nod  
"I'll trust you on this one Gang….Are you okay with not being the one in charge tomorrow?" the Bear-Faunus laughed at the question  
"To be honest after the last job I'm glad"

Velvet watched from the roof of one of the buildings surrounding the town square, a holdover from when Vale had been much smaller than the kingdom it was now, with a mixture of sorrow and disgusted anger growing within her as she watched the anti Faunus rally below, catching glimpses of signs bearing slogans such as _'The Kingdoms are for Humans' 'Send Faunus Back' 'Have 'em neutered'_ and a plethora of others so openly vile and racist Velvet could not believe anyone was proud enough of their own bigotry to carry them in public, the counter protest was slowly making it's way down one of the roads leading towards the square and would be there within minutes  
"One full magazine from Breaker and the whole party stops" Squish mused from his position next to her, Gangrel watched from the other side his face mirroring her own feelings, the three of them dressed in nondescript black clothing unremarkable except for their masks, other groups of White Fang members were positioned on the rooftops nearby ready to spring into action if needed  
"We're here to keep people safe, not cause a bloodbath" Velvet warned him "Did you actually bring Breaker, me and Gangrel were told not to bring our own weapons?" the reptilian gave her a wide smile  
"Breaker doesn't stand out as much, assault rifles are more common than you'd think and none of the modifications make it super flashy, besides if I use my Semblance as well it'll be fine"  
"Did you pick up what I asked for?" Gangrel interrupted, addressing Squish, whose smile grew even wider as he reached into the duffel bag he was carrying his own weapon in for the job and withdrawing a baseball bat that had a collection of nails hammered into its' surface and was wrapped in a layer of barbed wire  
"What the hell is that?" Velvet exclaimed  
"Skull-Fucker" Gangrel said fondly, taking the weapon and giving it an experimental swing "It's what I used to use before I made my swords"  
"Use it where?" Velvet asked, unsure of whether she wanted to hear the answer  
"When I first came to Vale I ended up joining the Kennel Mob one of the local gangs, it's where I met Squish actually this was a present from the gang leader before he went to prison" Velvet shook her head in disbelief  
"Do I even want to know how many people you've used that thing on?"  
"Probably not" Gangrel chuckled  
"We might have a problem here" Squish called the two of them turning their attention back to him, looking below they could see the two protest groups coming into each others view, chants and shouts of abuse starting up between them; what had caught the smaller Hunters' attention however was a Faunus rapidly pushing his way through the crowds seemingly determined to get as close to the rally as possible when his intent became clear  
"What the fuck is this idiot doing" Gangrel groaned as the gangly Rabbit-Faunus set fire to a soaked rag inside of a bottle and hurled the Molotov cocktail into the crowd, Velvet watched as both sides of the protest lunged at each other having been provided the justification they had been seeking, the meagre police presence at the rally being proven insufficient within seconds, Velvets' eyes never left the individual who had initiated the violent, her face ashen as she turned to Gangrel and Squish  
"We need to grab the one that threw the Molotov, that's my little brother!"

Flax Scarlatina ran furiously from the scene, the reality of what he'd done having been made painfully apparent as the protests devolved into violence; the thirteen year old was currently suffering from a blinding pain in his jaw caused by a glass bottle having been shattered against it, he was also fairly sure that his nose had been broken in the scuffle with the two members of Sapient Prime that had managed to grab him. Sprinting down the first alleyway he saw he let out a series of breathless curses as he realised it was a dead end, turning to head back the way he had come he saw that the two people he had been running from had managed to catch up with him and now had him cornered as they advanced down the alleyway, the one who had punched him in the face was reasonably tall, and had the look of someone who worked out but only to be seen doing so, the skin-tight tank top he was wearing large arms with tribal tattoos around the biceps offset by a pair of disproportionately skinny legs left visible by the knee length shorts he was wearing, the other still holding the jagged edges of the broken bottle was slightly taller than his friend but nowhere near as jacked, grey sweatpants and a black hoodie covering his skinny physique  
"Well you're fucked now aren't ya little man?" the one with the makeshift blade sneered, Flax forcing himself not to whimper in fear as he retreated until his back was against the wall, before the two thugs could reach him two things happened; firstly a Rabbit Faunus in a White Fang mask dropped from the roof of one of the buildings forming the alleyway landing between himself and his attackers before springing into action against the one in the tank top, a single punch to the temple sending him to the floor unconscious, the other turned to run as a second Faunus in a White Fang mask appeared behind him seemingly from nowhere wielding a baseball bat which was immediately swung at its' targets' knees as the Faunus growled something that sounded like _"Hello again"_ bludgeoning the human after he had fallen to the floor each hit making Flax jump as the impact gave a jarring thud  
"For Oum Sake Gang he's out cold, stop before you kill him!" Flax stared at the Rabbit Faunus in confusion, he knew that voice

Velvet looked at her injured brother both concerned for his safety and utterly furious at his apparent stupidity, removing her mask she approached him looking at his bruised face  
"How's your cheek?" she asked softly  
"Not too bad" he grinned wiping the blood from his nose, recoiling back as Velvet suddenly slapped him across the other cheek  
"How about that one! What the hell were you thinking Flax?" her voice raising with each word  
"I wanted to help! I'm sick of hearing all these racist groups talk about us like we're animals on the news, they've got supporters at my school, all the peaceful protests were getting nothing done!" the boy raged  
"And running out and attacking first like that makes it worse!" Velvet shouted back, astounded that her brother didn't see his mistake  
"You can't talk, you're in the White Fang!" she had no response to that, Gangrel apparently did as he stepped forwards  
"Yeah we're in the Fang, which means we can point out every fucking mistake you just made" Flax stepped forwards as if he had a hope of facing down the Bear-Faunus  
"Who the hell are you?" Gangrel laughed at the boys' question  
"I'm one of the people who just stopped you from getting shanked, so come on kid what was your plan?"  
"I wanted to help" Flax mumbled as he wiped away some more of the blood that still slowly trickled from his nose  
"So with that in mind you run right to the front of the crowd where everyone on the other side can see your face, that you're not even covering, and throw a fucking Molotov into a crowd. No concrete end goal, no backup, no way out planned and when you did get grabbed you put up absolutely no fucking fight; yeah well done kid you clearly helped" Gangrels tone turned mocking at the last few words  
"I had to do something" Flax mumbled, Velvet made to give him a long list of reasons why should stay at home and do precisely nothing before Gangrel sighed  
"I can appreciate that kid, but you fucked up and fuck ups get people killed, take it from someone who knows" he held the bat up to show Flax, blood staining the rusty nails and wire that had been worked into the weapon "Take a good look at this, really look at it and tell me if you think you've got the stomach to leave a weapon looking like this after you're done with it?" Flax paled  
"I-I don't know"  
"Then stay out of the fucking way until you're sure kid, 'cos you've done more harm than good. You nearly got yourself killed, all the racist kids in your school have got something new to talk about now and don't ever forget that every Faunus who got hurt today, that's on you" Flax looked utterly defeated until Gangrel continued, pushing his bat into the younger boys hand "But, the day you are sure find your way to a White Fang meet up and bring that bat with you; you've got heart kid you're just inexperienced, really, really inexperienced"  
"Gang can we talk for a second" Velvet didn't wait for a reply as she pulled Gangrel a few paces before furiously whispering  
"What the actual fuck are you doing?"  
"Well I'm not as good with kids as Rover is, but I think I might be saving your little brothers' life in the long run" he shot back  
"By telling him to sign up to the White Fang?"  
"Yeah, because he knows you're in it now" Gangrel explained "Telling him do as we say not as we do won't help him, he'll just go and do more dumb shit like he did today; makes more sense to let him join and be able to keep an eye on him"  
"Gangrel I swear if he joins and anything happens to him…."  
"It won't" Gangrel interrupted "You're the boss's girlfriend, if anyone organising a job knows he's your little brother they wouldn't dare bring him along if he'd be at risk, if he signs up now he'll probably just get a weekend job at the arcade by the docks or something" Velvet bit her lip considering that for a few moments  
"Fine, I've got to get him home before I head back to Adams'"  
"No problem, Squish and the others will be wrapping up by now. Regardless of who started the fight we did what we came here to do, your first mission was a success Thumper, congrats"

Gangrel and Squish had just left the air-ship back to Beacon after depositing their White Fang masks and changing back into their regular clothes at one of the organisations' legal front businesses and were making their way from the academies personal docking station to the campus itself, the smaller Faunus still running on adrenaline from the protest turned riot  
"Seriously though Gang" he cackled "You missed out, you and Velvet got one each me and the others were dropping racists left right and centre"  
"And now it's gonna be on the news that the Faunus attacked first and the White Fang are going to get the blame for the whole thing" Gangrel countered  
"Exactly" Squish laughed "All those Faunus saw that we stepped in and pulled them out when the police just gave up"  
"So we've got another batch of bright eyed fucking idealists with nothing to actually contribute" Gangrel growled out  
"Come on man, today was fun you used to enjoy causing some havoc on a weekend" Gangrel looked his partner and for a split second saw the irresponsible idiot that Adam always warned him Perdu was  
"Yeah and then people started getting killed" the Bear-Faunus growled "The Fang's not the same any more, that's the whole point what me and Blake were doing" the conversation came to a halt as they entered the gates of Beacon and saw a blonde teen with White Armour strapped over his clothes heading towards  
"Hey Gang, Squish"  
"Hey Jay" Gangrel greeted Jaune with a fistbump that left the blonde trying to mask his wince  
"Haven't spoken to you much lately, I spoke to Victoria today she asked how you are I told her your fine" Gangrel nodded  
"Thanks kid"  
"Hey, did you hear they're meant to be throwing a massive dance before the start of the festival for all the students from the four academies, organised by students as well"  
"Nice" Squish grinned, clearly already thinking of the opportunities it would afford him  
"Cool, you taking Pyrrha?" Gangrel asked, causing Jaune to sputter  
"P-Pyrrha? No why would you think that?" Gangrel and Squish shared a look  
"Is he being serious right now?" the smaller Faunus asked  
"Are you two not a thing?" Gangrel asked  
"No what makes you think we are?" Gangrel just stated open mouthed at Jaunes' question  
"Seriously almost every time you two hang out with us she ends up wearing your jacket"  
"She's from Mistral, Vale's not as warm"  
"I've seen her wearing your t-shirt down to breakfast on a weekend before"  
"She spilt a drink on her pyjamas the night before" Gangrel struggled to process just how oblivious Jaune was until he saw someone else approaching them  
"Squish, I can't deal with this take Jaune somewhere and talk sense into him….if that doesn't work shoot him until he gets smarter" Gangrel turned to face the newcomer as Jaune was dragged away by a cackling Squish  
"Hey Gangrel, how've you been?" Weiss she asked him nervously, before taking a second glance at him, noticing his bruised eye "Oh my Oum who did that to your face" Gangrel gave an irritated growl  
"Two of those kids at the docks were brothers, their Dad took a swing at me when I gave him the news that both of his sons died on a job I was running. Didn't feel right using Aura to heal it, like I was just wiping the memory away" Gangrel watched as a pair of sapphire eyes widened  
"So what are you doing out here?" Gangrel asked, Weiss gave him a weak smile  
"Ruby managed to turn the whole hall into a food fight" Gangrel gave a small chuckle before Weiss continued "I've been looking for you as well, I need your help; or more specifically Blake and Ruby do"  
"Not interested" Gangrel said flatly, Weiss halting him as he made to leave  
"Rubys' been having nightmares, waking up screaming and crying; she won't talk to any of us but we all know it's about what happened to you; talk to her Gangrel, please" Gangrel silently cursed as she gave him a pleading look, he could not say no to those eyes  
"Rover's better with kids, I'll get him to bring it up if that doesn't help then I'll talk to her, what does Blake want"  
"Thank you Gangrel, it means a lot to me. Blake is barely talking to any of us, but we think that whatever you and her were doing to counter the White Fang she's trying to go it alone"  
"So she's going to get more people killed and you're not talking her out of it?" Gangrel snapped  
"We've tried, she's not listening" Weiss's voice took on a pleading edge "That's why I need you to talk to her, you understand this better than any of us" Gangrel took one look at her eyes and a deep breath to steady himself  
"Stop it, stop what you're doing right now"  
"What?" Weiss sounded genuinely confused  
"I will talk to Blake, if only to drill into that thick skull of hers to stay out the way, just please stop giving me those looks with your big gorgeous blue puppy dog eyes" Weiss laughed and gave him a brief hug  
"Thank you and I know I can't relate to a lot of what you're going through right now but if you need someone to talk to I'll always be available to listen" as she left Gangrel watched remembering what Blake had said about him watching the way Weiss's hips moved as he replayed the conversation in his head, stopping dead when he realised something _Did I just tell her she has gorgeous eyes? Fuck!_

 **Authors Notes:**

Welcome back, was it all you hoped for?  
I was going to wait a week before making a start on Vol. 2, but I sat down and wrote this in a couple hours and I didn't want to keep it unreleased

This is what some other characters were doing when Ruby was confusing nerds everywhere when they tried to work out the speed she would have to be travelling to do what she did in the food fight.  
So to summarise: Gangrel is not over what happened at the end of Vol.1 (Also yes I gave him a Vol.2 outfit variant, 'cos all the important characters get one) he and Blake are not on speaking terms but Weiss is attempting to fix that in an ironic twist on their first meeting.

Also I'm not even attempting to be subtle any more, I ship Weiss x Gangrel, I did not plan for this when I first conceived the story but to quote the esteemed Miss Valkyrie _"THIS IS HAPPENING!"_ also, I'm naming the ship _'Polar Bear'  
_ Velvet took control of here first mission and we caught up with a background character we haven't seen since Chapter 04 the two racists from the very first chapter.  
Adam is getting a little bit more murder-happy in regards to Blake but Gangrel is so far managing to talk something resembling sense to him

Thank you to Air Force Muffin and Kinnix Wolf for their reviews on the last chapter, and everyone who followed, favourited and reviewed over the course of Volume one

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	17. 17: Plans And Arrivals

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 17: Plans And Arrivals**

"Anyone who calls that an escort for students is an idiot, they brought the fucking Flag Ship this is an invasion" Gangrel seethed from his position in the crowds assembled outside Beacon, the transports carrying students from the Atlas Academy offloading their passengers while gargantuan battle ships prowled the sky above, one in particular having caught Gangrels' attention the _Friedenswatcher,_ a colossal mass of bristling armaments and the personal ship of the commander of the Atlesian Military  
"Little paranoid Gang, don't you think?" Rover asked, earned himself an irritated glare  
"Really, look at the amount of students Atlas has sent then look at the amount of ships, what's on the rest of the ships if it's not students?" the Bear-Faunus knew that Atlas would be providing some of the security for the festival but was stunned by the display of power he was witnessing, even Squish had been silenced, the reptilian looking at the fleet overhead uneasily as if he were unsure how to react to one of his conspiracy theories being proven correct  
"Well they're here now" Artemis sighed giving Gangrel a stern look "Try not to do anything stupid involving them" her tone clearly implying _White Fang jobs or otherwise  
_ "Anyway" Rover brought their attention back to things that were happening on the ground "See anybody you recognise Gang?" Gangrel scanned the assembled Atlesian students, their white and grey uniforms designed to mimic the officers in the Atlesian army that many of them would go on to become as they marched towards Beacon, armed soldiers flanking them  
"Not yet" he shook his head "And another thing, why do they need that many soldiers to guard trainee Hunters, the soldiers are weakest people in that group"  
"They're to stop us running off and winning the tournament before it even starts" Gangrel whipped around at the jibe, his team following suit, Gangrel restrained himself from punching the newcomer in the throat upon seeing their face  
"Coal you cunt, you couldn't fight your way out of a wet paper bag" the dark skinned teen looked over his sunglasses that were a clear Departure from uniform at the Faunus, eyes twinkling  
"Gang, you're not still sour about my mum arresting you are you?" Gangrel snorted  
"Depends, is she still sour about all the times she couldn't catch me?" this gained a small chuckle from those assembled before Gangrel realized he needed to make introductions "Right team, this is Flynt, his dad runs a Dust shop in _Bergwerk-Teef_ the next town over in Lower Atlas from where I used to live, almost makes up for the fact his mum's a cop. Flynt, these are my team, Rover, Squish and Artemis….call her Missy she hates it" Flynt shook each of their hands in turn as he spoke  
"Used to, my Dads' shop is closing down, all the Dust robberies are pushing insurance prices up and the SDC are offering no assistance to anyone they can't buy out; Dad isn't gonna sell his business just to keep working their taking orders from people in his own house" Flynt sighed before looking around, before tapping another student in an Atlas uniform on the shoulder Team GRAP noticing a cat like tail as she turned around to face them  
"Hey Flynt, what's up? I'm just looking round, how is Vale so warm at this time of year it's already snowing back home" words shot out of the Cat-Faunus at a near impossible rate as she circled around the group facing backwards, her uniforms boots having been replaced with roller blades a pair of electric blue nunchaku were visible having been tucked under her belt, Flynt gave an amused shake of the head  
"And this ray of radiation sickness inducing sunshine is my partner, Neon" the girl in question gave a bright smile at the introduction, her cat like nose wrinkling as she did so  
"You're friends with Flynt? Awesome we'll have to party sometime" as he heard those words Gangrel silently decided that _Neon and Yang must never meet under any circumstances._ Before the conversation could go any further, Gangrel was knocked to the side as someone barged past him knocking Artemis aside as well the intruder addressed the Atlas students  
"Coal, explain why you and your partner are not in formation with the rest of the students and why you are yet again not wearing proper uniform" Flynt and Neon snapped to attention  
"Sir we took the opportunity to scout ahead when I recognised someone I know is native to Atlas in the crowd" the newcomer looked sceptical  
"So what you mean to tell me Coal is that you broke ranks to talk to an old friend" Flynt had the decency to look ashamed when he was obviously caught  
"Yes General Ironwood"  
"If you'd have asked in advance I would have given permission, as it is you didn't the two of you catch up with the rest of the students. We'll discuss this further later" the General made to leave and was stopped by an enraged Rover  
"Who the fuck do you think you are? You either apologise to my girl or I'm gonna leave bloodstains on your pretty white coat" Gangrel sighed as Artemis pulled her boyfriend and partner away from the situation trying to calm him down Squish leaving with them and casually checking Neon out as he went, Rover and Artemis may not have been as quick to resort to threats and violence as Gangrel and Squish were but woe betide anyone that harmed or offended one of them in front of the other  
"Ingrate" General Ironwood said simply Gangrel turned to face the man, who seemed completely unconcerned with the hulking Faunus glowering down at him  
"Listen prick" he snarled, Ironwood raised a single eyebrow  
"You are aware you are talking to..."  
"I'm from Atlas I know who you are" Gangrel spat "I know that to be as high up in Atlas Military as you are you were definitely born in upper Atlas, so you're probably a racist cunt. Understand I don't care how big of a fleet you brought, touch one of my team again I will bury you"

Blake along with the rest of her team watched the students intending to represent Atlas arrive, their attention being caught by the small confrontation between General Ironwood and Team GRAP seemingly something to do with Flynt Coal, Blake knew Flynt by sight but he always more Gangrels' friend than hers  
"He's being a momma bear" Yang chuckled  
"You've already used that pun Yang" Blake sighed, the blonde frowned  
"Well it's true, he looks like he wants to rip that guy apart with his….Bear hands"  
"That's honestly not even any better" Blake forced herself not to laugh at the pun, she refused to encourage her partner  
"Don't get….Catty with me" Blake gave a groan as Yang playfully elbowed her in the ribs  
"I think the issue here is that Gangrel is about to cause an international incident" Weiss fumed as she stomped towards Gangrel, who was now the last member of his team remaining in the courtyard, the rest of Team RWBY followed the heiress, Blake and Yang giving each other knowing looks, Ruby seemingly oblivious to her partners growing crush on the Bear-Faunus  
"Gangrel did you really just try and square up to an Atlesian General?" Weiss hissed furiously, Gangrel gave her an amused smirk  
"Did you just say 'square up'"  
"I-well I….Oh shut up you dolt!" she snapped trying to hide her blush  
"I thought I was her dolt" Ruby complained, to which Gangrel chuckled  
"See Weiss, now look I have to worry about Ruby assassinating me, I might not be so lucky next time" Rubys' face paled at the joke, Blake knew about her nightmares as did the rest of the team and shot Gangrel a look that tried to convey that he wasn't helping, ignoring her but seeing Rubys' face he continued "Ruby I'm fine, I've been fine for weeks"  
"You're not though, you weren't the same when you came back" Gangrel fought to keep his pained expression as unnoticeable as he could  
"Nobody comes back the same from a job gone wrong, it's how you know you're not a monster, it means you still feel things"  
"Come on Ruby let's go" Yang said suddenly pulling Ruby towards Beacon, turning and silently mouthing a thank you over her shoulder as she went, Gangrel turned her attention to Weiss  
"She's your dolt then?" his face split into an evil grin as he spoke "So I take it the kid's still crushing over everyone?" Weiss's face turned the colour of the girl in questions' cape at the question, Blake answered for her  
"Oh yeah, totally obvious crushes on Weiss, Pyrrha, Jaune for reasons nobody can understand, Rover and Artemis, Coco, a couple of the older students whose names I don't even think she knows and that student from Shade with the beanie hat and the sniper rifle….It's actually adorable to watch"  
"I can't believe you said that" Weiss was still mortified at Gangrel "Joking about her killing you in your sleep while she's still traumatised by thinking she saw you die, are you insane or just cruel?"  
"I'm no good with kids, I have a pretty direct approach to dealing with fear; ask Blake" Weiss turned to her expectantly, Blake glowered at Gangrel for making her tell the story  
"I used to be scared of Grimm under the bed. I told Gang and my room mate at the orphanage about it so they hid a giant stuffed toy Grimm under my bed and the next time I had a nightmare they pulled it out and set it on fire" Weiss's hand shot to her mouth as Gangrel simply shrugged, Blake had expected her to take objection to his approach instead the heiress began giggling uncontrollably  
"Oh my Oum that's hilarious, Blake Belladonna scared of Grimm under the bed and really Gangrel you set it on fire? In her bedroom? I know you meant well but you really are a dolt"  
"Nobody will believe you if you tell them Weiss" Blake chuckled "Hey can me and Gangrel talk alone for a minute"  
"Of course" Weiss said, Blake watched Gangrel stare after her as she left  
"You keep sending her away when we try and talk" the Bear-Faunus sighed  
"We need to talk, you can have a crush on Weiss later" Blake dead-panned, choosing not to tell Gangrel to take the same advice he had given her preferring to let him figure it out himself  
"Yeah we do" Gangrel agreed "You don't seem to take hints so I'll make it simple; stop what you're doing, leave the White Fang to me you've done enough"  
"I can't just ignore the White Fang" Blake whispered furiously "We both know that they're planning something big and we don't know when and where it will be"  
"The tournament" Gangrel said simply "Whatever the plan is it will be at the tournament, probably either the opening match or the final, I don't have details but Adam is moving assets to a site outside of the walls as a response to what we did at the docks. You've done enough, you're finished with this"  
"No I'm not!" Blake raged, turning on her heel to leave "I'm stopping them Gang, with or without your help"

Blake was in her dorm her team gathered around her and a determined look in her eyes  
"I promised to all of you that I'd let you know if something was wrong" she started, steeling herself "So here goes, Gangrel doesn't want me involved in his efforts to destabilize the White Fang, but I can't stand by and do nothing, I need your help"  
"Ozpin told us not to worry" Yang started  
"Well I'm worrying, they're preparing to do something at tournament and it needs to be stopped!"  
"Can't we tell the Professors?" the blonde looked concerned for friend  
"The tournament goes on for weeks, we don't know if they plan to attack the crowds or use the event as a distraction for something else; we need more information vague warnings won't help anyone"  
"Okay, you're right" Yang sighed "I'll help because you're my partner and you're not getting into trouble without me; but I need you to tell me Blake why is this so personal to you, it's more than the fact you were in the White Fang" Blake paused for a moment, before forcing herself to continue she needed her team to trust her and that meant no more secrets, reaching onto her bunk she pulled a single folded photo out of her pillowcase and showed it to her team as they gathered around her  
"I've seen this picture before" Weiss said softly, Blake gave her a surprised look "Those are the kids you grew up with at the orphanage, Gangrel has a copy….wasn't she your first crush" Weiss pointed Luna out in the picture, Blake gave a small smile  
"Yes she was and everyone in this picture has a copy of it, I didn't know Gang had shown it to you though" she pointed Adam out "That is Adam Taurus, Luna was my first crush but he was my first love he started out so kind and passionate about trying to save the world, over the years he got more angry and bitter until I didn't recognise him any more, he became a monster and now he's the current leader of the White Fang" there was a silence in the room, the look on Weiss's face making it clear that Gangrel hadn't told her that part, Yangs' arm found its' way around Blakes' waist in a gesture the Faunus didn't want to raise her hopes by reading into, the Blonde was always physical with her emotions, Ruby however ruined the moment by breaking down into a fit of manic laughter  
"Oh my Oum" she gasped out struggling to catch her breath "The leader of the White Fang looked like a redhead Spike from Cowboy Bebop" Yang and Weiss stared at the girls continued hysterics nonplussed, Blake looked back to the picture of a scrawnier Adam with much messier hair then back to Ruby, a genuine smile finding its way onto her face  
"How, in all my years of knowing him did I never make that joke to his face?"  
"You know what she's talking about?" Weiss asked  
"Yeah Blake chuckled "Ruby I didn't know you watched anime, have you se-"  
"NO!" Yang shouted cutting Blake off "I refuse to let you show her any anime that contains a weapon, Ruby will try and make it and we can never have a repeat of the 'Caster Gun' incident"  
"Oh come on!" Ruby whined "I offered to make the bumblebee a yellow version of the bike from Akira"  
"You keep away from my bike Ruby!"  
"Aren't we getting a little off topic?" Weiss interjected, Yang laughed  
"Yeah but sometimes we need to, we can't be doom and gloom all the time" Blake gave Yang a little hug, wrapping her arm around her waist as Yang was yet remove her own arm from its previous position  
"So what do you need us to do?" Ruby asked, Blake thought for a moment  
"At the moment Ruby you're the only person I don't have a distinct job in mind for, Weiss would you able to get SDC documents? We can try and figure out what their goals are easier if we can get a list of what they're targeting" the Heiress nodded  
"I can but I'll have to go to the CCT tower and use a secure channel to get it" Ruby turned to Weiss  
"I'll come with you, I've never actually been to the tower" Blake turned to Yang  
"You said you've been to Juniors' cub before" Yang gave a wicked grin, clearly reminiscing about the events of that night as Blake continued "Junior is the head of the Black Bear Syndicate, the White Fang are his main competition if anyone outside of the Fang knows about their actions it'll be him, see what you can get out of him"  
"Where are you going?" Yang asked  
"I'm going to infiltrate a White Fang recruitment drive and find out what I can" Weiss gave Blake a concerned look  
"Blake I know I can't stop you from doing this, but I think you should talk to Gangrel again"  
"He won't listen" Blake sighed  
"He won't involve you in his plans" Weiss countered "But you should at least make him aware of ours, he won't sell you out to this Adam character and if we don't co-ordinate our plans to some extent it could end up being a disaster" Blake gave a sow nod, realizing the truth of her team-mates words  
"That and you just want us to hang around with him more" Yang teased "The Ice Queen is thawing out" and then the bickering started again.

Velvet made her way down the halls at a brisk walk, her face ashen and Fox trailing behind her  
"Coco is going to go nuts when she hears you went over her head like this" her team mate warned her  
"She can be pissed off and alive then, it's better than being unprepared and ending up dead" Velvet said through clenched teeth, Fox was a great friend and she greatly appreciated him being the glue that held Team CFVY together, but his reluctance to outright disagree with Coco was going to come back to haunt him eventually  
"Come on Velvet, you're being a little over dramatic" Fox tried to keep his tone light and joking, it was clear though that even he didn't believe it, Velvet rolled her eyes and rounded on him  
"No Fox I'm not, look I'm going to talk to Gangrel either come with me and back me up on this or go back to the dorm" Fox ran a hand through his hair in stress  
"I'll come with you but when Coco asks this was your idea"  
"Fine" Velvet sighed as she turned and continued to head towards her destination, turning a corner and walking straight into someone, staggering back and looking up she was greeted by a pair of students wearing the all black uniforms with white armbands distinguishing them as students of Haven Academy in Mistral, one of them a girl with dark skin, deep crimson eyes and pale green hair the other tall and gaunt with stormy grey eyes and hair, looking at them Velvet was sure she recognised them  
"Hey" the girl said, smirking as she rubbed her head where she'd collided with Velvet "We got lost finding the way back to our dorm" Velvet thought for a moment  
"You're in the wrong block, you want to be on the other side of campus far end of the east wing I think the whole top floor is first year dorms you'll be under them somewhere"  
"Thanks I'll see around, I'm Em by the way and this is Merc" the green haired girl smiled brightly, giving Velvet a wink as she passed her suddenly Velvet knew where she knew the pair from.

Gangrel opened the door to see Velvet and Fox standing on the other side both looking nervous  
"What's up?" he asked Velvet held up her scroll to show him a typed message _Adams' business partner has two people inside Beacon, posing as Haven students_ Gangrel frowned as he read the message letting the pair of second years in  
"We got our first assignment for the year" Fox sighed "Coco wants to do it without help, Velvet got nervous and decided to come to you" that got Gangrels attention  
"What's the job?" Velvet incredibly paled even further as she spoke  
"They gave us a few weeks to prepare, we're not heading out just yet but the Atlas convoy detected a Grimm spawning pool on the flight over and weren't cleared to engage while carrying students, Team CFVY have been selected to be part of the group that clears it out. We're going to the front line" Gangrel took a deep breath and let out a string of curses before calming himself  
"You did right coming to me, you want to talk to everyone you can think of with experience, Team GRAP went to the front lines last year but it wasn't a spawning pool….Fuck, I can't sugar coat it for you Thumper, this will be bad go see Adam before you leave, introduce him to your family or something, get everything said that needs to be said"  
"That bad?" Fox squeaked out gob smacked  
"Yeah" Gangrel muttered "They give you a couple weeks notice before they send you to the front specifically so you've got time to either drop out or get your affairs in order and say your goodbyes because there is a very real chance that not everyone is coming back"

 **Authors Notes:**

A few things look like they're going the same way as canon here, but don't be fooled (Sinister laughing in the background)  
I'm giving Velvet an insanely difficult mission, that haunted "There were just….so many" in Vol.2 will be earned.  
I'm explaining Gangrel and Flynt knowing each other by saying that Flynt lived in the next town over and because his Dads Dust shop isn't SDC owned a lot of Faunus shop there as part of a boycott against the SDC.  
Old Atlesian, I'm still using German for place names in Atlas, and I'm still using google translate so as always my apologies to anyone whose language I am butchering " _Bergwerk-Teef"_ being "Mine deep" and General Ironwoods' flagship " _Friedenswatcher"_ being "Peace keeper"  
I have no plans to ship Ruby with anyone in this story, she is under age, but she is till a teenager who has a thing for Hunters and Huntresses so I had the joke about her crushing on literally everyone and the slight jealousy  
The Ruby and Blake both watching anime thing has been a headcanon of mine for a while and working it into this story made me laugh  
The story about Gangrel and the Grimm soft toy is actually based on something I did when my little brother was scared of monsters under the bed, I threw the soft toy out the window though.  
Thanks you HalFF for reviewing the last chapter

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	18. 18: Cold Fury

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 18: Cold Fury**

Weiss smiled to herself as she heard Ruby give an audible gasp upon approaching the CCT tower, the younger huntress's love of advanced technology seemingly expanded beyond just weapons  
"I can't get over how big the transmit tower looks up close" she said in an awed whisper  
"You should see the original one in Atlas" Weiss grinned "It was built right after the Great War so the technology was a lot bulkier, it's been renovated and upgraded since but the tower itself still dwarfs any of the other three" Ruby rolled her eyes  
"Look I'm Weiss I'm rich and I know facts" she teased in a singsong imitation of her partners' cultured Upper Atlesian accent  
"Well I thought it would prudent for you to know something about the marvel of technology that you're almost drooling over" Weiss teased back, her habit of becoming more verbose when attempting to insult people making itself known again, Ruby chuckled as she withdrew her scroll from her pocket and decided to place Weiss in a headlock without warning  
"We need to get a picture here! Selfie!"  
"That has to be behaviour you learned from Yang" Weiss griped as she extricated herself from her partner, who proceeded to drop her scroll, sending the device skidding across the floor as she made to retrieve the device it was picked up and handed back to her by a passer by  
"Here, you dropped th-" the speaker trailed off as the two of them recognised each other  
"Ruby?"  
"PENNY!" engulfing the green eyed girl in a hug Ruby began the usual high velocity rambling that signified her excitement, Weiss half expected to see rose petals materialising as she doubted anyone could talk that fast without activating their Semblance  
"Where have you been? We haven't seen you since the docks? I thought you were competing in the tournament but I didn't see you when any of the other academies brought their students? It's been weeks! Is everything okay?" Penny gently removed Ruby from her, eyes darting around nervously  
"I can't talk right now I've got to go" Weiss turned to Ruby who was staring confusedly after Penny  
"Go catch up with her and find out what that was about, we may as well meet up back at the dorm" Ruby nodded and sped off to catch up with the evasive ginger.

Entering the pristine technological cave of wonders that was the interior of the CCT Weiss was greeted by a holographically projected receptionist, Weiss was never actually told if the projection was being sent from an office somewhere and she was speaking to an actual person or if the entire display was the manifestation of a computer system  
"Welcome to the Beacon Cross Continental Transmit centre, how may I help you?" the voice sounded mechanical and distorted  
"I need to use a secure channel to contact the Schnee Dust Company world headquarters in Atlas" the holographic face took a moment to process the request  
"Take the elevator to the top floor, you will need to place your scroll in the terminal to verify your identity before we can complete your request as the Schnee Dust Company secure channels are restricted"  
"Thank you" Weiss nodded as she made towards the nearest elevator following the instructions, the hologram flickering out of existence behind her. As she rode the elevator and made her way towards a free terminal upon being granted access she forced her face into the fake smile she always used when dealing with her fathers employees, positioning herself comfortably and connecting her scroll to the terminal she waited for a few seconds before the screen flickered into life  
"Thank you for calling the SDC Atlas….Oh! Miss Schnee, how may I help you?" the receptionist brightened considerably when she realised who she was speaking to "Would you like me to patch me through to your fathers' office? I think your sister may be here somewhere as well" Weiss shook her head  
"No thank you I was actually wondering if you can transfer some files to my scroll, hence the use of the secure channel; I've compiled a list of what I require" the receptionists eyes visibly widened at the list of requisitions she received  
"I see, I can certainly send you these Miss Schnee but I have to ask what they're for; just in case your father asks me you understand, there are some sensitive documents on this list" Weiss nodded in understanding and gave her the excuse she had prepared in anticipation  
"Huntresses are often called to help the authorities bring criminals to justice in addition to our duties fighting the Grimm, these documents are for a project involving profiling criminals and predicting their future targets, I will see to it nothing potentially hazardous finds it's way into classwork"  
"Very well" the receptionist sighed, knowing full well that she could not refuse the heiress "The data is being transferred now but it will take a few minutes due to the sheer volume, are you sure you wouldn't like me to patch you through to your father while you wait?"  
"Did you say Winter was available?" Weiss asked, the receptionist smiled  
"I'll patch you through to her now Miss Schnee" as the screen darkened for a few moments Weiss's fake smile was rapidly replaced by a more genuine one that reached her sapphire eyes as the image of her older sister appeared on the screen, her face an emotionless mask betrayed only by the way her eyes brightened upon seeing her younger sibling  
"Sister, you honour me with the time you spend on me" Winter her gave a traditional greeting, one that had sounded much more elegant in its' original Old Atlesian form but persisted in high society regardless  
"Winter" Weiss chuckled "I'm on a secure line" at those words the older Schnee gave a relieved sigh as she visibly sagged in her seat  
"Oh thank merciful Oum" Winters' hatred of the stoic mask she routinely had to display in her capacities as a member of the Schnee family and a Special Operative of the Atlesian Military was well known to Weiss  
"So how have you been baby sister?" Winter asked, a smile tugging at her lips as some trace of emotion found its' way into her voice  
"Splendid" Weiss beamed "I'm one of the top ranking students in my sparring class the rest of my studies are going wonderfully too"  
"Weiss you boob!" Winter cut her off "I didn't ask about your rankings, I asked how you've been. Are you eating properly? Are you getting enough sleep? Are you making friends? I've been worried about you" Weiss gave a guilty frown  
"I'm sorry I haven't been in touch Winter, I didn't leave on the best of terms with Father and I wasn't sure how to approach you, but to answer your questions yes I'm eating and sleeping properly, my team-mates have arranged the dorm so that I've actually got those bunk beds we always wanted" she considered her next words for a moment "As for friends, my team are….Unconventional you could say, but I wouldn't have them any other way, I've also made friends with some of the other students in my year and some of the older students" Winters' smile grew at the news  
"That's great to hear and don't be dense Weiss you know well enough that Father and I have our own issues, you can always come to me. I feared for the worst when I heard about the White Fang attacks recently, two incidents in the same weekend is almost unheard of in Atlas, I'm glad we're assisting Vale with security for the festival" Weiss quickly debated with herself, need for secrecy eventually losing out to the need to reassure her sister as she assured herself that Winter could be trusted  
"Would you like to hear a secret Winter?" she asked sweetly, Winter leaned forward and gave a conspiratorial wink  
"The juicier the better"  
"I was present for one of those attacks, it was actually an attempt to capture me" Winters' face darkened Weiss continued talking before her sister could start raging at the situation "My entire team was present for the attack as was an older student, no serious injuries were sustained and the result was twenty White Fang members were arrested; one of them a high ranking officer"  
"While I can't say I approve" Winter forced out though clenched teeth "I can't honestly say I'm not impressed either; that said I will still endeavour to be present for some part of the Vytal Festival solely to root out the rest of the White Fang in Vale and express to them my _extreme_ displeasure" Weiss gave a small chuckle at her sisters' protective streak before Winter suddenly changed subject  
"So you've mentioned older students a couple times and something occurs to me, boys….Have any of the hoards of males that no doubt seek your attention been deemed worthy of a second glance?" Weiss felt her face redden at her the line of questioning which was all the confirmation Winter needed "Apparently so, tell me more"  
"Well there is somebody who has caught my attention" Weiss mumbled, looking anywhere but at the screen "I'm unsure whether I should pursue them though; it would only make things more difficult with Father as he would certainly disapprove of them" Winter gave a disapproving scoff  
"Weiss there is not one suitor on Remnant that Father would actually approve of, including the ones he hand picks himself; although now I am intrigued, I mean it's obvious that they aren't Atlesian which is one strike against them in Fathers estimations, what else do they have to worry about? Are they of a lower social class? Are they Faunus? Are they even male? You have no reason to fear my judgement so tell me"  
"They actually are Atlesian" Weiss began tentatively "They're from Rauchigschmiede originally" Winter took a few moments to process the information  
"So poor and probably a Faunus then" she smiled seeing Weiss nod in agreement "My advice is to take a chance with it anyway, it can't possibly offend Fathers' sensibilities more than my own scandal did"  
"You mean your fling with a Faunus from your unit?" Weiss asked, Winter had lost her position as the heir to the SDC after the relationship was brought to the attention of the public by the media, Weiss had been too young at the time to know all the details  
"A Fox-Faunus by the name of Lily White" Winter answered, a distant expression her face "She was the engineer attached to the ship I was stationed on and Oum was she something special, honestly if the fallout from that damned article hadn't been so bad I might have turned down my promotion to Specialist to stay with her" Weiss gave a broad smile, she rarely ever saw her sister get sentimental  
"Thank you Winter I'll keep that in mind, but I have to get going"  
"Hopefully I'll see you soon, I'll give Father your regards he'll be less upset if he knows you at least spoke to one of us, goodbye for now Weiss" with that the screen faded to black and a still grinning Weiss left the terminal and exited the CCT building, stopping as she saw a familiar figure  
"Hey Gangrel" she called the Bear-Faunus turning at the sound of her voice and using his Semblance to reach her rather than walk through the small crowd of people that were a constant feature of the Transmit Tower  
"Hey Weiss, what are you doing here?" he asked  
"Just calling home, spoke to my sister" Weiss thought for a moment, remembering what she had told Blake about needing to co-ordinate their own efforts with Team GRAP "I requested some information from the SDC as well, so we can form an idea of the White Fangs intentions' based on their targets" Gangrel gave an annoyed growl  
"So Blake still wants to do this then?" Weiss nodded  
"Of course she fucking does" Gangrel muttered under his breath before turning to Weiss "That's actually not a bad idea, but even a full breakdown of SDC targets won't be everything, they've made a couple hits on Atlas Military shipments as well as other stuff"  
"Gangrel, do you know about any upcoming White Fang recruitment drives?" Weiss asked him nervously "Blake is going to try and find one to infiltrate it"  
"There's going to be one tonight that anti Faunus rally turning messy brought in a lot of potential new recruits, I'm not telling you where, Blake can find it herself I'll send Squish to look out for her" Gangrel sighed, seemingly resigned to Team RWBYs blatant disregard for his wishes "So if you're here where's Ruby? I did say I'd talk to her about what happened at the docks" Weiss pointed in the direction she had followed Penny  
"She went that way, I'm not sure exactly where but you can probably catch up with her"  
"Thanks, I'll see you at Beacon" Gangrel turned and left, Weiss suddenly realised that Ruby would mostly likely still be with Penny when the Bear-Faunus caught up with her, her stomach plummeted as she realised the mistake that she had just made.

Ruby waited on the corner of the street Penny had told her she would meet her on after nervously telling her that she couldn't talk where they were as it was unsafe, leaning against the small railing separating the outside dining area of a small café from the rest of the streets, eyes scanning the passing pedestrians in search of her friend until a hand on her shoulder made her whirl around and come face to face with the girl in question  
"Ruby, come on walk with me" Ruby did as she was asked following Penny through the near empty late afternoon streets  
"Where are we going Penny?"  
"No fixed destination in mind, I'm just less likely to be spotted if I'm not in one place for extended periods of time"  
"What is going on? Who are you running from?" Ruby asked, disturbed by the answer  
"Not running, merely evading" Penny corrected "After the incident at the docks I was confined to my quarters after General Ironwood deemed my safety to be at risk"  
"Oh" Ruby said simply, she didn't know what she had expected but that was not it "So you're just nervous about being caught ignoring a restriction that was put on you?" Penny gave a jerky shrug  
"Atlas Academy is operated by the military, General Ironwood is not just my Headmaster, he's also my Commanding Officer if I get caught I could be in serious trouble, he also knows my father, having to explain the situation to him is something I'd rather avoid if possible"  
"Believe me I know the feeling" Ruby sniggered before turning serious "How much do you know about what happened at the docks Penny?"  
"Only what happened, everyone is Atlas has heard of the White Fang of course"  
"You haven't looked into any of their activities in Vale?" Ruby asked, Penny shook her head  
"I haven't, I was picked up by a friend of my Father after we left the docks, his company is involved in the preparations for the festival, I was told by both my father and general Ironwood not to get involved any further; there's something I have to ask you Ruby"  
"Go ahead"  
"Why was your Faunus friend so upset that I brought down that transport? It seems that she had conflicting loyalties"  
"No that's not it at all!" Ruby unintentionally raising her voice at Penny's observations, lowering her voice she continued "This is one of the things I needed to tell you, the White Fang member that took down Roman Torchwick and jumped onto the ship you shot down, he's not really in the White Fang, he's an undercover Hunter and a friend of ours" Green eyes widened in horror  
"I killed a civilian?"  
"No" Ruby squeezed Penny's hand with her own to reassure her "Gangrels' alive, he was pretty hurt and very, very angry but he says he's okay" Ruby didn't believe the Bear-Faunus when he told her that but there was reason to worry Penny unnecessarily  
"But still, I shot an ally; friendly fire is an unacceptable error" they continued walking, Penny's eyes downcast until they turned onto the next street and were halted by the sight of a crowd gathered around a recently assembled stage, upon which a hologram of General Ironwood paced, flanked by…  
"Introducing the smarter, sleeker and admittedly a little less scary, Atlesian Knight Model A-150" the robots behind him actually posing as they were introduced  
"We shouldn't be here" Penny nudged Ruby to get her attention seeing that she was distracted by the latest technological marvel being displayed, some sort of battle suit "Ruby, maybe I should go somewhere else" before she could say anything else Penny was flung back, the back of her head impacting against a wall Ruby turned to see Penny being held by the throat, feet dangling in the air  
"I agree, let's go somewhere else" Gangrel slate Snarled before vanishing into thin air.

Gangrel reappeared in the furthest alleyway from the display he could see and hurled his captive against the wall with as much force as he could muster, Penny cracked the brick upon impacting against it and dented a steel bin that she ricocheted off of before hitting the floor; Gangrel staggered back wiping blood from his nose and taking several deep breaths to stop himself from retching, taking passengers always had side effects but he had somehow drastically miscalculated how much hauling the ginger would tax him. Penny rose to her hands and knees then struggled to stand until Gangrels' boot collided with her midsection, sending her skidding across the floor  
"Stay down" he spat, confused that the girl was not at the very least gasping for breath after the attack, instead she managed to bring herself to one knee, using the wall to support her as she returned to her feet eyes fixed on Gangrel  
"Gangrel" she wheezed out, the Faunus smiled cruelly, _she does feel pain then_ he thought to himself "I didn't know you were a double agent during the operation at the docks, but we are allies, there is no need for us to fight each other" Gangrels' grin grew wider and more savage as he drew his swords  
"I can think of six very good reasons" he snarled, leaving Penny to look confused as he teleported behind her and swung his left blade in a backhanded swing at the base of her spine, her Aura stopping the attack from decapitating her, his right catching her in the stomach and throwing her back into the wall as she staggered forwards attempting to turn and face him, rotating the sword in his left hand Gangrel made to embed the hooked end of the sword in his left hand into Penny's neck, Penny recovering faster than Gangrel thought possible weaving under his attack her left hand grabbing his left shoulder as she swept his legs out from under him and sending him spinning into the wall, this was followed up by her right elbow connecting with his throat with a considerable amount of force, their positions reversed Penny looked at Gangrel, her eyes pleading  
"I don't want to do this"  
"Why? You got a problem killing people who fight back!" he roared as he brought both of his swords up in an attack that Penny easily ducked under  
"You leave me no choice then" Penny sighed, drawing two of her own swords and assuming a stance that mirrored Gangrels' own as the blades unfolded.

Ruby moved from alley to alley in a state of shock still struggling to comprehend what she had witnessed, Gangrel violently abducting Penny; suddenly the sound of metal clanging against metal reached her ears and she sprinted towards the source of the noise only to be brought to a stunned halt by what she saw; Gangrel and Penny locked in combat both with weapons drawn, Ruby was stunned both Gangrels' sheer ferocity which far exceeded even his fight with Weiss but more so by just how good Penny was, the green eyed girl blocked, countered or evaded every attack levelled against her despite Gangrel making liberal use of his Semblance, Penny switched between several distinctly different fighting styles with awe-inspiring speed and fluidity gradually forcing Gangrel back towards the mouth of the alleyway, Ruby quickly came to her senses  
"Stop! Both of you!" Gangrel turned to see who had spoken, a mistake Penny capitalised on by placing one foot on his chest and using him as a platform from which to perform a back-flip, her other foot catching the Faunus squarely in the chin sending him crashing into the middle of the street; directly into the path of an oncoming truck, Ruby gasped in shock and horror as Penny calmly walked out into the road placing one foot on Gangrels' chest as she replaced the sword in her left hand while pointing the one in her right at his throat, the truck sped towards them and Ruby knew that it wouldn't slow down in time and that even with her speed she couldn't save both of them; what happened next defied all logic and left Ruby stood with her mouth agape, Penny's left hand shot out and hit the front of the truck a split second before it would have mowed them both down, and the truck stopped metal twisting against Penny's hand.  
"This is over Gangrel" Penny stated calmly, sword still aimed at his jugular "Resistance is futile" with that she removed her foot from his chest and stepped away from the truck, removing her hand from the grill and seeing, seemingly for the first time the damage she had inflicted on the vehicle, it's front half completely crumpled and smoking she walked briskly away from the growing crowd making eye contact with no one  
"Penny wait!" Ruby called as she ran to catch up with her "Penny, are you okay?" the girl nodded sheepishly not meeting her gaze, worrying Ruby further  
"Penny you just stopped a truck with your bare hands, show me" she grabbed Penny's wrist and held her hand up  
"What on Remnant" she mouthed slowly to herself upon seeing that the palm of Penny's had been skinned but there was no blood or flesh beneath it, there was a gunmetal grey plate covered in what looked to the technically inclined Huntress as pressure sensors, the majority of which were broken the occasional spark spitting from Penny's ruined hand  
"Is-Is this a prosthetic?" Ruby asked, Penny shook her head  
"No Ruby, I'm not a real girl"  
"What?" Penny looked close to tears as she looked Ruby in the eyes  
"You're my friend right, you promise you're my friend?"  
"Of course I am, I just don't understand"  
"Most girls are born but I was made" Penny started "This is an infiltration unit, meant to move among organics without detection. I'm the worlds first synthetic life form capable of generating an Aura; I'm not really a person"  
"Well that explains why you're so damn hard to kill, an Atlesian fucking super soldier" Ruby and Penny both turned to see that Gangrel had caught up with them, his expression was still murderous but his swords had been replaced in their sheaths on his back  
"Gangrel she's not like those robots that Ironwood was showing off" Ruby panicked getting between the two of them  
"No, she's worse" the Faunus snarled "You heard her, she's an infiltration unit with an Aura; If you have a soul then you're not just a machine, you could have chose not to be a murderer but you didn't" the last part aimed at Penny who silently looked to Ruby for assistance  
"Gangrel go" Ruby implored him "Please, you're not helping here" the Faunus gave Penny one last hate-filled look  
"Helping would be dismantling her, keep this abomination away from me Ruby" with that he vanished, leaving smoke in his wake  
"Ignore him" Ruby told Penny firmly "He's angry right now but he'll see sense, I'll make him if I have to"  
"He's right" Penny mumbled dejected  
"About one thing and one thing only" Penny looked at Ruby quizzically "If you have an Aura then you have a soul and if you have a soul then you're not just a machine" Ruby pulled Penny into a hug  
"You're taking this extraordinarily well"  
"You think just because you've got nuts and bolts instead of squishy guts makes you any less real than me?" Penny hugged ruby back, the enthusiasm of the embrace constricting the scythe-wielders' chest  
"You're the best friend anyone could have!" Penny became aware of the fact that Ruby couldn't breath when she noticed the girls' constant slapping of her back  
"Oh s-sorry Ruby" Penny stammered "I think some more of my sensors were damaged than just the ones' in my hand when I fought with your friend. My sense of touch is less than it should be, I'm going to have to report back now for repair; the General will not be happy"  
"But hopefully we'll see each other soon right?" Ruby asked  
"I hope so, I'll be at the tournament at the very least" the girls gave each other a brief hug before Ruby departed in the direction of Beacon; Penny withdrawing her scroll and saw that it was still functional despite the crack in the casing from where she had impacted against a wall and made a call to a number that no other trainee in the Academy had, General Ironwoods' personal line  
"General Ironwood this is Penny….I'm aware and I apologise for the inconvenience sir….Yes sir I'll reactivate the GPS tracking unit now sir….I require medical attention sir...May I ask a question General Ironwood?….Does this unit have a soul?

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay this one was a struggle to write, especially the second half  
My version of Winter is a little OOC, basically the way I see it is the Winter we see on the show is the professional front she puts on in public and when commanding troops, with people she knows Winter is much more relaxed and is a pretty cool big sister.  
The Fox-Faunus Engineer/Mechanic called Lily is a reference to the Youtube Channel Lost Pause and their Mascot; I'm using a fling with her to explain why Winter is a) not judgemental at all towards Weiss and b) not the heir to the SDC besides being the oldest

Penny was tricky to write in this chapter because she got more screen time than it takes to show up quote someone, be awesome and leave; I'm trying to make her a more fleshed out character, the way she's coming across to me as I write her is a mix of 'Socially awkward and wants to find out what being human entails' and 'rebellious teen' with ' ' thrown in when she has to defend herself or others  
Yes, she handed Gangrel his own arse  
No he won't forget it  
No my version of Penny doesn't Hiccup when she lies  
I wasn't planning on shipping Nuts & Dolts in this story but then again I wasn't planning on anything other than Adam x Velvet; look how that turned out.

Next chapter, what Yang and Blake find out in their search

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	19. 19: Underworld

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 19: Underworld**

Yang brought her bike to a skidding screeching halt, the back tire leaving a cloud of smoke and dust in its' wake as she brought the vehicle one hundred and eighty degrees before killing the engine and dismounting; she had reached her destination before any of the crowds of party goers arrived meaning that the only people who saw her display were the two door staff already stationed outside of Juniors' nightclub, a pair of identically dressed men in black suits and fedoras with red ties and tinted sunglasses despite the fact that the sun had already set, flashing the pair a wide smile as she removed her helmet Yang confidently strolled towards the entrance, one of the men heading inside the venue, presumably to alert his superior to her presence, the other stepped forward to greet Yang as she approached  
"Blondie we're closed and you're still barred after last time" the gang member gave an exasperated sigh "Come on just get back on your bike and we don't have to make a scene" Yangs' smile turned predatory  
"Hey remember how it turned out for you guys the last time I caused a scene?" she asked sweetly "I won't be long I just need to talk to Junior about a few things"  
"No can do, Junior gave everyone your picture and told us not to let you in under any circumstances" Yang actually laughed at the response  
"Aww Junior keeps pictures of me, I can't tell if that's sweet or creepy" placing a hand on the door staffs' shoulder she activated Ember Celica, the gauntlets forming around her fists and forearms, the threat plainly obvious "I'm going in that club and I'm talking to your boss, are you going to try and stop me?" the man gulped and shook his head silently before stepping aside and allowing Yang entry.

Junior had been behind the bar absent-mindedly cleaning glasses while mentally taking note of what he would need to restock on his next delivery when one of employees frantically into the nightclub  
"Boss! Boss we've got a problem!"  
"What is it?" Junior asked, his tone neutral  
"Blondie just pulled up" Junior let out a string of curses, knowing too well that the one member of staff remaining at the door would be nothing but an irritation for the blonde brawler, with a single nod of his head that every member of the Black Bear Syndicate understood he sent his organisations' not inconsequential manpower to guard the entrance, moments later Yang Xiao Long entered the club and was greeted with a collection of weapons pointed directly at her face.  
She smiled and waved  
"Hey Junior! Guess who's back" the man in question pinched the bridge of his nose in irritation, he had never met somebody with the blend of muscle, charisma and downright insanity that Yang Xiao Long possessed, seeing his men exchanging panicked glances amongst each other and quickly deciding he didn't need the expense or the headache of completely refurnishing the club yet again he ordered his thugs to stand down  
"Stop, stop nobody shoot, it'll only annoy her anyway. Blondie get over here and explain to me what you're doing in club" Yang made her way towards the bar, the crowd of armed criminals parting for her without question  
"Well I never did get that strawberry sunrise" Yang said innocently as she sat herself on one the barstools  
"And I never did get to see any I.D" Junior scoffed  
"Oh because the Black Bear Syndicate cares so much about legality" Yang smirked, a vein began throbbing in Juniors' forehead before he relented and prepared the cocktail  
"Fine, here's your drink now what do you actually want Blondie?"  
"What do you know about the White Fang?" Juniors' eyes narrowed at the question  
"They're a bunch of crazy cultist bastards with no respect for the rules of the game" he spat, Yang cocked her head in confusion  
"The rules of the game?"  
"Organised crime" Junior explained "There used to be an understanding between the various organisations in Vale, we all had our own turf and our own trades, crime was actually a lot lower than it could have been because for the most part everyone stayed out of everyone else's patch. Then the White Fang got involved, no respect at all they just started setting up shop wherever they wanted and strong-arming everyone into submission"  
"You could say they made the situation get hairy" Yang joked, Junior's expression stayed stern  
"And half of them would have took a shot at you just for that joke, so tell me Blondie why are you asking about one of the biggest crews in town? You're not exactly part of their demographic" Yang gave Junior a conspiratorial wink  
"I'm going to kick their asses" Junior needed a few seconds for that to sink in, when he was sure he had heard her correctly he let out a deep booming laugh  
"You're funny Blondie I'll give you that, when you die in the attempt I'll name a drink after you"  
"So do you know anything about what they're planning?" Yang asked, Juniors thought for a moment  
"Honestly, no. They've been surprisingly quiet recently all of their businesses still seem to be running but none of the usual stick ups and violence since that protest" Yang frowned  
"No news isn't good news, they've got something planned; what about Roman Torchwick, what can you tell me about him?"  
"That he's a fucking dead man" Junior snarled "I leant him some of my boys for a few jobs, he paid up front for the first one but he set up a tab after that; so now he's in prison I have debts unsettled a lot of my people in cuffs and no clue who he was working for so I can't tell them I want my money, even his crazy little sidekick with the weird eyes has vanished"  
"You leant him your men even though he was working with the White Fang?" Juniors' face went through several confused and enraged expressions at Yangs' question  
"You're sure about that?" Yang nodded  
"He had a freighter of stolen dust when he was caught and he gave it to them, not sold _gave_ " Junior let loose a stream of inventive curses and threats which Yang listened to with a single raised eyebrow before sniggering  
"I know right, it's almost as if someone who made a career out of stealing from people can't be trusted"  
"Like I said, there used to be rules to the game and this was definitely against them"  
"So are you going to take a shot at the White Fang?" Junior paused for a moment considering Yangs' question  
"I might have to, but honestly I wouldn't know where to start, they're a cross-continental outfit"  
"Well then" Yang smiled "How about a trade, I'll give you something in exchange for you passing on any information you find out from now on?"  
"It'll have to be something big" Yangs' smile widened  
"Oh it is"  
"Tell me and when I find out what prison they've got Torchwick in I'll be sure to have my boys get answers out of him before they put him out of my misery" Yang nodded before leaning forward and whispering  
"The head of the White Fang is called Adam Taurus and he's operating out of Vale at least until the end of the Vytal Festival" Yang and Junior both shared feral grins for a moment before Yang downed the contents of her glass which Junior proceeded to refill  
"Your drinks are on the house just don't abuse the privilege; it's a pleasure doing business Blondie"

Blake had set out from Beacon late that afternoon after classes had concluded for the day searching the less reputable parts of Vale for somewhere that fit her preconceptions of where a White Fang meeting would be held clad in an oversized nondescript coat that she would dispose of as soon as she returned to Beacon, the hilt of Gambol Shroud just visible protruding from beneath the upturned collar and her bow had been removed exposing her cat ears. After several hours of prowling through abandoned side streets she found what she was looking for, graffiti displaying three white claw marks, far enough removed from the actual logo of the White Fang to be denied by anyone questioned by the authorities but a clear sign to anyone with experience; further searching revealed a steady trickle of people heading into a factory of some sort managing to seamlessly integrate herself with the crowd she was greeted by a White Fang member who handed her a silver mask which she promptly placed over her face as she made her way down a dimly lit corridor towards the area where the rally would be taking place. Upon entering what had been a factory floor but had since been transformed into a makeshift stage with a collection of crates and banners against the far wall her eyes were drawn to three figures on stage, two of them wearing White Fang uniforms and the bone white masks of ranking officers, one was a woman with rabbit ears and a mask designed to look as if it had been stitched together that Blake didn't recognise, the second was muscular and his sleeveless shirt displayed tattoos covering his upper arms, his mask was almost all white the only colour being red detailing around the slanted eyes a chainsaw was slung over the mans' back; Blake stopped in her tracks _He's supposed to be in Vaccuo_ brought to her senses as a gangly Rabbit-Faunus who looked far too young to be there nudged her forwards Blake tried to get a better look at the third person on stage to no avail, they had been shrouded in darkness seemingly on purpose  
"Thank you all for coming" the Faunus with the chainsaw spoke, confirming Blakes' suspicions about his identity "For those of you who are joining us for the first time, I am Captain Felix Sombre of our Vaccuo operation but it is my pleasure to be here to introduce a very special comrade of ours" the previously hidden figure stepped forwards into the light and Blakes' heart stopped "Supreme Commander Taurus of the White Fang" there were cheers from every member of the White Fang who wasn't a new initiate and Blake was almost sure the Rabbit-Faunus on stage had given a wolf-whistle  
"Thank you Captain" Adams' voice was silky as he surveyed the crowd gathered before him "It truly honours me to see so many newcomers to the cause I have fought for so long. I chose to come here to meet the latest brothers and sisters of the White Fang in person after hearing that many of you were present at a peaceful protest that….devolved, tell me by show of hands how many of you did the authorities try to help?" silence reigned as not one hand was raised Adam smirked slightly "As I suspected, your intentions were noble, there was a time when the White Fang were a non-violent group I was a child at the time and even I have stories of how that failed, I and many others have been subjected to abuses and atrocities at the hands of the Humans that no child should even be able to contemplate, I intend to see to it that we are the last generation of Faunus to have to suffer; WHO'S WITH ME?" as he shouted the last words a chorus of cheers went up from the crowd, Blake watched sickened and disheartened, she was over Adam but it still pained her to see her old friend partner and lover use his considerable charisma and abilities for such destructive purposes. As the applause died down Adam continued  
"This does not mean that I'll be sending the brave men and women I see in front of me head first into a battle with those in power, each of you will be given tasks suited to your skills some of you may find yourselves simply in new employment, employment that pays better than the minimum wage zero-hours contracts that seem to be the best Faunus can get right now" a round cheers and derisive laughter for that "Any of you who feel comfortable leaving the safety of the kingdoms will get your chance to be a part of something truly spectacular though, despite our organisations public misfortunes recently we are still well on track in our plans and we have something special to show for it" a hologram flickered into life behind him, displaying a towering robot that seemed to be based on the one that she and Adam had fought on the train what seemed like a lifetime ago  
"This is the latest offering from the Atlesian Military, the AP-240 type B or to give it its' less formal name, the Paladin Battle-suit variant a version of the Atlesian Paladin that is directly controlled by a pilot instead of an AI. Unfortunately I couldn't have one here today but these are the tools I promise to anyone with the willpower and abilities to fight alongside myself and the White Fang!" the crowd went wild, Blake felt a hand on her shoulder and a voice in her ear  
"Don't turn around don't react at all. It's time to go"  
"Perdu, Squish is that you?" Blake breathed out  
"Yeah, act natural turn around and leave. Gangrel sent me to keep an eye on you, you've seen what you came to see now go" Blake reached into her pocket and made a show of checking her scroll before turning towards the exit, Squish was nowhere in sight obviously having used his Semblance to remain hidden  
"Not staying?" one of the White Fang members asked suspiciously  
"Got a call I have to answer, probably not a good idea to answer it in here" Blake replied earning a shrug in response.

Blake removed the mask and threw it in the nearest trash-can as she left, she made her way out of the winding side streets she had taken to find the rally picking up her pace as she became aware of someone following her until she turned a corner and removed the coat she had been wearing, her hand making its' way towards the hilt of Gambol Shroud as her pursuer rounded the corner  
"Hello Blake, did you really think I wouldn't recognise you?" Blake felt as if she had ice in her veins at the sound of his voice  
"Adam" she said simply, forcing her voice not to tremble "Heard you'd replaced me, thought I'd come and see" the Bull-Faunus frowned  
"I'm happy with someone else now, I want you to know that I loved you Blake and I want you to know that even if we couldn't be together I would always have accepted you back into the White Fang; but you chose to betray your people, the cause, everything. You betrayed all of us Blake when we treated you like family and I need you to know that what happens now is the result of your own actions" in a single fluid motion Adam had drawn Wilt and channelled his Semblance through the blade an arc of crimson light ripping through the space Blake had been stood a split second before and crashing into the wall of the nearest building; Blake drew her own sword and prepared for Adams' next attack the only positive she could see in this situation is that Adams' Semblance took time to build up between each use, the pair circled each other warily  
"It doesn't have to be this way Adam" Blake pleaded  
"It does, you saw to that at the docks" Adam charged forwards as he replied, Blake had to activate her Semblance several times to withstand the onslaught before a shot rang out and Adam staggered back clutching his shoulder, both Blake and Adam searched for the assailant as a second shot rang out catching the Bull-Faunus squarely in the knee his Aura taking the brunt of the force but unable to keep him from being sent to the floor, before Blake could react a golden blur that trailed sparks and arcing electricity crashed into her, lifting her from her feet.

Yang paced the dorm nervously while Weiss and Ruby watched from Weiss's bunk Gangrel leaned against a wall with an ear piece in while he watched his scroll intently  
"Missy report?….What?….Fuck, is everyone okay?….were you seen?….Good, thank Oum get back here ASAP, find Squish bring him in with you" Gangrel ended the conference call that his team had been in during the course of the mission with the exception of Squish and looked up to see a pair of amethyst eyes demanding answers  
"Don't worry, Blake is fine" Gangrel began, Yang giving a relieved sigh "She was made Adam decided to meet this batch of newbies in person and cornered her outside"  
"What happened?" all three members of Team RWBY asked simultaneously  
"Squish got her out of the building that's why he wasn't in on the team call he couldn't risk any Faunus with extra sensitive hearing noticing him, Missy took pot shots at Adam from long range to break the fight up and Rover picked Blake up; they'll be here soon Missy can find Squish even when he's invisible so she's going to pick him up" moments later a huge gust of wind nearly took the door from it's hinges and Blake and Rover were in the dorm, Blake rushing to the bathroom and ejecting the contents of her stomach, Rover removing his jacket and mask to reveal he was coated in sweat that made his shirt cling to his body and struggling to breath, doubling over he managed to gasp out  
"I'm fine, she's fine; she's just not used to my speed is all"  
"Can you get back to our dorm on you own?" Gangrel asked concerned as he let Rover steady himself against him, the Dog-Faunus nodded  
"Yeah, yeah I'm okay I just pushed myself to the limit is all"  
"Get some sleep Missy is picking Squish up now they'll be back soon, job well done" Rover picked up his discarded garments and left the dorm clutching a stitch in his side right as Blake re-entered  
"So apparently you really don't take hints" Gangrel drawled at Blake, sarcasm permeating the words "So did you find anything useful? Other than nearly learning what the business end of Adams' sword feels like" Yang gave Blake a worried glance before pulling her into a hug  
"Did he hurt you? I swear if he hurt you I'll kill him" the blonde mumbled into her partners hair, Blake pulled back and gave her a weak smile  
"Yang I'm fine"  
"Get a room kids" Gangrel growled out"  
"We've got one, you're in it" Blake shot back, causing Yang to give her partner a slightly startled look before the Cat-Faunus continued "And I've got something that's important to everyone and something that you'll appreciate"  
"Well fire away" Gangrel smirked  
"Adam has got hold of some Atlesian Military hardware, the new stuff. Paladin battle-suits"  
"Fucking hell" Gangrel snarled  
"They're not even in active service yet" Ruby added, amazed "They were literally unveiled today, how has anyone managed to steal them already?"  
"What's the other news?" Gangrel asked Blake  
"Felix is in town" Gangrel paused for a moment  
"You're sure?"  
"Awful tattoos and a chainsaw, yeah it's definitely Felix" Blake replied  
"Awesome, haven't seen him since his wedding over the summer" Gangrel laughed before turning to the other members of Team RWBY, Weiss in particular "Felix from the care home, old friend of mine and Blakes; anyway what did the rest of you find?" Weiss was the first to speak up  
"A lot of the data I got from the SDC was encrypted, and it's going to take at least a few days to go over everything" Gangrel nodded  
"Good work, let me know if you find anything interesting I might have some insight, Yang what about you?" The Blonde gave a grin  
"Junior said he's willing to pass on any information he finds out on to me, he didn't know that Roman was using his hired help to work for the White Fang and wasn't happy when he found out" Gangrel winced  
"Junior's a ruthless fucker as well, there's a reason the Black Bear Syndicate are the only outfit with any real power left after the White Fang started taking over, if he gets hold of Torchwick it won't be pretty….So what did he want in return for that information?" Yang beamed  
"I gave him Adams' name, I thought the more people trying to bring him down the better" Gangrel looked at the proud expression on Yangs' face and forced himself not to give into temptation and smash her face against a wall  
"So in order to possibly get information at some point in the future, you just gave the head of one of the most powerful crime families in Vale information on the head of his main rivals. Blake how do you live with a partner that's just as boneheaded as you are and even dumber to boot?"  
"Don't talk about Yang like that" Blake hissed dangerously the Bear-Faunus gave an annoyed grunt  
"Yang you probably just started a turf war that will no doubt affect my part of town, so help me Oum if it spills over and affects anyone I know, especially my Dad I will go to Patch and I will burn your house down just to make sure you understand why collateral damage is bad" he turned his attention to Blake "That being said apparently you can't be trusted without supervision so are we working together or not?" Blakes' amber eyes met his own and she nodded  
"Of course we are, and I'm still sorry about what happened at the docks"  
"Good there are two conditions I'm going to insist on, the first" Gangrel turned to Ruby "Your friend Penny stays out of this" Ruby sighed and nodded, knowing that it was not a battle to be fought tonight  
"Fine"  
"The second condition" Gangrel continued "There needs to be communication between all of, no more fuck ups and I tell you a job is too risky for any outside interference you stay out of it" all four members of Team RWBY begrudgingly agreed to the terms before Ruby shot up with a sudden burst of enthusiasm  
"So all in favour of becoming the youngest hunters and huntresses to single handedly bring down a corrupt organisation conspiring against the kingdom of Vale, say Aye"  
"Well I suppose it could be fun" Weiss chuckled giving Gangrel a wink from behind Rubys' back  
"Of course" Blake grinned  
"Yes!" Yang shouted before pointing at Blake "I love it when you're fiesty"  
"None of you said aye" Ruby whined getting a small chuckle from Gangrel who made to leave  
"Aye" he turned to Blake and borrowed a phrase that she'd heard from Adam prior to more missions than she cared to remember "Let's go save the world"

 **Authors Notes:**

Yang may have a reliable source of information, then again she may have goofed, only time will tell.  
The fight with the Paladin never happened because Roman is in jail which means smuggling and shipment within the White Fang has had to be reorganised, the Paladins are currently not in Vale.  
Blake and Adam had a skirmish, I wanted to try and convey that besides a pretty lethal Semblance Adam is also at least as competent as any trainee hunter, Blake is further hampered by the fact she's genuinely terrified of him; also while it was members of team GRAP that pulled Blake to safety all Adam knows is there was a sniper and someone who can move really fast, take from that what you will.  
Felix, one of the kids from the orphanage Adam, Blake and Gangrel grew up in is my background for the White Fang guy with the Chainsaw.  
Yes that was Velvet on stage, her and Blake didn't recognise each other, Blake knows Adams' new partner is at Beacon but doesn't know Velvet is in the White Fang, Velvet doesn't know Blake is a Faunus and both of them were wearing masks.  
Also the 'Gangly Rabbit Faunus' that was behind Blake in the crowd, totally a cameo from Velvets' little brother

Also Bumblebee is not canon in this story _yet_ don't worry I'm not so cheap I'd do it off screen, they like each other Blake is a hopeless romantic, Yang is very physical with her emotions, I have plans they should be fun to write

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	20. 20: Qualifiers

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 20: Qualifiers**

Pyrrha raised her shield and discreetly triggered her Semblance causing Cardins' mace to remain in place for a moment after the blow connected the impact sending jolts of pain up the larger fighters arm as he struggled to regain his balance, Pyrrha followed this up by bringing the edge of her shield crashing down into his leg just above the knee leaving him unable to stand; the crowd roared and cheered as she executed a perfect back-flip, her foot connecting with Cardins' jaw sending him skidding across the floor of the arena, as she landed she drew _Milo_ and shifted the blade into its' spear form and charged forwards with speed that commentators of the tournament scene in Mistral had spent years struggling to understand; it was a simple enough answer, her Semblance allowed her armour to move in tandem with but utterly separate from her body giving her the protection without the hindrance of its' weight. Cardin brought his arm up, telegraphing a wide swing with his mace, Pyrrhas' response was to thrust her spear forwards, jamming it between two of the ridges of the weapon and leap into the air, landing behind her opponent one hand still firmly on her weapon, using her Semblance to assist her own momentum she pulled the shaft of the spear to meet the bridge of Cardins nose, the back of the boys' head hit the floor with an audible crack as Pyrrha withdrew Milo from Cardins' own weapon twirling it as she collapsed it into its' sword form before settling on holding it in a reverse grip and standing over her opponent, poised to strike  
"Cardin Winchesters' Aura has dropped into the red, he is unable to continue. Pyrrha Nikos wins and qualifies Team JNPR to compete in the Vytal Tournament"

Gangrel was one of the members of the crowd that cheered uproariously at Pyrrhas' victory, the 'Invincible Girl' of Mistral bowed to her audience as she replaced her weapons, the Bear-Faunus saw Squish lean forwards to talk to Jaune, Teams JNPR and RWBY being seated in front of his own team  
"Oum Jaune, your girl is an absolute monster in a fight"  
"S-she's not my girl" Jaune stammered blushing  
"Keep saying dumb shit like that and you can be the next person to get one of those beatings she just handed out….I mean fuck me, Cardins' a dick but that was painful to watch" the smaller Faunus' toothy grin dispelling the notion that he actually felt any sympathy  
"I don't get why members of Team CRDL keep nominating themselves, they already qualified" Ruby asked as she watched Cardin drag himself to his feet and leave the arena complaining; his team had indeed qualified Russell Thrush beating a member of Team REDD from Vaccuo, Squish had made the joke that they would be called Team Red-shirt for the duration of their stay. Team RWBY had qualified when Ruby had shown the results of her training with Rover against one Ciel Soleil from Atlas  
"Wounded pride" Gangrel chuckled "Me and Velvet hammered them, Cardin ran from an Ursa. Coco made them suffer when she heard about them picking on Velvet, they had their spirits utterly broken and this is a chance for them to try and convince themselves they're still tough guys"  
"We have time for one last qualification match today, would anyone like to volunteer?" Professor Goodwitchs' voice cutting through the conversations the students were having amongst themselves, eventually a student stood up in the section of the stands taken up by the Haven students  
"I'll compete" the boy was pale and gaunt his outfit a mix of black and grey with gunmetal armour plating attached to his arms and legs, he had dark grey calculating eyes one of which was currently hidden by the fringe of his pale grey hair  
"Excellent, mister..." Goodwitch trailed off  
"Mercury Black, Haven first year. I want to fight her" Mercury pointed at Pyrrha, Gangrel took a second look at Mercury, then looked at the girl sat next to him and made the connection and turned to Squish  
"Get involved, cause havoc" Perdus' yellow eyes brightened at being given explicit permission to antagonise people  
"Yes boss" he chuckled before jumping up and calling over to Mercury  
"Well aren't you a sad excuse of a Hunter"  
"Excuse me?" Mercury turned to him, his voice monotone  
"You'll fight but only if its' against somebody who's literally just fought and hasn't had chance to catch their breath, that's embarrassing kid; but I'll tell you what my team's already qualified so I'll slap you around the ring for a while if you want" there were people chuckling in the crowds at Mercurys' expense now  
"Well I…." Mercury started only for Squish to cut him off by turning to Pyrrha who was still on the stage  
"Hey Nikos, you're actually from Mistral right?"  
"Yes, why?"  
"Well if this is the kind of pansy that comes out of Haven I can see why you moved, you're clearly out of their league" their was an outburst of denials and insults from the other Haven students; Mercurys' partner stood up behind him, a dark skinned girl with blood red eyes and mint green hair  
"Let's make it interesting then shall we" she smirked "Two on two match, me and Merc against the Invincible girl and….whoever you are"  
"Nikos you up for it?"  
"Okay"  
"It's settled then" Professor Goodwitch sighed shaking her head and fighting to hide a grin, seeing her students come to each others aid like that filled her with pride "Make your way down to the arena" Weiss turned to Gangrel as Squish made his way down the aisles  
"What was that about?" the Bear-Faunus leaned forwards to to ensure only Team RWBY heard what he said next  
"I heard Adams' business partner has some people inside Beacon posing as Haven students, pretty sure that's them"

Squish gave Pyrrha a wide smile as he reached the arena, the pair of them making their way to one side  
"Don't suppose you actually recognise either of these jokers from anywhere?" he asked under his breath  
"No, Sorry" she shrugged, watching Emerald and Mercury take their positions Emerald withdrawing a pair of long barrelled pistols, Mercury dropping into a stance without unveiling any weapons  
"Surely you're going to give them some trash talk" Squish laughed as he withdrew his pistol, Mercury raised an eyebrow  
"Need helping thinking of some better jokes?" he sneered, Pyrrha gave the Haven students a bright smile  
"I don't trade insults before a fight; my results speak for themselves" in her peripheral vision she could see the students in crowd leaning forward in their seats, several were placing bets. Professor Goodwitch cleared her throat  
"Begin" Squish ran forwards directly at Emerald, a barrage of gunfire filling the rapidly shortening distance between then before leaping into the air and aiming a spinning kick at her head, Emerald weaved under the attack shifting both of her weapons to their sickle form before somersaulting over his follow up leg sweep and managing to hook her blades under the collapsed form of Breaker, Squishs' secondary weapon being torn loose from its' harness and clattering across the floor as Emerald landed, the pair faced off against each other again  
"Not bad" the Faunus chuckled rolling his shoulders back  
"I'm just warming up" Emerald grinned as the two charged each other again

Pyrrha deflected Mercurys' axe kick with her shield and swept his other leg from under him rather than falling or Staggering back he managed to flip off of the shield and fire a pair of guns hidden within the armour attached to his legs directly into her chest, Pyrrha used the force of the impact to spin her body clockwise Mercury ducking as the edge of her shield was swung at the side of his head Pyrrha had position her right hand behind her back Milo shifting into its' spear form as she spun and catching Mercury in the side, forcing him back but apparently not inflicting enough pain to remove the grin from his face.

Perdu ducked under a backhanded slash from Emerald and used the opening to deliver a solid left jab to her stomach which he followed up by bringing the Karambit blade of Fixer to bare across her face, Emerald responded by simply tackling the Faunus, her arms wrapping around his as she forced him to the floor before positioning herself on top of him, knees on his upper arms pinning them down and embedded her blades in the floor of the arena choosing instead to reign punches down on Squishs' face, Squish smiled even as blows connected with his nose, this was like sparring with a weaker version Gangrel or Rover and she'd left his legs free; Squish brought both knees up hitting Emerald in the back before managing to wrap his legs around her chest and force her to the ground  
"Y'know, you're making this fight a lot more sexual than it needed to be" he jeered "I approve" Emerald managed to reach for one of her blades and shift it back to its' pistol form, shooting Squish in the chest blew them far enough apart that the both had chance to stagger back their feet, a quick glance at the screen showed that they were currently almost tied in terms of Aura

Mercury threw a spinning back kick at Pyrrhas chest which was stopped by her shield, she countered swinging her sword low, he didn't recover fast enough this time and was sent toppling to the floor, in a single fluid motion Mercury managed to both bring himself to his feet and sweep Pyrrhas legs, the Invincible girl discreetly activated her Semblance using her magnetized armour to pull her body to her feet, making it look like she had simply back-flipped; seizing the initiative once more she flung her shield at mercury who crossed his arms over his chest, using the armour on his forearms to absorb the blow as Pyrrha closed the distance she drew the ricocheting shield back onto her arm and slashed at Mercurys' face, he barely managed to sidestep the attack and wasted no time in unleashing a flurry of kicks at his opponent, trying to break the defence of the invincible girl

Emerald had forgone retrieving the second half of _The Artful Dodgers_ , continuing the match with a single blade, her downward strike at Squish was quickly countered by him catching her arm and pivoting as he stepped into her guard, almost casually throwing her over his shoulder, Emerald rose to her feet furious and charged him again, extending the blade of her weapon on its' chain as she did so, closing the distance she launched herself into the air as if to knee her opponent in the face, simultaneously throwing the two parts of her weapon forward the chain wrapping around Squishs' throat as he countered her feint, grabbing the half of her weapon that formed the barrel of the gun she retracted the chain causing it to tighten around the opponents neck as she launched a devastating kick to his ribs sending him to the floor struggling to breath, Emerald followed this up with a series of vicious punches to the back of the head  
"Is it still sexual?" she snarled in his ear  
"Depends what you're into, we'll have to talk about it after we're done here babe" Squish managed to gasp out between hits Emerald gave a roar of frustration, dragging Squish to the floor before stamping on the side of his head  
"Perdu Callows' Aura has dropped into the red, he is unable to continue"

As Mercury launched another spinning kick towards her face Pyrrha leaned back, realizing she wouldn't be able to block this attack with her shield she used her Semblance on the armour around his shin, making the slightest of changes in angle and momentum forcing Mercurys' attack to miss and the boy to stagger back trying to regain his balance, charging she shifted Milo into rifle form and blasted her opponent from his feet with a salvo before lashing out with her shield, her Semblance lending more power to the attack; Mercury who was still recovering from the gunshots was struck squarely across the face and sent skidding across the floor, seeing Pyrrha bearing down on him, spear held overhead he held up his hands  
"I forfeit" Pyrrha came skidding to a halt, lowering her weapons  
"You don't even want to try?" Mercury shook his head as he pulled himself to his feet  
"You're a world renowned fighter and a legend back in Mistral, I'll admit I was a little too eager and got in over my head" Emerald cleared her throat from behind them, Pyrrha turned to see the darker girl limping towards her with both weapons at the ready  
"I've got some fight left in me, we can finish up if you want?" Pyrrha looked at the screen at deduced that she could easily knock Emerald into the red with a single hit, turning to Professor Goodwitch she asked  
"She has already secured her teams place in the tournament regardless of Mercury forfeiting, correct?"  
"That is correct miss Nikos" Pyrrha nodded as she sheathed her weapons  
"Then I concede the match, there is little honour and beating an already exhausted opponent" the last part a clear jab at Mercury, Goodwitch smiled  
"Very charitable of you miss Nikos, well then the overall winner of this match is Emerald Sustrai. Mister Black I would suggest that next time you consider your actions before entering the ring, Miss Sustrai may not always be here to rescue you"

Emerald and Mercury were in the changing rooms after the qualifying match Mercury having waited until the two of them were alone to change, revealing his cybernetic legs at this juncture would be catastrophic; Emerald was next to him fastening the buttons off her school uniforms' shirt, any shyness or modesty regarding nudity between the pair had long since been disposed of  
"Have I told you how sexy you look as a school girl?" Emerald rolled her eyes  
"You have, I'm still burning the uniform when we leave though" smirking at her partner she continued "And at least put some effort into your flirting Merc; I _rescued_ you, it's romantic"  
"I'm never going to here the end of that am I?" he chuckled "I don't do roses and romantic walks but I might go find that Faunus and _defend your honour_ " Mercury growled out "I heard the shit he was saying" Emerald laughed  
"You say that as if I didn't just beat him black and blue myself, besides" she made a show of crossing her legs allowing the skirt of her uniform to ride up exposing more of her flesh "I thought we were just a casual thing Merc, don't tell me you're getting jealous" he glowered at her, Emeralds' response was to blow him a kiss  
"We're getting off topic, did you learn anything about your opponent?" Emerald shook her head  
"Unless trash talk is a Semblance, in which case I would bow before his mastery then no all I can say for certain is that he's good at making his small size work for him and he keeps going even when he's in a tight spot….Which is totally not an innuendo or a joke about your staying power I promise" Emerald burst out laughing unable to keep a straight face at the last part, Mercury sighed and tried to rise above the teasing  
"I make damn sure you always finish first Em" she simply shrugged her shoulders "Anyway, as for Nikos her Semblance is some form of magnetic manipulation she actually used it to reposition my attacks slightly, I had my suspicions before that though I kept getting weird feelings in my legs; it wasn't phantom limb for once I think it was some form of interference with the systems"  
"So it wasn't me leaving you weak at the knees for once?" Emerald winked as she made to leave strutting past Mercury  
"That's it" he breathed out, rising to his feet and pushing his partner back against the wall, his lips finding her neck and his hands grabbing her hips  
"Really Merc, right now?" she managed to ask between gasps as she wrapped a leg around his waist, Mercury cupped her chin with one hand while the other found its' way under her skirt eliciting a moan from her which he quickly silenced by kissing her  
"Now, later, always Em; because yes I do get jealous"

Teams' RWBY & GRAP were loitering in an empty corridor on the way back from the combat classroom that the matches had taken place in, the Atlas student Ciel Soleil that Ruby had beaten having stopped them to give Ruby Pennys' contact information, apparently the two were on the same team and Penny was growing restless confined to the ship; after she'd left the conversation turned to the matches  
"So does anyone want to explain what the hell just happened?" Rover asked "Squish just got took apart by a first year" Gangrel growled  
"Those two aren't students. They work for Adams' business partner which means it's safe to assume that whatever the White Fangs' plans are will involve the tournament directly, they're not just using it as a smoke screen"  
"So why draw attention to themselves like that?" Blake asked Gangrel thought  
"Scouting the competition, when we went to Atlas me and Squish were always picking fights with people to see who was capable of what" he turned to his partner "Did you get anything"  
"Not unless being incredibly sexy while kicking ass is a semblance" Yang covered Rubys' ears  
"What is wrong with you?" she cried, Artemis answered chuckling  
"Squish has more wrong with him than we have the time or resources to fix"  
"I just appreciate strong indepedent women, and want to do great but terrible things to them, Gang back me up here" The Bear-Faunus snorted  
"You're a sick man Squish, a very sick man" as the laughter at the banter between the teams subsided Weiss turned to Yang  
"Yang we have to go"  
"Somewhere to be?" Gangrel asked, Yang was the one who answered  
"Coco said team CFVY are leaving for a mission soon and they're not one hundred percent sure they'll be back in time for the dance so me and Weiss are helping them plan it, Team GRAP are coming right?"  
"Of course we are" Rover smiled wrapping an arm around Artemis' waist "I never miss a chance to show off how lucky I am" this got a chorus of _"Awws"_ from the other girls  
"He's like something out of one of Blakes romance novels" Yang laughed "Speaking of which have you got a date in mind Blake?" Blake shrugged  
"I don't really do dances, I thought I might give it a miss"  
"Bullshit" Gangrel said simply "I've seen you in a club before, you're going" Yangs' eyes widened as she turned to her partner  
"You go clubbing? Awesome we'll have to go out sometime, seriously come to the dance I don't have a date for it either" Blake sighed but gave Gangrel a quick smile she hoped nobody else noticed  
"Okay fine I'll come and stop you fighting with the bar staff"  
"Oh come on that only happened once" Gangrel shook his head at the pair _dumb as bricks, both of 'em_ he thought to himself before turning to his partner  
"What about you Squish, surely one of those strong independent women you want to do great but terrible things to can stand to be around you for more than five minutes?" Squish gave him the finger but smirked  
"Well Nora and Ren are a thing even if that poor poor girl hasn't convinced him yet, by the way have I mentioned Team JNPR as a whole disturb me with their lack of debauchery? I was mostly teasing Emerald to try and throw her off her game, I might see if that chick with the skates that your friend knows is available, what was her name Neon?"  
"Go for it, but if Flynt grills you or threatens to throw you off of an Atlesian ship while it's in the air it's your business; he's got a little sister and he probably treats the girls on his team the same way"  
"What about you Gangrel?" Weiss asked  
"I'll probably turn up, although if somebody is showing mercy and taking Squish off my hands for a few hours I'll have to find someone else to hang with"  
"Why don't you come with me?" Weiss asked, a blush creeping across her face as Gangrel did a double take "I, I mean we can go as friends it doesn't have to be a date if you don't want it to be"  
"Weiss" Gangrel gave a broad smile as he pulled her into a light embrace "It's a date"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay this chapter feels short to me, I think it's because the majority of what happens is roughly a minute of screen time in canon.  
Also yes, Pyrrha beat one member of Team CRDL not the whole damn team, the way I'm writing qualification matches is that it's one on one of in certain cases two on two, only one member of a team has to qualify for the team to qualify and if any members of a team that's already qualified choose to face off against someone else they can do so with no risk to their status.  
Gangrel knows Merc & Em by sight because Velvet passed the information that they were in Beacon along, she doesn't realise that he's double crossing the White Fang.  
Gangrel figured out what Merc was planning so he used Squish as away to gather intelligence himself, it won't be suspicious because Squish already has a reputation for causing a scene everywhere he goes, if Cinder gets word of it and asks Adam about it Adam will just shrug it off; I also couldn't resist a chance to write Squish and Pyrrha trash talking before a match  
The way Pyrrha uses her Semblance on her own armour to avoid being weighed down by it is just one of my head-canons  
Emerald fights dirty, think about where and how she grew up, you don't get points for style in a street fight  
Yes Emeralds' weapons are called 'The Artful Dodgers' surely I don't need to explain that reference to anybody?  
I have no idea where that Emerald x Mercury scene near the end came from, but I'm rolling with it  
Also, everyone is getting dates for the dance, Awww

The site has fixed their issue with reviews so I can now see the reviews people have left, also this is the 20th chapter so I'll use this as a chance to say thank you to everyone who's stuck with the story and reviewed thus far

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	21. 21: Turf War

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 21: Turf War**

Velvet nuzzled into Adam on the sofa of the apartment she was rapidly coming to consider her from away from Beacon, the dates with the crimson haired Faunus were always fun but she loved being able to spend time alone with him relaxing, among other things. Currently though something was bothering her and she was determined to get to the source of the problem  
"So are you seriously not going to tell me what happened at that rally? Don't tell me it was nothing Adam you came back limping and antisocial even by your standards" Adam smiled at the teasing, before frowning at the question  
"Velvet don't worry it was nothing important, I just saw someone in the crowd that shouldn't have been there"  
"So you ran out after them yourself instead of letting our security handle it?" Velvet bit her lip in an expression she knew Adam found hard to resist "Do I have to resort to teasing to get answers?"  
"What?" Adam asked dumbstruck, Velvet responding by repositioning herself so that she was straddling his waist before planting a series of light kisses along his neck and whispering in his ear  
"I will tease you as mercilessly as I have to right now Adam" the Faunus in question let out a growl that was equal parts pleasure and frustration, his hands caressing Velvets' lower back and rear before moving to her thighs, his fingers brushing against a sensitive spot on the inside of her legs he had found over the course of their relation ship; hearing Velvets' breath hitch in her throat her moved so that he was on top, Velvet wrapping her legs around his waist while she stared up at him through half lidded eyes  
"I can tease too my love" Adam murmured as his hand found its' way beneath her shirt and he began to caress her right breast through her bra  
"Fuck, Adam don't stop" Velvet gasped, eliciting a broad smile from Adam  
"I thought you were only teasing me to get answers, I've decided I'll talk I can't withstand your method of interrogation" he leaned down to plant a lingering kiss on her lips before pulling back, Velvet sat upright, her cheeks flushed and breathing heavily as threw a pillow at her lover  
"You are such a dick!" she laughed "You are so lucky I love you Adam"  
"Yes, yes I am" he said simply, taking a moment to steady himself before continuing "The person I went after was Blake Belladonna"  
"The Beacon first year?" Velvet asked, Adam nodded  
"Exactly, she's apparently hiding the fact at Beacon but she's also a Faunus and a former White Fang officer gone rogue, she was involved in what happened to Gangrel at the docks….she's also my former lover" Velvet took a moment to process before looking Adam in the eye  
"So you didn't tell me that you ran out of a rally to catch your ex girlfriend who tried to hurt one of our friends?"  
"Exactly, she had back up that I didn't see and got away"  
"Adam you really are an idiot sometimes you know that right?" Velvet sighed "Next time it's something that important just tell me"  
"Yes I know, you and Gangrel make a point of reminding me regularly. You're not upset?" Velvet rolled her eyes  
"I know I'm not your first Adam, Gangrel told me you were getting over a breakup when we first met; I'm only upset that you didn't trust me enough to tell me, what are you going to do about Blake Gangrel still seems to be friends with Blake and her team?"  
"He's keeping an eye on her and the Schnee for me, she'll get what she deserves before the end of the festival" Adams' expression darkened for a moment before he looked at Velvet again and cupped her chin "And thank you Velvet, you really are too good for me" the Rabbit Faunus gave him a truly beautiful smile before pulling him back down on to the sofa  
"I am when you tease me like that, you can make it up to me though" she positioned herself on top of him again, arms wrapping around his shoulders "We've got a few hours before we have to be anywhere, so make love to me Adam"

Flax Scarlatina saw the time on the digital clock mounted on the wall of the arcade and realized he had roughly half an hour left of his shift; since attending a White Fang rally and showing the baseball bat he'd been given by the hulking Faunus that had aided his sister in his rescue to the white mask clad member seemingly running the rally, the one with the tattoos and a chainsaw slung over his back he had been working part time at the arcade by the docks which he had discovered was a White Fang owned establishment, supposedly used as a cover for less legal enterprises but he had yet to see any of that, as it was he was thirteen years old and working four hours after school on Fridays and six hours every Saturday and Sunday earning him eighty five Lien a week, making him suddenly the most financially stable of his group of friends, hearing the door open he looked up from his place behind the cash register and saw two people enter and hopped over the counter as he recognised the first  
"Hey sis! What are you doing he….Oh shit" his voice faltering as he suddenly registered the second person, a tall stony faced and crimson haired Bull-Faunus, the same one who had given the speech at the rally he had attended  
"Hey boss" Flax grinned "Totally didn't just jump the counter and I'm totally not slacking off right now" the Bull-Faunus miraculously cracked a small smile  
"Relax, I couldn't fire you even if I wanted to" Flax was about to ask what he meant until he saw that Adam Taurus, leader of the White Fang and his older sister were holding hands; on closer inspection Velvet seemed to have what looked like a hickey on her neck  
"Holy shit sis! This is the guy you started dating over the summer….I regret everything I said, please don't have me killed"  
"Yeah he is" Velvet smiled "Anyway go grab your jacket you can clock out early today, you'll still get paid for the full shift"  
"Sweet, are we going on a job?" Flax grinned  
"Not until you're thirty" Velvet said firmly "My team at Beacon are going on an away mission in just over a week I want to at least introduce Adam to someone in the family before I leave" Flax didn't react to to how nervous she sounded about the away mission and turned to Adam  
"Well since I'm meeting you before Dad I guess I've got to be the one to say it; hurt her and we bury you in the woods" the thirteen year old managed to say with as much conviction as he could muster and maintain eye contact with Adam, who promptly burst out laughing before turning to Velvet  
"This is the same little brother that Gang gave a weapon to?" seeing Velvet nod Adam ruffled Flaxs' hair "Yeah I can see why Gang likes you kid, you're almost as cocky as he was at your age" Flax smirked at what he assumed was a backhanded compliment before heading back to the cash register and retrieving his jacket, calling over to an older member of staff as he left  
"Tell the manager I'm heading out early, boss's orders"

"So where are we going then?" Flax asked as he left the arcade trailing after Adam and his sister, Velvet shrugged  
"Grabbing something to eat first, I wanted you to meet Adam but I'm not exactly sure where we can go that wouldn't be too much like a date; I'm sure you don't want to be a third wheel for us Flax"  
"Damn right I don't" he scoffed; without warning Adam turned and tackled Flax to the ground  
"GET DOWN!" the sound of gunfire shattering glass and screaming pedestrians filled the air, Flax couldn't see what was going on for a few moments while Adam shielded him, as the gunfire subsided and was replaced by the sound of an engine Adam leapt into action once more, jumping to his feet, withdrawing his blade and slashing all in a single movement a wave of crimson light shearing through the rear wheel of a rapidly accelerating motorcycle, sending the vehicle and rider crashing to the floor the sub-machine gun he had just emptied into the arcade clattering to the ground several feet away  
"Oh my Oum are you okay?" Velvet cried helping her brother to his feet, Flax gave a shaky nod as he looked at Adam and realised that though the back of his jacket and shirt and shirt had been riddled with holes he was completely unharmed, Adam turned to Velvet  
"I'm fine, what about you" his eyes roamed over her body, pausing as he saw a patch of red expanding on her jacket "Velvet, you were hit" his voice a terrified whisper, she looked at the wound on her shoulder, a bullet had pierced the golden armour plating she wore before she had been able to raise her Aura  
"It's just a scratch, I didn't even notice it until you pointed it out; Aura will deal with it easily enough" Adams' voice took a dangerous edge  
"He shot you, he shot _you!_ " he turned and stalked towards the assailant who was still struggling to rise from where he had crashed, crimson light emanating from Adam as sheer rage refuelled his Semblance, seeing the Bull Faunus draw closer the driver gave up trying to stand and instead began crawling as fast as he could, Adam snarled and swung Wilt again sending forth another wave of crimson, this one connecting with the mans' left ankle cleanly severing the foot below and eliciting an agonised scream Adams' expression remained murderous as he reached his victim, stabbing downwards through his right knee, the blade of his sword sinking into the pavement below before rapidly being withdrawn and piercing through the outstretched hand reaching for the discarded gun. Adam replaced his sword before removing the riders helmet and hoisting him to his one remaining foot, the man whimpered and cried in pain  
"Stop snivelling and meet your end with some pride" Adam spat, his hand firmly grabbing either side of the mans' head, thumbs pressing against his eyes "The authorities have doubtlessly already been called, but unless you answer my question you will be blind as well as crippled when they arrive. Who sent you?" the failed assassin whimpered  
"He'll kill me if I talk"  
"I'll kill you if you don't, the difference is I'll skin you alive first"  
"It was Junior, Junior sent me!" with that Adam dropped them man, removing Wilt as he shifted Blush into its' rifle form and promptly shot him in the chest before turning to return to Velvet  
"Thank you" as he returned to Velvet he made to embrace her only for him to shove him back, her expression horrified  
"What the fuck is wrong with you!" she screamed  
"He just tried to kill us!" Adam shouted back "He just tried to murder you and your brother, simply because you were stood next to me! I thought you wanted to protect people?"  
"I do!"  
"This is how we protect people Velvet! By removing people what want to hurt us, we tried protests we tried talking and they failed, I will hurt whoever I have to if it protects you!" Velvet looked at him with tears streaming down her face  
"You didn't just remove a threat Adam, you ripped him apart, I've fought Grimm before and that's what you looked like just now!" Adam winced at that, genuinely hurt  
"I never thought you'd be one of the people that call me a monster Velvet, but if that's what I have to be to keep you safe then so be it; we wear the masks for a reason" sirens could be heard in the distance Velvet grabbed her brother who had been watching the scene unfold with a stunned expression  
"I'm taking Flax home, I need some time to think" Adam stared after her as she left  
"Velvet, just remember I love you" he whispered knowing she couldn't here him, slowly focusing himself he left the scene and drew his scroll; a lot of calls needed to be made.

Roman Torchwick fiddled with the Aura-dampening collar in irritation as he left the prison canteen after forcing down some truly awful food, making his way back towards his cell in the North Vale Correctional Facility he climbed the rusted stairs eventually reaching his floor stepping onto the corridor he was roughly grabbed and forced back towards the railings by a pair of muscular men  
"No no no I don't think you understand how this works, you're the one that gets bent over the railings when I'm bored" Roman drawled out before being silenced by a punch in the jaw, the prisoner who had punched him forcing him back to his feet and holding him in place, the other pulling a makeshift blade from the waistband of his pants, fashioned from a pair of razor blades and a toothbrush  
"Fuck you Rome, I've been waiting to get the order and Junior finally says we can shut you up" he made to slash at the section the thief's neck left uncovered by the collar clearly aiming to cut his throat; Roman closed his eyes and waited for the attack which never came instead he opened his eyes to see his would be murderer lying on the floor holding his face after seemingly being slashed with his own weapon, the thug holding Roman pushed him forwards and attempted to raise his arms to fight but was swiftly grabbed and hurled face first into the bars of an adjacent cell; Romans' rescuer proceeded to grab him and pull him towards his own cell and close the door behind them, in the confines of his cell Roman finally managed to get a good luck at his saviour, a woman, North Vale Correctional Facility was co-habitation for reasons Roman had never thought to question, she had an impressive physique and a figure that was eye catching even in a prison uniform, fierce yellow eyes and black and orange dread-locked hair from which poked a pair of feline ears  
"Since when did dumb animals like you come to my rescue" the Faunus smiled before backhanding Roman across the face  
"Since the White Fang ordered me to, seems pissing of Junior scores you some points with us" Cheshire Motley growled, Roman spat out a mouthful of blood, even wearing an Aura-dampener the Tiger-Faunus packed a punch  
"Really?" he asked raising an eyebrow "Because I was under the impression that the White Fang cut me loose after what that son of a bitch Slate did to me" Cheshire cocked her head to the side questioningly as a feral grin made its' way across her face  
"Slate? Do tell Roman, I'd love to hear exactly what you know about Gangrel Slate"

Gangrel was lounging in his dorm on Sunday morning, making a half hearted attempt at some of his outstanding assignments while Rover flipped through channels on the television, nothing holding his interest for more than a few seconds  
"You leaving the assignment for today then?" Gangrel asked him, the canine shrugged  
"I'll probably get it done later" this earned him a half amused half irritated shake of the head from the leader of Team GRAP  
"You can at least pretend it takes some effort, not everyone can speed their perceptions up and turn a minute into half an hour" Rovers' use of his Semblance to complete homework was a gripe the rest of the team had had with him since their first year, he just shrugged again  
"I'm just gifted Gang" the Bear-Faunus muttered something that was probably an insult before being distracted by a text message, opening it he saw it was from Velvet simply reading _'Put the news on'  
_ "Rover, change the channel I wanna see the news" Rover complied and the face of the news anchor Lisa Lavender became visible, the headline 'White Fang reign of terror' beneath her  
"Breaking news" she began "A series of attacks last night have been linked to the Faunus terrorist group the White Fang, 'Juniors' nightclub in the Bronze Maple area of Vale was fire bombed in the early hours of the morning after closing time, one Melanie Malachite was taken to hospital in critical condition; several other businesses were targeted in the attacks, among them Tuksons' bookshop owned by locally respected Faunus Logan Tukson whom unverified reports say was killed in the attack" Gangrel tuned the rest out as he called Velvet  
"Velvet what the fuck is going on?" he demanded as soon as she picked up  
"I thought you might know" Velvet sniffled down the phone, sounding as if she'd been crying recently "Me Adam and my little brother were attacked outside the Arcade yesterday by a member of the Black Bear Syndicate, Adam shot him in the chest"  
"And now he's gone on the offensive" Gangrel surmised "Junior shouldn't have even known who Adam was, that's why he's gone all out, all the Faunus that were attacked last night were known deserters Velvet" Gangrel paused for a moment before insulting Tuksons' memory with his next words "One of them had to have given information to Junior"  
"Adam said he'll kill as many people as it takes" Velvet sounded aghast at Adams' ferocity, Gangrel couldn't blame her  
"Sweet Oum, I'll talk to him"  
"Gangrel be careful" Velvet warned him "He was scary yesterday"

Gangrel stormed into Adams' office without waiting for an invitation, only pausing for a moment upon seeing that he was currently entertaining two guests, Emerald Sustrai and Mercury Black turned to face him, a smirk playing across Mercurys' lips  
"Don't you go to Beacon? On the same team as the Lizard that Emerald wiped the floor with"  
"The same one that made you the laughing stock of all four academies when you thought you could fight Pyrrha Nikos, yeah that's my partner" Gangrel growled as he squared up to the grey haired teen  
"Black, Sustrai….Leave" Adam said simply, the pair did as the were instructed, Mercury and Gangrel glowering at each other until Emerald dragged him from the room  
"Want to tell me exactly what the fuck happened last night?" Gangrel growled at Adam  
"Something that should have happened a long time ago, I was wiling to let Junior and his crew have their little corner of Vale but they crossed a line" the Bull-Faunus said, his tone icy  
"They tried a hit on you"  
"They shot Velvet, the only reason her brother wasn't shredded was because I covered him" Gangrel paused, Velvet hadn't told him that part Adams' fury at the crime boss seemed more understandable to the Bear-Faunus  
"But Tukson though?" he asked incredulously Adam glowered at him  
"Somebody gave information to Junior, the only people that know I lead the White Fang are people in the White Fang; so it had to be a deserter"  
"Adam for fuck sake Tukson was the man who taught you how to shave, do you really think he sold you out?" Gangrel asked, trying his best to remain somewhat calm and not to reach over the desk to throttle his old friend  
"No but better safe than sorry, I had all the deserters except Blake dealt with in one go. Black and Sustrai made it quick for him though" Gangrel was stunned, realising for the first time just how far his old friend had fallen  
"You sent them?" he spat utterly furious "Correct me if I'm wrong Adam but isn't humans killing Faunus the exact thing that the White Fang was supposed to prevent?"  
"In an ideal world it would never have happened, but my hand was forced" Adam said softly, meeting Adams' gaze as he continued "But I've forced Juniors' hand now, torching the bar with his nieces inside has made him sit up pay attention. He's bringing in a contract killer to deal with me and me and you are going to send her back to him in pieces"  
"So that's it, you're just straight up murdering people now?" Gangrel spat, Adam actually grinned before saying something that left Gangrel stunned into silence  
"No Gang, this isn't murder it's revenge for Kai that's been a long time coming, the contract killer he's hired is Malkavia Pitch"

 **Authors Notes:**

So Velvet knows about Blake now, but Blake doesn't know about Velvet yet  
Yang giving Junior Adams' name has had consequences, Gangrel did say that it was a dumb idea  
Adam showed off his dark side spectacularly here, touch Velvet and everyone gets hurt; basically in the space of one night he destroyed most of Juniors' Syndicate (The Malachite twins being Juniors nieces in this story, they're not dead but they were caught in a fire-bombing) and then had all former White Fang members who could be a source of information killed; including Tukson who was something of a father figure to him.  
Also, yes I'm saying Tuksons' first name was Logan, I'll let you figure out why  
Yes that was the same Cheshire Motley who just saved Roman from having his throat cut by Juniors' men in prison, and Roman just told her what happened at the docks

Holy shit this story has over 3000 hits  
As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	22. 22: Ships Have Sailed

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 22: Ships Have Sailed**

"Oh My Oum I did it I did it I did it!" was what accompanied the sound of Ruby bursting into Team RWBYs' dorm, showering the rest of her team with rose petals  
"Ruby, calm down….you did what?" Weiss asked apprehensively, anything that made Ruby this excited had a good chance of being dangerous in one way or another, Ruby managed to stand still her boundless enthusiasm making her look as if she were vibrating on the spot  
"Remember our sparring matches with Team GRAP, remember how Rover used his speed to phase right through me? I did it!"  
"You phased through someone?" Weiss asked cautiously  
"Yeah I was sparring with Rover in the training room just now; I only managed to stay like that for like half a second but I definitely did it" Ruby beamed, Weiss turned to Blake and Yang who were laid on Blakes' bunk sharing a textbook while working on an assignment they had received earlier that day, both of them had their earphones in and the heiress was sure that Yang didn't strictly need to have her free arm draped across Blakes' lower back, nudging Yangs' shoulder to get their attention she waited until they had removed their earphones and could clearly hear her  
"I regret to inform you that we will need a new way to keep cookies from our team leader" she said with a faint grin  
"Hey!"  
"What's going on?" Blake asked, apparently the two of them had been so absorbed in what they were doing they had barely registered Rubys' arrival, the caped girl grinned from behind Weiss  
"Let me see if I can do it again" as she said this she activated her Semblance, but Weiss noticed the Rose Petals didn't seem to be falling, rather they hovered in the air where they materialised and Rubys' entire body seemed blurry and indistinct, much like Rovers' when he triggered his own speed; as she looked back to the rest of her team to gauge their reactions Weiss suddenly felt her chest tighten and looked down to see Rubys' hand emerging from her chest where she had reached out and phased straight through her back, moments later the hand was withdrawn and Ruby released her Semblance  
"Never do that to me again" Weiss warned her, it hadn't been painful but it was far from pleasant nonetheless  
"Sis that's awesome!" Yang beamed jumping from the bunk and ruffling her sisters' hair  
"I know, I've gotta tell Penny" she said as she removed her scroll, her three older team-mates gave each other knowing smiles, Pennys' name could safely be added to the list of people that Ruby had a crush on it seemed; their leader paid them no more mind as she sent a text  
 _'Hey Penny, still stuck on the ship?'_ moments later the reply came  
 _'Yeah, since General Ironwood won't let me off I'm trying to see if I can get him to throw me off. I've started transmitting a few terabytes of trap music to his scroll and computer every time I walk past his office'_ Ruby giggled even as she typed out a response  
 _'Okay that's funny but I'm sure he has his reasons'  
_ _'He's not even my real manufacturer'_ Penny typed back eliciting a snort from Ruby  
 _'Are you at least finding ways to entertain yourself up there? I've been training after class or I would have messaged sooner, by the way I've finally figured out a super cool trick that an older student with speed like mine was trying to teach me'_ Ruby had to wait a few moments for the reply  
 _'You'll have to show me sometime. I'm keeping busy I actually managed to get a brief look at my own schematics after that fight with your friend, Tell him I'm not mad, I've never seen them before I thought about working on some upgrades but I'd need someone to help'_ Ruby smiled, Penny it seemed was as as enthusiastic about technology as she was  
 _'I'd love to help, please be careful if you do anything on your own and I'll show you when I see you, do you know when you'll next be able to get off the ship?'  
_ _'Don't worry the main access point I'd need is on the one part of my back I can't reach, my joints don't bend that far….maybe you can help lubricate me. I could probably get Ironwood to let me go to that dance next weekend seeing as students from all four kingdoms interacting with each other is the whole point of the festival, but I haven't got anybody to go with"_ Rubys' face flushed as she read Pennys' message, at fifteen years old she was not as entirely sweet and innocent as her sister liked to think she was and had some grasp of innuendo, a lot of it coming from having to have Squishs' jokes explained to her, and she was almost sure Penny had just flirted with her  
"She wants you to ask her to the dance" Rubys' head whipped round to see that Yang had leaning against her bunk reading her texts  
"Hey!" Ruby cried as she realised the breach of her privacy, her sister simply grinned  
"Seriously, ask her to the dance right now I guarantee she will say yes. She likes you back"  
"I didn't say I-" Rubys' sputtering was cut off by Blake who was still on her own Bunk but had heard enough  
"You didn't need to, you really are obvious" Ruby covered her face with her hood to hide her growing blush but typed a message to Penny regardless  
 _'Do you want to go to the dance with me?'_ she had her answer mere seconds later  
 _'That would be sensational'  
_ "She said yes!" Ruby leapt from her bunk and pulled Yang into a hug "Thank you, you are the best big sister ever!" The blonde smiled  
"I know I am, that's why we're going into Vale so I can buy you a dress for the dance"  
"I thought we were finishing this assignment?" Blake asked, Yang gave her an apologetic look  
"Sorry Blake, I promise we'll do it later tonight, as soon as I get back; but my baby sister is going on her first date" Yang grinned gleefully at the last part as she pulled Ruby from the dorm, Weiss sighed as they left  
"I will deny this if you ever mention it in front of her but I really have come to like Yang, she reminds of Winter in some ways"  
"She really is something special" Blake nodded though the heiress was sure that the Cat-Faunus appreciated her for different reasons  
"Blake Belladonna" Weiss chuckled as she made to leave the dorm and give her friend the peace and quiet she so often sought "You are just as obvious as Ruby"

Weiss made her way along the hallways of Beacon a destination forming in her mind as she went, she decided to head to the training room to check if Team GRAP were still there and see if Artemis could possibly help work on her technique as the Cat-Faunus was the one she tended to practice with the most, although she doubted she would unlock a hitherto unseen level of her Semblance the way Ruby seemingly had; there was also the fact that she wanted to spend time with Gangrel and had no issues with admitting it, the two after all were calling going to the dance together a date. Smiling at the thought as she reached the destination she entered the training room to see that the gymnasium section was all but deserted, the sparring arena, a slightly smaller version of the one used is combat class had attracted a small crowd drawing closer she saw members of Teams GRAP and CFVY  
"Hey Velvet, what's going on?" she asked, the Rabbit Faunus seemed distracted as she answered  
"Gangrel and Yatsuhashi, it's been tense between them all year Coco just told them to get in the ring and get it out of their systems"  
"Are you okay?" Weiss asked, noticing Velvets' tone, the Faunus gave her a weak smile  
"Yeah, just some personal issues I'll be fine though" Weiss gave her a small smile in return and made her way through the crowds to see Coco and Squish at the front cheering on their respective team-mates  
"Don't just take it from him! Hit back!" Coco ordered as Yatsuhashi was forced back by a hastily blocked barrage of punches, the two gargantuan fighters both having forgone their swords for this match; without warning Yatsuhashi ducked under his opponents' left hook as his own left shot forwards, catching Gangrel in the stomach this was quickly followed by an open palmed strike across the jaw with his right hand, Yatsuhashi attempted to press his advantage further by using his momentum to carry him into a spinning back-fist; the Bear-Faunus managed to weave under the punch and deliver a devastating right hook to the slightly taller fighter  
"Go on Gang finish him off!" Squish cheered, his team-mate seemingly taking the advice to heart as he managed to get both hands behind Yatsuhashis' head and force his face downwards, directly into a series of Muai Thai knee strikes, Yatsuhashi eventually managed to break loose from the onslaught only to be caught in the jaw by an uppercut as he rose sending him toppling to the floor; Artemis stepped into the ring  
"And that's the match people, Gangrel wins" the hulking Bear-Faunus stepped over to his equally massive opponent and helped him to his feet  
"Not bad at all, all Fox did was try and dodge" leaving the ring Gangrel caught sight of Weiss and wrapped an arm around her waist as he neared her, she briefly returned the hug before chastising him  
"You're fresh out of the ring and still sweating, please go clean up before you touch me"  
"So, public displays of affection from you two?" Squish asked Weiss as Gangrel went to change, raising one of the spiny ridges he had in place of eyebrows  
"Well you were there when I asked him to the dance" Weiss said simply, catching Rover and Artemis shaking their heads frantically behind him  
"Never let Squish know about your love life" Artemis told her firmly "That way lies madness" the reptilian in question snorted  
"It's not my fault you and Rover spent the whole of first year pretending you didn't want to fuck each other then most of second year pretending that you weren't fucking each other"  
"But it might well be your fault that your own love life is so empty" Artemis dead-panned  
"That was a little below the belt" Squish griped  
"It's the only thing that goes below your belt" Rover chimed in Weiss's hands shot to her mouth in shock at the sheer viciousness of the banter between the team, it reminded her of the stories Winter had shared with her about her time with her old unit; she vaguely wondered what Winter and Team GRAP would make of each other if things between her and Gangrel moved forwards as the Bear-Faunus reappeared  
"So did you want to train or go somewhere?" Weiss thought to herself for a moment  
"I was going to train with your team, but seeing as you need someone to make sure you don't have a concussion from that fight let's go find somewhere quiet" as the pair left hand in hand Rover muttered to Squish  
"All jokes aside they're cute together and you know it"

Weiss and Gangrel had found themselves alone on one of the many balconies on Beacons' campus, the nights still warm enough for them to enjoy the evening without jackets, Weiss currently sat on Gangrels' lap making herself comfortable as she leaned into his chest  
"So what was the fight about with Yatsuhashi?" she sighed, bemused at his ability to find trouble almost anywhere; in truth his combativeness, caring nature and occasional vulgarity reminded her of the qualities she'd come to appreciate in Yang  
"Honestly I was looking for someone new to spar with, I've already gone a few rounds with Fox, me and Yatsu had a little issue with each other at the start of term but it wasn't anything major"  
"Have you really run out of people to spar with?" Weiss laughed "How much time do you spend in the ring?"  
"As much as I can" Gangrel shrugged "It's where I feel at home, most of the time I got to bond with my old man was in gyms and boxing rings" Weiss repositioned herself so that she was looking him in the eye  
"This is after he was released from Prison?" she asked softly, Gangrel nodded  
"Yeah, when he went in I was your average seven year old five years in care following Adam around and getting into trouble gave me a bit of a mean streak, when my dad was released I was twelve years old and already had a few minor offences under my belt and four assault charges that had to be dropped for lack of evidence; when we moved to Vale my Dad was still working security jobs while he saved the money to buy the gas station he owns now so he was in the gym a lot, he started taking me with him, told me if I was going to fight I was going to learn to be a man about it and have fair fights in the ring" the Bear-Faunus smiled as he spoke  
"Seems like he tried to make up for the time with you he lost out on" Weiss nuzzled into his chest  
"He did, the only family we've got left is each other; what about you? What's growing up in the family that owns the world like?" Gangrel asked playfully  
"We don't own the world" Weiss sighed, her voice taking on a faux-haughty tone as she continued "We just own Atlas, we're working on the rest of it" Gangrel snorted and pulled her closer "But honestly though, we had money but your relationship with your Father is better than mine and I'd trade the wealth and status for that without question"  
"I somehow doubt going to the biggest social event in Beacon with a Faunus is going to help" Gangrel smirked, Weiss laughed  
"Oh you're right he'll be furious when he finds out, he's going to hate you; I think my sister will like you though"  
"Am I going to cause problems for you Weiss?" Gangrel asked, his tone soft but serious, her sapphire eyes found his amber ones and gave him a firm look  
"My Father is and always has been bigoted and controlling, I refuse to let the fact he lives in some idealised version of the past affect the way I live my life" their faces moved closer as Weiss whispered softly "Dolt, any problems that dating you causes will be worth it" as she leaned forward Gangrel turned his head away  
"Gangrel, what's wrong?" she whispered fearing she'd misread the situation entirely, he mumbled something indistinct  
"I didn't catch that" the Faunus looked up, his expression embarrassed  
"I've never actually been kissed" he he said simply  
"What?"  
"Weiss look at me, I have a snout for a face; it's a little hard to make out when your skull is the wrong shape" Weiss looked at him incredulously, a smile slowly making it's way across her lips  
"You dolt" she laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around his shoulder and planted her lips on his cheek "We'll improvise"

Yang had returned from dress shopping with Ruby a pair of new dresses having been placed in their wardrobe before Ruby herself had headed over to Team JNPRs dorm after Jaune told her that they needed a fourth person for their video game tournament because Ren wasn't playing; Yang had stayed in their own dorm and completed the assignment she'd neglected earlier with Blake, the Cat-Faunus hadn't shooed her from her bed immediately after as Yang had expected her to and somehow the pair had ended up physically close as was becoming a recurring theme that Yang was more than happy with, Blake leaned against her while she read and Yang absent-mindedly stroked her partners hair, as Blake repositioned herself slightly Yangs' hand brushed against the edge of her bow causing the Faunus to turn to her questioningly  
"Sorry, caught it by accident" Yang started "But….Why don't you take it off in the dorm, nobody who comes in here sees you any differently and it can't be comfortable to keep them wrapped up like that" Blake paused and considered it for a few moments before slowly nodding and removing the accessory carefully watching Yangs' expression as she did so, her heart skipped a beat when she realised Yangs' smile didn't falter even slightly, the blonde continued stroking her hair gently as she returned to her previous position, but found the contact too distracting for her to continue reading, putting her book down she nuzzled slightly closer her to her partner and asked  
"Not that I'm complaining but why are you stroking me" Yang gave a nervous smile and looked away  
"I kinda don't want to say, because it might sound a little racist" Blake rolled her eyes as she realised the answer  
"You have a pet at home and you're used to stroking them and having them on your lap right?" Yang nodded Blake smiled "Don't worry about it Yang that's not racist and I really don't mind you being this close to me" Yang gave one of the brightest smiles Blake had seen, as she reached up and gently stroked the edge of one of her feline ears; Blake felt her breath hitch in her throat and her hand tighten its' grip on Yangs' thigh, her Faunus ears were highly sensitive and touching them could either be extremely painful or pleasurable depending on how careful a person was, Yang it seemed was a natural the next gentle stroke forcing Blake to keep herself from gasping out, there was no way Yang couldn't see the effect she was having, the third stroke was too much, one hand clenching the sheets and the other gripping her partners leg  
"Yang" she moaned out as she turned to face the Blonde, barely having chance to take in her partners half lidded amethyst eyes before suddenly the two of them were sharing an intense kiss, Yang manoeuvring them so that she was on top, Blakes hands finding their way into her blonde mane as she writhed in ecstasy under Yangs' continued stroking of her ears, her partners lips moved from her own began making their way down her neck and collar as her right hand moved from her feline ear down to Blakes' waist  
"Yang, Yang stop" Blake managed to pant out, the blonde instantly froze and untangled herself from her partner  
"I'm sorry I thought you want-" her mumbled apology was cut off  
"I want you Yang, Oum I want you; but not like this, I don't just have sex with people casually" Yang reached out and took Blakes' hand in hers  
"Do you really think I just want to use you for a good time Blake?" she sounded genuinely upset  
"No" Blake sighed pulling Yang back to her, one arm wrapping around her waist, the other resting under her head "But the last person I was intimate with was Adam, he's actually the only person I've done anything like this with before and we were together for over a year first" Yang nodded in understanding  
"It's okay Blake, take as much time as you need you're worth the wait" Yang gently kissed the top of the Faunus' head as the two of them pulled each other closer  
"Thank you" Blake whispered "Can we stay like this tonight" Yang beamed down at her  
"I'd love that"

Weiss was making her way back to the dorm as she saw Ruby exiting team JNPRs own dormitory across the hall, the younger caught sight of her and waved, waiting in the hallway for her  
"Hey, what have you been doing?" Weiss asked her  
"After I went shopping with Yang I ended up hanging out with Team JNPR so Blake and Yang could work on an assignment in peace, what about you? Have you been sucking face with Gangrel all night?" Weiss fixed Ruby with an icy stare  
"I will not be teased by somebody who has had crushes on half of the student body and has only just developed the fortitude to talk to the object of one of those crushes" Ruby blushed at the teasing  
"Yeah well, it's hard to forget that I'm here because I got let in early it feels like anyone I might like would just see me as a baby" she grumbled, Weiss shook her head  
"Well now you've got a date with someone who seems to genuinely like you and I will do everything I can organising this dance to make sure it goes well for you" as Rubys' silver eyes brightened at her words Weiss grinned "And yes Ruby Gangrel and I did kiss"  
"Called it, Nora owes me ten Lien" the caped girl chuckled as she opened the door to their room stepping inside they were both taken aback to see Blake and Yang both in Blakes' bed cuddling each other, the pair had obviously been in that position a while as Blake had fallen asleep, Weiss was about to ask what was going on when Yang raised a finger to her lips and whispered  
"Listen" both Ruby and Weiss silently strained their ears and eventually heard what Yang was referring to smiles spreading across their faces, when she was sure that they had realised the blonde continued, wearing one of the happiest expressions Weiss had ever seen  
"She purrs in her sleep….She's purrfect"

 **Authors Notes:**

Yeah the title of this chapter really should have given it away. So warm, so fuzzy.  
My heart actually grew two sizes like the Grinch while I was writing this.

Yes I write Penny as less socially awkward, because her whole thing is that she's learning to be human, I'd rather write her as making some progress in that department while occasionally showing her mechanical side, besides as cute as Nuts & Dolts is canonically they're both too awkward for it to really go anywhere, at least one of them needs to learn how to function.  
Also rebellious teen Penny & Penny using innuendos are fun to write, a lot of what she said came from a Tumblr post I made about a week ago.  
Yes Ruby learned how to use her speed to phase through solid objects, she's still not as good as Rover is but she's improving

The Gangrel v Yatsuhashi sparring match was there simply to tie up the loose end of them nearly fighting each other way back in Chapter five  
Weiss's "We'll improvise" line made me smile for half an hour after writing it, Gangrel the six foot eight, fighting machine has never been kissed and is a little self conscious of one of his Faunus attributes.

What do I really need to say about the Blake and Yang scene, Bumblebee is the one true ship.  
No Yang didn't know that touching Blakes' ears would get that response before she did it, but when it happened she went with it.

Thank you to Drake187 for their reply on the last chapter, the Velvet situation will be addressed next chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	23. 23: Pitch Dark

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 23: Pitch Dark**

Velvet stared at her scroll hesitantly the screen displaying Adams' contact details, she hadn't spoken to her lover since the assassination attempt at the arcade; the reality of being a prominent member of the White Fang having made itself clear to her that day. Taking a deep breath she dialled the number and set the device to video call, within seconds Adams' face appeared on the screen his expression tense  
"Velvet, are you okay you haven't been answering my calls?" he asked immediately  
"I told you I needed some time to think Adam" she reminded him "You look stressed, what's wrong?"  
"I just had some news I really didn't want to hear, on top of that the job me and Gangrel are going on tonight has got me nervous" he told her  
"Oh" Velvet said simply "Adam it's Saturday I leave for the front lines first thing Monday morning, I really wanted to see you before I go, we need to talk and I'd rather have this conversation in person" Adams' expression turned worried  
"You're leaving me aren't you?" he whispered, dread creeping into his voice, Velvet shook her head  
"I don't want to Adam I really don't but I can't just pretend I'm okay with the things you're willing to do, my little brother is involved now and you're acting less like a Faunus rights activist and more like the Mafia"  
"I made sure Flax wasn't involved in any of what happened after the arcade, as much as he wanted to be; the kid brought that baseball bat Gang gave him with him and told some of the older guys he wanted to be on the team that torched Juniors club I made them leave him behind" Velvet was left speechless, she hadn't known about that  
"Thank you for that Adam but we still need to talk, I can meet you after the job if you'd like" the Bull-Faunus immediately shook his head  
"No, Velvet this….This is something I don't want you to see" she took a moment to understand what was being said to her  
"You're going to kill someone aren't you, you told me you weren't a murderer Adam, you promised me"  
"This isn't murder, this is justice" Adam growled "Junior has hired a disgraced Hunter to kill me, the Hunter in question is a racist monster who's murdered Faunus before and gotten away with it. Velvet I have to do this, if I don't Gang will go on his own and Malkavia Pitch cannot be allowed to take anyone else I know" Velvet didn't know how to respond, the idea of killing another person was abhorrent to her but taking a murderer off of the streets was something she knew had to be done  
"Adam I promise we'll talk more when I get back from the mission"  
"Do you know how long you'll be away?"  
"Scheduled to be back Thursday night but Gangrel told me not to count on it, schedules don't really apply once you've gone past the Front Line" the worry evident on Adams' face worsened  
"Stay safe Velvet, I love you"  
"I love you too" she sighed back, noticing that it sounded unconvincing even to herself as she collapsed her scroll and started making her way from the balcony she had been leaning against back towards her dorm, stopping as she saw a pair of familiar faces  
"Hey" she called, Emerald and Mercury stopped, Emerald had been leading her partner by the hand towards the balcony she had just left giggling as she did so  
"Oh hey Velvet" Emerald smiled, blushing slightly and not meeting her eyes "We erm, we were just looking for a quiet spot, our team won't give us the dorm"  
"Oh, oh right" Velvet blushed as her rabbit ears drooped forwards in front of her face "I'm really sorry I don't want to disturb anything but I need help with something"  
"What is it, is about our y'know extracurricular work?" Velvet nodded  
"I need to know about any jobs happening tonight, I think Adam might need help but he doesn't want me to be involved"  
"Look I don't see eye to eye with Adam, well ever, but he hasn't got to where he is by being stupid; he'll have a plan" Mercury told her "I'd honestly suggest just waiting it out" Emerald nudged him in the ribs  
"Yeah but you wouldn't say that if it was me on a risky job though" Merc shrugged, conceeding her point  
"Fine, I don't know anything specific but I heard a few of the people in your organisation were told to stay out of a part of town called Greybark" Velvet nodded  
"I know where that is, thank you" as she left Mercury turned to Emerald and sighed  
"She just ruined the mood didn't she?" Emerald laughed softly as she wrapped her arms around his waist and whispered in his ear  
"Well I was going to ride you on that balcony until we both came, honestly her going to rescue Adam like that just excites me even more" Mercurys' throat suddenly felt dry as his partner pulled him along by the hand once more  
"Em I do not deserve you"

Gangrel sat in the passengers seat of the car Adam had acquired for the job, it was unremarkable except for its' heavily tinted windows, his weapons having been thrown across the back seat as they waited for their quarry  
"How the fuck do you know who they're sending and where they'll be staying but not what flight they'll be on?" the Bear-Faunus complained  
"Flights times have been unpredictable lately" Adam told him "Grimm activity is apparently on the increase, between that and the festival coming up delays and cancellations are fairly regular. Speaking of Grimm activity Velvet ships out Monday and I'm here doing this instead of trying to fix my relationship with her before she leaves"  
"She'll be fine Adam" Gangrel reassured him "She can vent her frustrations out on some Grimm and you two can have a ton of make up sex that I don't ever want to hear the details of" Adam shook his head and snorted  
"You've spent too much time around that lizard you're picking up his sense of humour, but I heard you told Velvet what to expect our there and helped her prepare for it, thanks for that" the Bear-Faunus simply shrugged  
"Yeah well, they only give newbies the bare minimum of information for a job like this. Going in scared is a good way to get yourself killed, but at the same time going ignorant is a good way to get your whole team killed"  
"And the humans on her team?" Adam asked, eliciting a snort from Gangrel  
"They can all fight if they're pushed, her leader is ruthless when her team are threatened, I had a bit of an issue with one of them but it's settled, the last guy is gutsy he actually tried to face down my whole team" Adam made to reply but stopped, his attention captured by something outside  
"There, silver sedan she's in the back" Gangrel leaned forwards his enhanced Faunus senses allowing him to see into the vehicle clearly as it drove past, there was mistaking that ghostly complexion and pure white hair; as the sedan passed them Adam started their own car and began to discreetly tail them.

Velvet saw the person she had been looking for with her team in the mess hall, apparently they chosen had to eat late; catching Blakes' eye and indicating that she wanted to speak to her the undercover Faunus rose from her table, her team following her over to Velvet  
"Blake we need to talk, preferably in private" Blake frowned  
"There's nothing you can't say in front of the rest of Team RWBY" Velvet looked at the assembled first years and sighed  
"Fine, I know you're a White Fang deserter" Blake bristled  
"How?" she demanded  
"Because I've been in a relationship with Adam Taurus since just before the start of the semester" the tension in the air was palpable, Yang and Weiss both looked ready to strike, Blake spoke quickly hoping to keep her team-mates tempers under control  
"So what's this about, have you come to strong arm me out of Beacon"  
"N-No" Velvet stammered "I need your help"  
"No chance" Yang interrupted "Now hop off somewhere" Blake silenced the blonde with a stern look before indicating that Velvet should continue  
"Adam needs to be stopped before he goes too far, him and Gangrel have gone on a job tonight and I don't even want to think about what's going to happen" Blake saw tears forming in the Rabbit-Faunus' eyes and reached over to squeeze her hand  
"You're just realizing what Adams' becoming aren't you, under all the good looks and charm he's a broken man and all the hate in him is going to be his end" Velvet nodded silently as Weiss interrupted  
"Gangrel went with him?"  
"Yeah" Velvet said wiping her eyes "Adam said if he didn't go the Gang would do it on his own, it sounds like him and Pitch have some sort of history  
"Malkavia Pitch?" Blake asked, her tone horrified as the colour drained from her face, Velvet nodded again and the rest of her team looked to her in confusion  
"We need to go, right now"

Adam brought the car to a stop in the forecourt of a disused gas station situated on a quiet road used mainly by freight trucks, the Greybark district of Vale was remarkable mainly for its' unemployment rates and how well connected it was to the main highways and thoroughfares of the kingdom, across the road was a seedy and run down looking motel. Gangrel used his Semblance to teleport onto the roof of the gas station after retrieving his weapons from the car, reaching over the edge of the roof he pulled Adam up to join him, his old friend looked at him registering that Gangrel had worn his white fang uniform for the job rather than his combat gear  
"You're doing this without armour?" the Bull-Faunus asked, Gangrel glowered in the direction of the motel  
"I've seen her fight before, she's fast I'd rather not have it weighing me down" Adam shrugged  
"It's your call, how well do you know this area?" Gangrel grinned  
"My Dad was actually going to buy this gas station instead of the more central one, the Kennels are only about twenty minutes down the road from here; nobody here talks to police and this is a back road, it's going to be quiet" Adam nodded at the information before pointing at a light in a window that had just been turned on  
"That's her room, send a message" he handed a small sheet of paper over to the larger Faunus who promptly stuck it to the end of an arrow before converting his swords to their longbow form and firing at the window the sound of shattering glass confirmed that the projectile had found its' mark, within a minute Adams' scroll began vibrating, the note attached to the arrow had been his contact details, he answered and placed the call on loud speaker  
"I see the residents of Vale have an interesting sense of humour" the voice was feminine yet beneath it there was something else, something that set nerves on edge like nails on a chalk bored; everything that was Malkavia Pitch had a feeling of indescribable wrongness about it, suppressing a shudder Adam retorted  
"I presume I'm talking to Malkavia Pitch"  
"You presume correctly" Gangrel cracked his knuckles and gave Adam a disapproving look growling  
"Get on with it" the Bull-Faunus continued  
"Well Miss Pitch, you are speaking to the person you were hired to kill" the only response was insane laughter, as it subsided Malkavia spoke again  
"I wasn't hired to kill people I was hired to kill a Faunus, they're only worth about a third of the price" Adam forced himself to remain calm, his free hand instinctively reaching for the hilt of his sword  
"I'm going to rip her fucking throat out with by hand!" Gangrel spat  
"Look outside your window" Adam said simply, waiting a few moments for her to comply  
"You came to me?" the disgraced Hunter asked "Well apparently you can at least be taught basic commands, I'll see you soon"

Blake hurried towards the garage on Beacons' campus, the rest of her team and Velvet following her  
"Blake where are you going?" Yang asked as she jogged to catch up with her  
"I need you to give me the keys to your bike" the blonde gave her an incredulous stare  
"You think you're just going to take my bike and leave me here? If you're going I'm coming with you. No arguments" she held up her hand at the last part to halt any arguments from her partner  
"And before we go" Weiss chimed in "We need to know exactly who we're up against, who is Malkavia Pitch and why are they so dangerous?" Blake ran her hands through her, hair she did not have time for this and had not intended for her team to follow her, truthfully though knew she should have expected it from Yang and was truly grateful  
"Weiss, has Gang ever told you about an old friend of ours called Kai?" the heiress nodded  
"He was killed in a bar right?" Blake nodded  
"It was at the last Vytal Festival, right after Team GRAP were knocked out in the second round I wasn't there at the time but I know what happened; after the match Team GRAP and two of the members of the team that beat them, Team MURK, went out drinking together to show there were no hard feelings between them and met up with a few old friends of mine and Gangs' Malkavia Pitch was the leader of Team MURK and even her team were scared of and disgusted by her, she's a violent racist bully; she showed up to the bar and demanded to know why her team were associated with subhuman creatures, she said if they were talking to Faunus they may as well try and talk to the Grimm next; Kai took offence and tried to tell her to leave, she killed him in a single hit"  
"How is she not in prison?" Yang asked utterly aghast at the story  
"Atlas really is as racist as they say" Weiss told them sadly "The military police wouldn't try and bring in a foreign student for questioning and risk an international incident over a dead Faunus" Blake nodded  
"Exactly, she was told that she was welcome to stay in Atlas for the duration of the tournament but would not be allowed to return after that unless it was in her official capacity as a huntress"  
"I say we let Gangrel kill her then" Yang said bluntly "Don't look at me like that" she added seeing the glances from the rest of her team, Blake gave a bitter laugh  
"She's a racist bully but she's not someone like Cardin Winchester, she's actually capable I honestly don't know if Gang or Adam will be able to take her down"  
"Then let's go" Velvet said pushing past the younger students and entering the campus garage heading towards Yangs' distinctive yellow motorcycle and taking a picture of the vehicle with the camera component of her weapon, Yang mounted the bike Blake climbing on behind her and wrapping her arms around her partners waist  
"The bumblebee only seats two, how are the rest of you getting there?" Yang asked  
"I can keep up on my own" Ruby told them  
"I can get myself and Weiss there" Velvet said  
"You've got a bike?" smiling at Yangs' question the Rabbit-Faunus triggered her weapon, a glowing blue hard-light copy of the bumblebee was brought into existence  
"I have now" she grinned as she climbed on, Weiss holding onto her tightly as she sat behind her.

Adam and Gangrel watched as she approached, the disused gas station on a quiet road seemed an ill-fitting location for what was about about to occur, the disgraced Hunters' form was shrouded by the black robes she wore, the hood low over her face revealing nothing but a twisted smile as she looked up at their position  
"Come" Malkavia said sweetly as if calling a pet, the insult obvious. Frowning Adam leapt from the roof, landing on one knee and drawing Wilt as he rose to his feet, Gangrel simply teleported down unsheathing Iorek and Iofur as he reappeared, Malkavia Pitch casually discarded her robe revealing her combat attire; what appeared to be a black leather corset with small metal armour plates added in strategic places, this was strapped to larger sections of heavily engraved and stylised armour on her shoulders, fishnet stockings were visible underneath her black combat skirt, on her feet were boots finished with spiked plating on the toe and heel; her skin was beyond pale, having the appearance of porcelain her hair was equally colourless cascading over her shoulders and framing her thin face her eyes were mismatched the left being a bright blue the right a deep blood red both of them equally crazed. Malkavia gave a mocking bow spreading her arms wide as she did so the bulky forearm-guards she was wearing revealed their true nature breaking apart and extending as the enveloped her hands _The Nightbringers_ were a pair of giant mechanical talons that mimicked the movement of her own fingers, each digit extending over a foot and ending in a serrated blade  
"So shall we dispense with the theatrics now?" she sneered,  
"Definitely" Gangrel snarled and triggered his Semblance without waiting for Adam, reappearing directly in front of her only to find his slash at her head stopped as she brought her arm up the blades of her own weapon halting the attack, his follow up over handed attack with his other sword was simply sidestepped, Gangrel being sent staggering as Malkavia pirouetted towards Adam knocking his strike aside with a backhanded right before thrusting her left forwards forcing him to duck to prevent being skewered, her response was to close the mechanical claw around him and throw him aside before turning her attention back to Gangrel who tried to rush her bringing both blades down simultaneously, Malkavia grasped both of his swords in her left claw, metal screeching against metal as she pulled him forwards and planted her boot firmly in his gut the impact wrenching his weapons free from his grasp before she simply swatted him away with her right claw, the blade of the index finger leaving a thin gouge along his mask; before she could press her advantage a gunshot connected with her Aura clearly aimed at the side of her head, steadying herself she turned and smiled at Adam before stalking towards him, her Aura weathering the steady stream of gunfire until Blush clicked empty, her grin took on an even more manic appearance as she noted Adam was out of ammunition  
"Well I suppose animals don't know how to count" she smirked before triggering her semblance, her pupils seeming to diffuse into the whites of her eyes while her irises began to glow, without warning Adam was forced his knees as an intense pressure built up in his head and the sound of screams filled his ears, beneath the screams he could clearly hear voices all of them dragged from his memories  
" _Mister Taurus we have some bad news about your parents"  
_ " _Hey Adam my Dad gets out in two months, I'm going to be leaving"  
_ " _Harry Regal for multiple counts of arson and your involvement with the White Fang I sentence you to twelve years in prison"  
_ " _Fuck, Adam we've been trying to reach you all night it's bad man, it's Kai…."  
_ " _Me and Luna are thinking about moving to Vaccuo, I'm going to ask her to marry me Adam"  
_ " _Goodbye"  
_ " _I can't just pretend I'm okay with the things you're willing to do"  
_ " _Just heard some interesting news about Slate"_ Adam rose to his feet with a primal roar and brought Wilt down in a wide slash and triggering his Semblance as Malkavia advanced on him, her sidestep was not fast enough and she screamed as her right forearm fell to the floor, any satisfaction he felt was short lived as her left claw shot forwards, Adam dropped to the floor holding his face in pain and realising his mask was no longer attached, opening his right eye his saw that it was on the ground in front of him in two cleanly separated pieces, removing his hand from his left eyes and seeing blood staining his palm he tried to open the eye and felt bile rise in his throat _his eye wasn't there any more  
_ Gangrel managed to pick himself up and retrieve his weapons before charging Malkavia, seeing how the fight had progressed Adam had already maimed her but his old friend seemed to be injured himself, as he closed the distance between them he realised just how severely injured Adam was Malkavia turned her attention to him, her eyes glowing as her Semblance made its' effects known on Gangrels' psyche sending him to his knees  
" _Gangrel, son it's about mum, mum….she won't be coming home"  
_ " _Get the fuck away from my son!"  
_ " _Gang, son I'm going to have to go away for a while but I promise I'll write to you every day"  
_ " _Harry went and did some stupid shit the night you left, he's looking at a long time inside"  
_ " _Kai! Kai! Somebody call an ambulance!"_ As soon as the memory of that night surfaced in his mind Gangrel saw nothing but red, triggering his Semblance he teleported staying crouched low and sweeping his opponents legs from under her as soon as he reappeared before picking her up and slamming her into one of the columns supporting the canopy of the gas station  
"You dumb animals I'll kill you both with one hand!" she screamed Gangrel snarled back in her face  
"I'll show you animal bitch, I promised I was going to kill you with claws and teeth" with that he opened his jaws wide and his snout like mouth closed around her face as he kept his hands firmly around her throat as he felt her blood fill his mouth; he was forced to relent as pain blossomed in his chest, looking down he saw that the mechanical claw mounted on her remaining arm was pressed against his ribs; four blade like fingers protruding from his back, Malkavia had impaled him and punctured his right lung in several places staggering back Gangrel fell to the floor sliding off of the blades, Malkavia loomed over him panting for breath blood flowing freely from her lacerated face staining her alabaster hair as it fell  
"After I kill you, I'm going to find out who you are and then I'm going to find your fam-" her tirade was cut short as Adams' fist burst from her chest, while the Bull-Faunus mainly channelled his Semblance through his sword he could still ignore an opponents' defence when striking with his hands, as Malkavia collapsed backwards dead, her heart having being destroyed Adam dragged her body to the edge of the forecourt before emptying a container of gasoline he had left here while casing the location before the job, the smell of burning flesh told Gangrel that the mission was finished and the evidence was being destroyed, moments later Adam approached and removed Gangrels' mask, the Bear-Faunus looking up at his old friend as he lay in an expanding pool of his own blood  
"You were right" he managed to force out, crimson liquid dripping from his mouth with each word "Should have worn armour, call for a medic"  
"No" Adam said calmly before stamping directly on Gangrels' stab wounds making him howl in pain, the crimson haired man leaned over him "I heard from Cheshire today, she's been guarding Torchwick they have some interesting stories to tell, like how you were the one to stab him and leave him for the police and how she's sure that the person who took her out during Operation Snowfall teleported above her; this is why you talked me out of moving against Blake isn't it?" Gangrel coughed up more blood as he tried to speak Adam shook his head in disgust  
"I killed deserters and anyone who could have given information to Junior and you were right Gang" Adam told him, his voice low and dangerous "Tukson was the man who taught me to shave, that's probably the closest thing to a father figure I'll ever have and I had his throat cut because I thought he was a traitor and it was you the whole time" searching through Gangrels pockets he withdrew his scroll and proceeded to crush it in his hand offering some final words before turning to leave  
"I don't know what you were hoping to achieve Gang, nor do I care. Die slowly"  
As he left the Bear-Faunus tried and failed to bring himself to a sitting position, coughing up more blood that seemed intent on blocking his airways he was growing cold and numb and was sure he could actually feel his heart slowing down, as his vision became blurry and everything sounded distant he thought he heard an engine and reasoned Adam was still capable of driving, his last conscious thought was of a pair of bright blue eyes.

 **Authors Notes:**

Oh you thought that the happy tone of the last chapter was a sign of things to come? You sweet summer child.

Yes Adam and Velvet are currently still together but how long that lasts beyond this point is questionable.  
This chapter was set the weekend before Team CFVY head on a mission and a week before the Dance, I've put a bit more time between exchange students arriving and the dance a) because I needed it and b) because sometimes seem to just happen in canon.  
Another Merc x Em scene, I don't plan on writing these scenes but I ship them so damn hard they just appear.  
So now Blake and Velvet are both fully aware of who the other is.  
Yes Velvets' weapon can replicate a small enough vehicle as well as weapons, if it can make a copy of Cocos' minigun and the ammo then it can copy a motorbike  
Yes Adam can use his Semblance to punch a hole through people if he doesn't have Wilt handy  
Yes Adam just lost an eye, Aura can't fix what isn't there anymore and it got ripped out.  
Malkavia Pitch is the end point of some seeds I've been sowing, she was the leader of the team that beat Team GRAP, the person who killed Kai and Junior hired her to deal with Adam and the White Fang in their escalating turf war; her name comes from Vampire the Masquerade and the Vampire Clan "Malkavians" some of her design was inspired by the Youtube user IndigoStars and her character Alicia. Her Semblance basically makes her a Dementor, she can make you hear the worst moments of your life.  
Also I was writing the fight scene I realized that Adam has MASSIVE abandonment issues, the voices he heard were in order:  
 _The people who told him his parents were dead  
_ _Gangrel telling him he'd be moving away  
_ _Harry (one of the kids from the orphanage) getting a lengthy prison sentence  
_ _hearing about Kai,  
Felix (Chainsaw guy) telling him that he's moving to Vaccuo  
_ _Blakes' last words to him in the Black trailer  
_ _what Velvet said to him earlier in the chapter  
_ _hearing that Gangrel was working with Blake  
_ Gangrel heard about his mothers' death and his father going to prison but seeing as he has a positive relationship with his father at this point he's had some closure and a chance to move forward, Adam is just a mess.

Thank you to Drake187 for their reply on the last chapter, the Velvet situation will be addressed next chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	24. 24: Recovery

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 24: Recovery**

Team RWBY and Velvet came screeching to a halt as they saw the fire at a disused gas station in the part of town that Velvets' information had led them to, Ruby skidding forwards and scorching the tarmac as she stopped, Velvets' replicated bike dissipating and fading from existence as it stopped, Blake jumped off of the back of Yangs bike and ran past what she could identify by smell as a burning body towards the second person laying on the ground, approaching she recognised Gangrels' gargantuan frame lying in a pool of blood  
"No! No, no, no, Gangrel, Gang can you hear me?" she cried as knelt next to him, his eyes were open but glassy  
"Oh Oum no, he can't be" Weiss sobbed as she knelt opposite Blake, the Feline pressed two fingers against his neck, a small spark of desperate hope igniting inside her  
"He's alive, I can feel a pulse it's weak but it's there he needs a medic right now" Weiss took the Bear-Faunus' hand in both of her own and whispered through her tears  
"I don't know if you can hear me but I'm here, we're going to get you back to Beacon so don't you dare give up on me now" the sound of retching could be heard, and Blakes' attention momentarily turned back towards the others, Ruby had just thrown up evidently having realised exactly what the burning remains were wile Yang patted her back, the younger girl still occasionally had nightmares about the fight at the docks this would no doubt traumatise her further, Velvet stared at the fire in wide eyed horror and revulsion  
"Blake" the timid voice of the heiress got her attention "How are we going to get him back to Beacon?" she cursed internally, she had no idea  
"Yang, Ruby we need help over here!" the remaining half of their team made their way over to the heavily wounded Faunus on the floor  
"Is, is he dead too?" Ruby asked, looking as though she might be ill, Blake shook her head  
"He's hanging in there but only barely I don't know how we can get him to a hospital though, an ambulance will take too long"  
"Call Beacon" Yang suggested, Blake shook her head again  
"Beacons' on the edge of Vale the Bull-Head would already have to be in the air" worried expressions crossed all their faces before Ruby finally met her eyes  
"In the air, that's it. Blake Gangs' originally from Atlas right"  
"Yes but what does" She was cut off by Ruby as the younger girl frantically pulled out her scroll and made a call  
"Penny, Penny are you still on Ironwoods' ship?….I'm with a wounded Atlesian Hunter they need urgent medical evac and they won't last long enough for Beacon to send one….Can you home in on my Scrolls GPS?….Thank you, tell them to hurry" closing the scroll she turned to the rest of her team  
"The Atlesian fleet are going to send help" Weiss pulled her partner into a crushing hug, the scythe wielder cautiously patted her back unsure of how to respond Blake gave her a tense smile  
"You being friends with Penny might have just saved his life" Weiss slowly rose to her feet and shakily marched towards Velvet who turned to face her in time to receive a slap across the face  
"Adam did this! The man you are in a relationship with did this!" Blake and Yang both ran over and pulled the two of them apart  
"Weiss" Blake said softly "Weiss I need you to look at me, I've seen enough crime scenes to be able to piece together what happened here. That is the body of Malkavia Pitch, look at her weapon it has four blades that will match up with Gangrels' injuries" she took the pale huntress into a hug whispering in her ear "Being angry at Velvet won't help, if it wasn't for her we wouldn't even know this had happened"  
"Where's Adam?" Blake turned to Velvet who had spoken and saw that the Rabbit-Faunus had tears streaming down her face  
"I can see two sets of tire tracks, one leading here and one leading away" Blake told her Velvet took a moment to understand what had been said  
"You mean he thinks Gang is dead?" Blake frowned  
"If he thought Gang was dead he would have burned his body as well to destroy evidence, I think he left him here to die" the Rabbit Faunus covered her mouth with her hands whispering to herself  
"He wouldn't, he can't have" Blake stepped forwards to attempt to comfort the older Faunus but Velvet stepped back panicked "I, I can't be here, I have to get away" she stammered out before turning on her heel and bolting back the way they had come, before she could follow a spotlight shone on their position as a new model of Atlesian Bull-Head transport hovered silently over head before lowering itself to the ground, a medical team springing into action the moment the ramp lowered, a familiar green eyed girl behind them rushing towards Ruby  
"Are you okay?" she asked, the caped girl sniffed and wiped her eyes  
"I'm fine, it's Gangrel….why is it always Gangrel?" she gave a watery chuckle Penny cocked her head pondering the question  
"Because he's the only person you know who can withstand it" Blake tuned them out, letting the pair have their moment as she turned her attention to Weiss and Yang  
"Yang I'm going after Velvet if you're going with Gang then I need your keys" the blonde shook her head  
"I'm with you Blake" taking the felines' hand in hers "I'm always with you"  
"You'd rather chase down Adams' partner than go with Gangrel?" Weiss asked incredulously, Blake turned to her  
"I'm almost certain she's going to try and run from the White Fang and we've all seen how they respond to deserters, look Weiss I've been where Velvet is right and I wouldn't wish facing it alone on anybody" she placed a hand on the heiress's shoulder and met her gaze "Go with Gangrel Weiss, I've already told you he's the closest thing to an older brother I have and you're the only person I trust with him right now; take care of him for me" Weiss gave her a weak smile  
"I'll call you as soon as we get some news"

Blake clung to her partner as the drove through the streets of Vale in search of the erstwhile Rabbit-Faunus, they had stopped to contact Team CFVY as the entered the city centre Coco having told them that she would be on the first transport from Beacon, even on Sundays those transports were fairly reliable and the sun had already begun to rise as the yellow motorcycle slowly patrolled past the boarded up windows of the White Fang arcade  
"Look up ahead by the docks" Yang told her, weariness creeping into her voice, doing as she was asked she saw someone huddled up on one of the benches  
"I think that's her, pull up let me talk to her" the Cat-Faunus climbed from the vehicle as it stopped and cautiously made her way towards the curled up form of Velvet Scarlatina  
"Velvet" Blake said softly as she sat next to her taking in the Rabbit-Faunus' tear stained face and puffy red eyes as well as the fact she was shivering in the early morning cold  
"Blake I can't stay, I called Adam a monster the last time we fought and I only said it because I was mad but Oum he really is one isn't he" Velvets' words came out rushed and timid  
"Running won't make anything better" the feline told her "Trust me I tried"  
"I've never seen that much blood before, and oh fuck the smell of burning, Adam did that, Adam is a maniac and I, I let him touch me" her nervous rambling cut off as she ran to the nearest trash can and threw up, Blake following her and holding her hair back  
"I know Velvet, I know. Gangrel is getting help right now though and if I know Gang at all he'll pull through" Velvet gave a slight nod  
"Thank Oum that's something, I just feel so, so"  
"Dirty" Blake suggested "You've seen what Adam is really capable of and it spoils every good memory you had with him" the sound of the first transport of the day approaching overhead got their attention  
"Your team should be on that" Blake told her, Velvet gave her a terrified glance  
"You told Coco?"  
"I haven't told them anything other than you need help, they'd rather hear it from you" the Rabbit Faunus' glanced over at the Bull-Head, the first passengers disembarking and clearly recognised her team among them, as the drew closer she saw Coco hadn't even bothered to get dressed simply throwing a leather jacket over her pyjamas  
"Oum almighty what the fuck happened?" her team leader demanded, Fox and Yatsuhashi standing behind her  
"Gang got hurt" Velvet said simply  
"What happened?" the Rabbit-Faunus took a shaky breath to steady herself before Blake answered for her  
"Gangrel and myself are former White Fang agents, who are trying to bring them down from the inside Gang was still working undercover we think he was outed tonight" Fox winced and Yatsuhashis' normally emotionless face betrayed a look of surprise  
"Fuck" Coco said simply before asking "But what does this have to do with Velvet?"  
"I'm in the White Fang" the Rabbit-Faunus murmured all eyes being drawn to her at those words "The man I've been dating is the leader of the White Fang" her leader knelt before for her and wrapped her arms around her shoulders  
"Velvet, why?"  
"I just wanted to help Faunus" Velvet sobbed into her leaders shoulder as she broke down again "I never meant for any of this to happen"  
"Was it you that attacked Gang?" Fox asked  
"No" Blake interjected "So far as we can tell a job went south and he was injured, it looks like he was abandoned which is why we think his cover was blown. The White Fang never abandon people on a job" Coco took a deep breath as she pulled back from her team-mate  
"Velvet I'm going to ask you one question. Can I trust you?" Velvet looked her  
"Coco I swear I didn't know anything about any of this, I knew the White Fang had robbed places but I never realised how bad it gets" Coco rose to her feet running her hands through her currently unkempt hair  
"I believe you Velvet, we ship out for the front tomorrow what I suggest is we go to Beacon and you get some sleep and we'll figure out what happens next when we get back from the mission; it gives us all some time to get our heads around this" she turned to the rest of Team CFVY "I can't make this call on my own, what about you two?" Yatsuhashi silently nodded  
"Velvets' one of us, that's all that matters" Fox said simply, Coco helped the Rabbit-Faunus to her feet  
"Let's go home" as she turned to leave she leaned over to Blake "Thank you for everything you've done tonight, go talk to your partner she looks like something important just happened" Blake turned to see Yang frantically waving at her and began briskly walking in the blondes' direction before being halted by her next words  
"Weiss just called, it's Gang" her chest tightened before Yangs' face broke into a broad smile "He woke up"

"He should be taken in for questioning immediately" General Ironwood insisted "He was found wearing a White Fang uniform next to a dead body" Ozpin sipped his coffee calmly, placing a hand on the shoulder of the third person in the room  
"I have had numerous sources tell me that Gangrel Slate was a key member of a group of students trying to bring down the White Fang via infiltration and sabotage, as for the dead body the wounds he received coincide with the weapon recovered, do you mean to tell me that Mister Slate disposed of the body of a victim and then crushed his own scroll rather than call for aid on the off chance another student would find him in time?"  
"He is an Atlesian citizen and as such" the General was cut off by the other person in the room  
"He's got dual citizenship, we've lived here seven years and he's a trainee Huntsman"  
"That is correct" Ozpin nodded "And I'm sorry James but I will not simply hand over one of my students to a Military Police, I will question him when the time is right and share any pertinent information with you"  
"If you are so certain that Mister Slate had noble intentions then answer me this, why did he not seek aid from any official sources" the third member of the trio gave a barking laugh  
"Because he lived in Atlas long enough to trust them, if he's trying to save lives why would he go to the police when he knows they'll probably shoot Faunus suspects on sight" shaking his head disdainfully he continued "Besides he's still training but he's got experience as a Hunter under his belt, he is an official source" the door to the office and Professor Goodwitch appeared in the doorway giving Ozpin a meaningful glance  
"It would appear that Gangrels' Aura has recovered enough for him to wake up; James I doubt he will be up for a debriefing right now but as I promised I will share information I receive" the third person in the room made to leave, General Ironwood halting them with a hand on the shoulder and an imploring look  
"I understand that-"  
"No you don't" Bjorn slate growled fiercely cutting him off "If you understood you wouldn't be stupid enough to stand between me and my son"

His eyes opened slowly, the first thing he became aware of was pain in his chest sending him into a coughing fit, each spasm sending jolts of agony through his as he tried to force himself into a sitting position realising as he did so that his right arm was bound in a sling  
"Welcome back to the land of living, you should visit more often" came Squishs' voice as Gangrels' eyes adjusted to the light he took note of his surrounding and realised that he was in the infirmary at Beacon, his own team watching over him alongside Weiss, Ruby and...  
"What the fuck is the scrapheap doing here" he snarled out as he caught sight of Penny, Ruby giving him a harsh glare at the insult  
"Salutations" Penny smiled "Your friends requested I get you a medical evac"  
"Next time let me die with my self respect" the Bear-Faunus spat causing Weiss to stomp forwards and force him to meet her eyes, those blue eyes he was sure he had seen before passing out from his injuries  
"Don't ever say that" she pleaded "I don't ever want to think about you getting hurt like this again"  
"Sorry" he mumbled, leaning forwards enough to plant a soft kiss on her forehead before looking over to his own team "How badly fucked did I get?" Artemis shook her head and sighed  
"Punctured lung, ruined muscles in your chest, back and shoulder, your arm was hanging on by a thread. You're going to have scars but other than that your Aura will heal just about everything doctors say you're going to have a stiff arm and be short of breath for a few days and your Semblance probably won't work for around a week or two while your Aura focuses on putting you back together….And so help me Oum the next time you pull a stunt like this and don't tell us I'm going to kill you myself" Gangrel gave her grin  
"Weiss are you going to let her threaten me like that?" the heiress smiled at him  
"Dolt, I agree with her" a loud barking laugh in the doorway of the room caught everyone by surprise they turned to face a six foot three Bear-Faunus with greying hair and tired amber eyes the mans' face was marred by a long scar running across his snout like face  
"Well it seems you've finally got a woman in your life willing to beat sense into you, I wish her the best of luck" Gangrel chuckled at the newcomer  
"Well you've met Missy before" he turned to the white haired girl currently still leaning into him "Weiss, meet my Dad" what little colour the naturally pale girl had left her complexion as she hurried forwards and offered her hand  
"Mister Slate, sir it's a pleasure to meet you I'm Weiss Schnee" the older man gave his son a curious look over the top of her head before answering  
"It's a pleasure to meet you too, but don't feel a need to be so formal around me" looking around the assembled Hunters he gave the all an apologetic smile "Don't suppose you lot would mind clearing out for a few minutes, haven't seen Gang since the start of term and he's already got himself into a state" they all responded that it was no problem and made to leave, Weiss giving Gangrel one last smile over her shoulder as she left, Penny waving at him" Bjorn chuckled as he approached his son  
"So, a Schnee now that's news I'm glad I got to see in person"  
"Here we fucking go" Gangrel muttered under his breath  
"I've told you about cursing in front of me, I don't care how old you are" his father warned "So when did that happen" Gangrel shrugged with his good arm  
"Not even sure myself, she's a friend of a friend I helped train her a team a bit and we started hanging out; I'm going to that dance with her next weekend though"  
"Oh this is going to be a headline" Bjorn laughed "Daughter of the Chairman of the SDC attends biggest social event of the year with a Faunus who can't dance"  
"Dad" Gangrel paused to think of a retort that wouldn't include cursing "Shut up. You're taking it well" his father simply snorted before adding  
"What, you thought I was going to hold what happened to your mother against her; she'd have still been wet behind the ears when it happened. Her old man might not be so understanding though but honestly you seem to get yourself knee deep in trouble on other peoples' account often enough you may as well get something out of it for a change….Speaking of, care to explain" he indicated to Gangrels' bandages  
"You know I'm still in the White Fang?" he started, his father nodding  
"Aye I know you still follow that idiot boy Taurus around while he ruins what little progress we made  
"Not any more" Gangrel told him "I take it you remember Blake as well?"  
"Adams' hanger-on, I remember her" Gangrel pulled himself upright before continuing  
"Well she got out, came to me and told me some of what Adam is doing. I don't know all the details but he's gone off the deep end and needs to be stopped. I've been helping her sabotage missions where I can, keep the police out of it and keep the idiot kids he's recruiting from getting themselves killed" Bjorn nodded slowly  
"And the dead body you were found next to? I saw the pictures, I've never seen a weapon like that before so I assume they were a hunter"  
"It was the evil bitch that killed Kai" Gangrel snarled out  
"Did you kill her?" his father asked him sternly  
"I wish. I had her but she caught me off guard and did this to me, Adam took her out and left me there to die; told me he knew I was selling him out"  
"For Oums' sake you really don't make mistakes by halves do you boy?" Bjorn sighed "You're a bone-headed, cocky little urchin with more guts than sense who can't say no to a good fight….But Oum if your mother wouldn't have been proud of the man you're growing into, I know I am" Gangrel steadfastly refused to acknowledge the heat prickling his eyes, he had not cried in front of his father since his release from prison and he had no intention of starting now, Bjorn however took one look at his sons' face and smirked  
"Wipe your damn eyes Gang the tough act you put on for your friends won't wash with me….Now before we get too morbid, lets' talk about this ice princess of yours some more"

 **Authors Notes:**

Yeah Gangrel survived again, by the skin of his teeth, again.  
I write Ruby as getting easily shaken up by things like death, until we know more about how Summer died I think it's safe to assume that it would bother her, she's killed Grim which just evaporate people being left in pools of blood and the smell of burning bodies is very different.  
Looks like Adam & Velvet aren't a thing any more.  
Blake can look at a White Fang crime scene and reconstruct what happened just by sheer amount of experience.  
Yes I had Blake go after her because really who else can relate to her position right now.  
Yes Weiss slapped Velvet, she wasn't thinking straight  
Yes Coco heard Velvet was in trouble and showed up in her pyjamas with her hair a mess, because that's what team-mates are for  
As much of a dick as Ironwood sounded he wasn't really being that unreasonable.  
Also Gangrels' Dad everyone, Adam & Blake are "That idiot boy Taurus and his hanger on" what else needs to be said.

Thank you to Drake187 for their reply on the last chapter, the Velvet situation will be addressed next chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	25. 25: Welcome to Hell

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

 **Chapter 25: Welcome To Hell**

The strike force had stopped to refuel at a heavily guarded outpost beyond the walls of Vale, four Atlesian Bull-Head Raubvogel variants provided to Beacon for the joint operation between the two academies were currently being attended to by the on-site crew. Professor Peter Port stood in the communications room, weapon slung over his shoulder in front of a large screen that flickered into life displaying the bespectacled and weary face of his oldest surviving friend  
"I see you've reached outpost four-four-two" Professor Oobleck stated, Port stroked his prominent moustache  
"The crew here call it the pit, it used to be the pit-stop now it's just the pit" he chuckled, his yearly forays to the Front-Line and beyond at his own insistence had left him on amicable terms with the soldiers and engineers that staffed the various outposts  
"Regardless" Oobleck grinned "Do you have anything to report?" the speed he rattled off words at something his old team-mate being well accustomed to  
"Nothing at all, I'd still rather have flesh and blood soldiers than the automatons with me but we must all make do" Port grinned "We should be airborne inside of two hours, one ship will go ahead and secure the designated landing site"  
"And what of the students"  
"Team CFVY look nervous but determined, well three of them at least"  
"Would the fourth be Miss Scarlatina?"  
"Indeed, she is a more than capable Huntress though I'll speak more with her when we're in the air" Oobleck nodded  
"I agree, she may have had to take her first year history class but she is an integral part of her team. I must leave, I'll pass your report along to Ozpin"  
"Stay safe with those students Bart, they've got a party coming soon" Port chortled  
"Likewise Peter and good hunting my old friend" the screen faded to black ending the conversation between the last to surviving members of Team COPR

Adam woke up his head spinning and his whole body aching, rolling over to where his bedside table should have been he fell to the floor, waiting for his vision to stop swimming he slowly pulled himself to his feet and saw that he had been in a hospital bed looking down at his own body he saw that he was topless and his chest was mottled with bruises that were rapidly fading with the aid of his Aura, four bands of pain shot across his back as he straightened out evidently the wounds he had received from Malkavia when she had grabbed him in her talons had not healed, as soon as the thought formed Adams' hand shot to his left eye and he felt something cold and metallic in the socket  
"Luckily I have influence in many places and could acquire that swiftly, although the outer layer will take some time to be sculpted to your skull" Adam turned to face the voice and met the glowing golden eyes of Cinder Fall, Romans' former protégé Neo trailing behind her with a her usual insane smile plastered across her face  
"What did you do to me?" Adam hissed, Cinder stepped towards him and handed him a small mirror  
"See for yourself" doing so Adam saw that the left side of his face was disfigured by two ugly red scars running parallel to each other at a slight angle from his left horn down his face and cheek to his jawline, what truly shocked him though was that in place of his left eye he a cybernetic implant the parts he could see consisting of a series of automatically adjusting lenses and blinking red lights, Cinder smiled at his mildly revolted expression  
"The missing component is a cover that will hide the mechanism, when the scars and bruising fade the White Fang will have an even more fierce looking leader"  
"How did I get here?" Adam asked as he realised that he was in the base at Mountain Glen, Cinder gave him a bemused smirk  
"Do you not remember? You completed your mission but were injured and tried to drive home with your eye freshly removed, you lost control of the car and contacted me asking for assistance and medical attention after crashing into a ditch, surely you did not attempt to face a hired killer with no assistance?" Adam glowered at his business partner, before relenting and deciding to indulge her  
"I took backup, an old friend who it was recently proven had turned traitor on us, he was the one responsible for leaking the information that cost us the docks"  
"Ah, so you brought him with you and left him to his fate" Cinder surmised grinning cruelly "An impressively ruthless way of dealing with two problems. What of Captain Scarlatina?"  
"What about her?" Adam demanded  
"My agents within Beacon tell me that she wanted to know where the mission was taking place so that she could provide assistance, did she not arrive" Adam paled reaching for his scroll and seeing no missed calls or messages from Velvet, dialling he waited until he was greeted by the voice mail message, he ended the call silently as his stomach plummeted and a voice in the back of his mind whispered to him _'She's left and you know it, they always leave'_ taking several shaky breaths he looked up at Cinder  
"Something wrong?" she asked silkily  
"No answer" he said simply  
"You seem concerned" Adams' fury immediately rose to the surface  
"SHE'S ADANDONED ME! SHE'S JUST LIKE THE REST OF THEM!" he roared, tears falling from his remaining eye "She left me just like the rest of them did, Velvet, Blake, Gangrel, my parents….they've all left me" his voice a pained hoarse whisper by the end as he collapsed back on the bed silently weeping, Cinder stepped forwards and placed a hand firmly on his shoulder  
"Then they were never worthy" she told him "I'm here I remain and so long as you stay loyal to me Adam I will give you the new world for your people that you desire; those that betrayed you are cowards who don't deserve the place at your side that you offered them" Adam looked at her, tears still in his eye  
"I loved her, since I met her every plan I had for the future had her next to me" Cinder gave him the most sympathetic smile she could  
"And when our plans are revealed she will come back to you, whether or not you choose to accept her is your decision Adam. Do I still have your support moving forwards?" Adam slowly nodded, pretending to himself that he couldn't see Neo discretely withdraw her blade in case he gave the wrong answer  
"Always, you may just be the last ally I have Cinder"

Velvet sat in the passenger compartment of the Atlesian Bull-Head it was a vast departure from the ones she was used to, the ramp being situated to the rear of the craft rather than the sides, advanced engine allowing it to fly almost silently and boasting a pair of nose mounted chain-guns and missile launchers on the wings. She fidgeted slightly trying to get comfortable in her seat despite the heavy harness fitted over her chest and shoulders, the movement caught the attention of Professor Port whom her team had been attached to for the mission, something Gangrel had told her beforehand was a good thing, while the wide set man and his abundance of stories made him the butt of many jokes among the students the Bear-Faunus had assured her that he could live up to his own hype  
"Miss Scarlatina" Port asked, his warm voice getting her attention "Is anything the matter? You've been awfully subdued for the duration of the trip compared to your team-mates; I believe you were the only person who didn't laugh when Miss Adel showed her weapon to the staff at the outpost and asked if anyone wanted a measuring contest" Velvet grinned at the memory of her leaders' antics before sighing to herself and deciding that the Professor deserved at least as much of the truth as she could safely tell him  
"I broke up with my first real boyfriend over the weekend, I know I shouldn't bring my personal problems with me on a mission but I can't stop thinking about it"  
"Ah to be young and in love" Port chortled "Miss Scarlatina you are a fine young woman and any man or woman you choose to give your affections to should be honoured by that fact, but alas pain and broken hearts are an unavoidable part of this part of your life" Coco gave her a smile from her position opposite her  
"Fuck him, his loss you deserve better"  
"Precisely Miss Adel, although perhaps with less crude language" Port smiled  
"Sir" the co-pilot of the craft called back "Shouldn't we have heard something from the scouts by now?" Port stroked his moustache thoughtfully  
"Indeed, try to contact them" a few moments later the communications channel was filled by the sound of cursing, gunfire and howling wind  
"Commander Port Sir!" a young sounding voice screamed, the co-pilot of the scout craft "We've been hit hard, some sort of Bat Grimm swarmed us they interfered with most of the on-board equipment and taking them down got the attention of a flock of Nevermore, one of them crashed into the cockpit AJ didn't stand a chance!"  
"Fall back and rendezvous with the rest of the strike force" the co-pilot gave a crazed laugh  
"Negative sir. I won't make it that far, I'm only carrying Knights you've got live cargo I'll thin them out for you as much as I can, it's been a pleasure hunting with you" the comm went dead  
"Hail the other two ships tell them full speed ahead!" Port ordered before turning to the students "Ready your weapons, and brace yourselves aerial combat is tricky"  
"Sir" Fox said nervously "I'm going to be no use in this fight at all, I can't see"  
"I'm already aware of your blindness Alistair" Fox shook his head  
"No you don't understand, my Semblance normally counteracts my blindness I have thermal imaging and limited sonar in place of my sight….I can't use it here the heat and vibrations from engine interfere too much for me to focus"  
"Sir! We have visual targets dead ahead!"  
"Do you see the ship?"  
"Yes sir, he's surrounded and taking heavy….Oh my fucking Oum!" the co-pilot gasped as an explosion illuminated the darkening sky outside "He just blew his own engine, took a good chunk of that flock down with him"  
"Then we shall take the rest!" Port ordered "All pilots any Grimm that survives and any soldier or Hunter that perishes today is an insult to that mans' sacrifice! All weapons fire at will!" a chorus of cheers went up from crew of the three remaining ships as they surged forwards unleashing a storm of gunfire and rockets into the approaching Grimm the remaining three dozen Nevermore found the number halved in moments; nobody was ready for the ferocity of the Grimm retaliation six broke off and attacked the Bull-Head to the left of one carrying Team CFVY four perishing before they could reach their target, the remaining two latching on the engine and right wing and tearing it away, following the craft down in search of prey as it spiralled out of control, Port cursed loudly as he saw the ship go down  
"To the pilot of the remaining ship, get behind us myself and Team CFVY will keep the Grimm off of you!" pressing a button on his harness he stepped forwards his harness still affixed to the wall by a retractable cable  
"Mister Daichi, do you carry any ranged weapons?" he asked  
"I can use my Semblance as one if needs be" the professor shook his head  
"Stay back with Mister Alistair you may need to conserve your Aura for a landing strategy; Miss Adel, Miss Scarlatina, with me!" with that he readied his weapon, switching _Coldstream Guard_ to its' blunderbuss form and drawing a small explosive before stepping forwards and planting said explosive on the rear hatch of the transport and pressing and emergency button to blow the hatch, the thick sheet of metal flew back striking a Nevermore attempting to assault the Bull-Head behind them before the explosive detonated engulfing it in flames  
"Let fly at us would you, you bastards?" Port scoffed to himself as Coco and Velvet readied themselves behind him, their own harnesses still connected to the wall  
"Another three down!" the Co-Pilot called back, the remaining six Nevermore split into two groups of three each focusing on a particular craft  
"Professor you might want to step back" Coco stated calmly as she deployed Satani Arbor and opened fire, following a single target until it dissolved into wisps of tangible darkness  
"Reloading!" she called, in a practised motion Coco and Velvet switched places, as Coco attended to her weapon the Faunus prepared her own replica of the mini-gun and opened fire, her salvo claiming another Nevermore  
"Oh shit brace for impact!" the pilot called, the brief warning not enough to prepare the Team for the screeching head of a Nevermore crashing through the cockpit of the Bull-Head killing both the pilot and co-pilot instantly  
"Landing strategies!" Port bellowed, Yatsuhashi unbuckling his harness and running forwards and drawing his sword  
"I'll deal with that last Nevermore!" he told them before leaping from the back of the craft and triggering his Semblance, he generated a wave of sheer concussive force from the palm of his hand that shattered the skull of the beast before proceeding to balance himself on the blade of Liequan and use his Semblance in small bursts to control his descent  
"Alistair with me!" Port ordered tearing Foxs' harness apart with his bare hands and holding the blind fighter close to his chest as he leapt from the Bull-Head, the blades of his weapon extending into small wings as it was positioned over his back  
"Velvet I need a chute, I can't land from this high!" Coco called to her, the Rabbit-Faunus pulled the two emergency parachutes from under the seats and handed them to her leader  
"One for you one for you weapon, go!" Coco followed the rest of her team from the craft, Velvet turning and forming a replica of Squishs' pistol Fixer and shooting the still struggling Nevermore embedded in the front of the Bull-Head between the eyes before pressing the button to disconnect her own harness  
Nothing happened  
With a stream of curses on a growing sense of nausea as the craft began to tail-spin as it headed ever closer to the tree line she tried again with the same result before attempting to prise the harness off by hand, eventually the metal gave way to her Aura enhanced strength but looking out of the hole left by the Nevermore she could see it was too late, drawing her weapon and creating a copy of Jaunes' shield she crouched behind it and braced for impact.

She came to in the smoking wreckage of the Bull-Head and scrambled to her feet her arms protesting against the movement, the shield had not held out as well as she had hoped her golden armour plating was scuffed and dented. Velvet staggered out of the downed craft avoiding the sparks issuing from ruined panels as she did so once outside she saw that the wings had been torn from the main body and the crash had carved a swathe through the towering trees of the jungle she found herself in withdrawing her scroll and seeing that she had no signal she limped forwards in search of any of the others but knowing better than to call out and give away her position; she needn't have bothered as an incessant clicking sound met her ears turning she saw a group of four insect like Grimm, each the size of a car walking on their rear two pairs of legs, forelimbs held up in front of them before she could ready her weapon one of them lunged forwards, it's forelimbs having far too many unfolding joints, Velvet barely managed to leap aside and create a replica of the first weapon that came to mind, rising she fired her copy of Blush into the first three Mantis Grimm, cracking bone armour and leaving their corpses fading, barely managing to bring the replica of Wilt down in time to stop the forelimbs of the last one from skewering her  
"Fucking die" a voice bellowed and Fox burst into the makeshift clearing, bringing his arm mounted blades down in a cross and tearing the last Grimm to shreds  
"Thank Oum, you're still alive" Fox sighed in relief as he took in the sight of Velvet "Whose weapon is that?" Velvet looked at the Katana in her hand and consciously realised for the first time whose weapon she had defaulted to when under pressure  
"Adams….And what the fuck were those things?" she asked  
"Disembowellers, Mantis-Grimm some weird breeds live out here apparently" Fox informed her  
"Is everyone else okay?" Velvet asked apprehensively causing a sigh from Fox  
"Yatsu broke his ankle on the way down but his Aura will fix that by morning and Cocos' face is a little cut up where her glasses shattered, the other ship made it to the landing zone that's where we've regrouped, let's go"  
"Are we sending for emergency evac?" Velvet asked as she followed Fox  
"Nope" he said simply "Port really is as tough as Gang said, he says we've got a job to finish that spawning pool has to be destroyed and we either do it or die trying….At this point I'm not taking bets on which"

 **Authors Notes:**

Gangrel warned them, a trip beyond the Front Lines is not for the faint hearted, four ships, one professor, one Hunter-Team, eight Atlas Soldiers (Pilot and Co-Pilot of each ship) and thirty Atlesian Knights, more or less demolished before even touching down.  
Speaking of the ships, more German being used as Atlesian, the modified Bull-Heads are called a Raubvogel or "Bird of Prey" variant, faster quieter and more well equipped than the civilian ones shown in Canon, because Atlas always has shiny new toys.  
The Grimm feed on negativity, the professors were right to be worried about Velvet.  
Also, speaking of Negativity Adam; he's now got a cybernetic eye some nasty scars and he's going further down the rabbit hole (Make a Yang worthy pun about his sex life with Velvet if you wish)  
The way I wrote Cinder is this chapter is how I see her; manipulative as hell, she takes people that are useful to her when they're at their lowest point and gives them purpose, the power dynamic between Adam and Cinder just subtly changed in this chapter.  
Aerial combat is tricky to write when you've never flown.  
Foxs' Semblance is thermal imaging and sonar as a work around for his blindness  
Yatsuhashis Semblance is generating shock-waves from his hands, based on the way he ripped the floor up around him at the Breach….Also yes his landing strategy was to surf on his sword.  
I want to write Port as capable, he's not all talk. His weapon Coldstream Guard is named after one of the Regiments that the British Royal Guard are drawn from.  
Bat Grimm are a thing now, they're cries can interfere with electronics...I'm thinking of calling them Screamers  
Mantis Grimm/Disembowellers, they're arms shoot forwards and unfold several feet

Okay this is the 25th Chapter, we've cleared the 100K words mark and today (Fourth of October) marks the one month anniversary of this story being posted. All on the same day.

I'd like to mark this occasion by taking a moment to thank everyone who has stuck with me thus far and continues to do so.


	26. 26: Focus

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 26: Focus**

Ozpin placed the still steaming mug of coffee down on the table and intertwined his fingers, staring over his glasses at the student sitting opposite him and gave them a look that he hoped was both firm yet encouraged trust; this particular student had been noted as a problem child with no respect for authority since he arrived at the academy in his first year  
"Mister Slate" he started the Bear Faunus adjusting himself in his seat, trying to get comfortable despite his right arm still being in a sling while his Aura repaired his injuries "Several of your fellow students have told me that your involvement with the White Fang was merely a ruse to gain information; I am yet to hear your side of the story"  
"You're not stupid Ozpin" Gangrel said bluntly "You know where I'm from, you know damn well that when I joined the White Fang I supported the cause"  
"But that changed" the headmaster said delicately, the Bear-Faunus sighed  
"Fighting to defend yourself is one thing and honestly something I think more Faunus should be willing to do but the White Fang have changed; the leader isn't the same person he used to be" Gangrel trailed off  
"How so?"  
"He's lost his fucking mind" Gangrel scoffed "Let's be honest with each other Ozpin, you want the information I have I want to know if I'm going to be handed over to the authorities as soon as I give you it?" Ozpin shook his head  
"No Mister Slate you have my word as both your Headmaster and as a Hunter that you will be treated fairly, I believe in second chances and both yourself and Miss Belladonna have certainly earned yours" the hulking Faunus growled to himself in irritation before finally making a decision  
"Fuck it what information do you want, I've been a lot less active since I came to Beacon so I can't promise I'll know everything"  
"That is understandable" Ozpin smiled "What do you know of their plans moving forwards?"  
"Not much" Gangrel sighed regretfully "I know they've been recruiting and have managed to get hold of some military grade equipment and a lot of Dust; the time frame is some point during the Vytal Tournament, I don't know the target I haven't heard about any air-ships being stolen so I've got a feeling it might not be the stadium itself"  
"An interesting observation and one I will make the security teams aware of, do you know how they've been obtaining these assets?" Gangrel gave him a toothy smile  
"The Dust was being supplied by Roman Torchwick, he's not a factor any more; as for the weapons I'm not sure I'd heard rumours about the White Fang having a powerful new business partner but I never met them in person. A lot of the funding was coming from a few legal shell businesses"  
"Would you be able to provide a list of these businesses?"  
"I could get a more complete one by the end of the day but honestly I'd advise against raiding them right now"  
"And why is that?" Ozpin asked him, genuinely interested  
"The White Fang and the Black Bear Syndicate are fighting for territory, while the Fang have the upper hand things are relatively calm I don't think messing with the balance of power right now is a good idea, it could complicate things moving forward if it changes their plans"  
"Another interesting thought and I'll admit Mister Slate that your understanding of the nuances of the criminal element is greater than my own, however I am bound to pass this information on to the authorities and cannot guarantee they will agree with your suggestion"  
"Fair enough" Gangrel sighed "Anything else?"  
"No" Ozpin smiled "It has already been concluded that you cannot have been the one responsible for the death of the late Miss Pitch and your presence there can be explained by the fact you were working undercover; unless you have anything you wish to add?" Gangrel shook his head  
"No Professor"  
"Then thank you for your time and frankness; It takes a special kind of bravery to choose to do what is right when so many people you consider to be friends take the wrong path, one day Mister Slate you will make a great Hunter"

Gangrel met Squish in the mess hall, Weiss and Yang joining them soon after, the Bear-Faunus turning his attention away from his food as the heiress made herself comfortable on his lap making sure to avoid his injured arm, the two of them shared a brief kiss  
"Remember when you told me and Blake to get a room for less than this" Yang griped  
"You're right, sorry" Weiss smiled as she removed herself from the Faunus' and sat next to him  
"So where's the rest of your team?" Gangrel asked, Weiss shrugged  
"I think Ruby is training with Rover and Artemis, she's been training after class every day since what happened to you"  
"She's not sleeping again, at least when she wakes up she's got Penny to talk to; that girl seems happy for Ruby to wake her up at any time" Yang added, Gangrel absent mindedly wondered if the mechanical girl actually required sleep  
"So she's dating the ginger then?" Squish smirked "Well I suppose that's a step up from her drooling over half the school, Rover and Artemis were starting to get a little uncomfortable about the way she looked at them both" this got a laugh from everyone present  
"I don't think she was attracted to those two per se, it was more of an attraction to what they have" Weiss said thoughtfully  
"I know right" Yang agreed "Those two are relationship goals, they're adorable together"  
"Yeah it's great until you've got to share a room with them" Squish muttered  
"I bet you've seen them at it so many times they call you the monitor lizard" Yang teased, earning a chorus of groans  
"That was abysmal Yang, even for you" Squish lamented, the blonde winking at him before continuing  
"Don't judge me, all iguana do is have fun"  
"You know" the reptilian commented "The fact you always go for Faunus attribute puns could probably be seen as racial bigotry, luckily I know better"  
"Doubt anyone would believe she's racist when her and Blake are a thing" Gangrel interjected  
"We're not a thing, we just made out once" Yang said sadly  
"Wait what?" Weiss looked at her team-mate shocked "When did that happen?"  
"After I took Ruby dress shopping" Yang shrugged eyes downcast, Gangrel gave an irritated growl  
"Okay hang on, she's had a thing for you since you got put on a team together. You made out and yet you're not moving forward, the fuck?"  
"She wanted to take it slow, we were going to go to the dance together but since you got hurt honestly I've barely seen her, she's been trying to find leads on the White Fang she keeps skipping meals and barely sleeping….curiosity is going to kill the cat" Yang sighed  
"See that's the kind of racist shit I'm talking about" Squish grumbled, Gangrel silencing him with a glare  
"She thinks because I got outed we've got no new leads?" he asked, Yang nodded  
"Yeah, I told her I'll keep asking Junior but she says it won't be enough"  
"It won't be, Adam had the Syndicate pretty much crippled Junior has got other things to worry about; but I left something out of my debriefing with Ozpin, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai are here because Adams' partner wants them to be I kept it quiet specifically so we can keep an eye on them….and break their fingers until they give us information if it really comes down to it" The Faunus smirked at the last part  
"Think you could tell Blake that?" Yang asked "She might actually take a breather if we've got something to work with"  
"How about you tell her, you obviously want to see her so go find her" Yang smiled as she rose from her seat  
"Thanks Gang" the larger hunter gave her a small shrug with his good arm as if to say 'no problem' before turning to his partner  
"Hey Squish, you asked Neon to the dance yet?" the smaller Faunus' pale eyes seemed to brighten as he gave a smile that displayed his needle like teeth  
"It's not a date exactly but yeah she's meeting me there; just going play it by ear and get to know each other a little"  
"Nice, don't suppose you could go hang out with her now or something? We'll hang out later I just haven't really had chance to spend time with my Kostbar-Eins since I got out the infirmary, Weiss's face flushed at the Atlesian pet name  
"Dolt" she laughed as she cuddled into him to try and hide her blush  
"Yeah fuck this I'm out if you're going to be as bad as Missy and Rover were when they hooked up" Squish laughed as he left the pair.

Artemis watched the sparring match between her partner and the student he was coming to consider his protégé, more accurately she used her Semblance to try and make sense of the two steaks of light and energy racing around the sparring arena one a deep crimson leaving a trail of rose petals in its' wake, the other golden with arcs of electricity and sparks issuing from it. Artemis's ability to see the Aura of others only aided her slightly in understanding the progressing match but even she could see that Ruby was not on form today, Rover was managing to land hits from several angles faster than the cape wearing huntress could counter or recover  
"Rover stop!" she called, immediately the golden blur stopped and the canine-Faunus became visible the edges and features of his body becoming more distinct as he body ceased vibrating, Ruby skidded to a halt next to him clutching her side, Artemis was unsure whether it was a stitch or the result of one of her partners' strikes  
"What's up babe?" Rover asked removing his mask as he stepped out of the ring, she shook her head and looked to Ruby who was now sitting on the edge of the ring staring at the floor  
"Ruby, want to tell us what's bothering you? There's no nice way to say it but you're just not getting it together tonight" the younger girl made an irritated noise and didn't meet their gaze  
"I'm fine" she mumbled, the two older students shared a look before making their way back to the ring sitting on either side of her, Artemis wrapping an arm around her shoulders  
"Come on Ruby" she said softly "We want to help but we need to know what's up" Ruby looked up and Artemis noticed the rings around her eyes  
"Not sleeping?"  
"Nightmares" Ruby nodded "Gangrel getting caught in that explosion at the docks, Gangrel and Pennys' fight ending differently, pretty much everything about what we found in Greybark" the Cat-Faunus gave her a supportive hug, she'd heard about the burned and mutilated body that had been there as well as Gangrel laying in a pool of his own blood was forcefully reminded that Ruby Rose was only fifteen  
"Gangrels' tough as they come Ruby" Rover sighed "I didn't see so I can't imagine what it looked like when you found him, but trust me he's fine" Ruby was unconvinced so Artemis attempted to convince her  
"Rover's right, I actually think a lot of is due to your partner"  
"Weiss?" she asked disbelievingly  
"They're only just starting dating but seriously Gangrel hasn't been drinking since he got out the infirmary; I really thought he was going to be a mess as well"  
"That's actually really sweet" Ruby smiled "But it's not just that I've wanted to be a Huntress for as long as I can remember, I fought a whole pack of Beowolves on my own when I was fourteen, but since I came to Beacon it's just really hit me how messed up it gets"  
"Fighting Grimm and fighting people are different" Rover surmised  
"Are you considering calling it quits?" Artemis asked her softly  
"No" Ruby said firmly "This is what my Mom did, this is what my Dad did and now he teachers others how to do, it's what my Uncle does. This is what I'm meant to do" Artemis ruffled the girls hair  
"Ruby I'm going to be honest, when I first saw you in the initiation ceremony and found out how old you were I was livid, I thought Ozpin had lost his marbles letting you in; but I think I can see what he did, you've got the brains and the skills but it's more than that you've got the guts and the drive as well and I know you've impressed him" she nodded to her boyfriend "He said to me once that the only snot nosed kid he'd ever train willingly would be our own child; he tells anyone in our year who asks that your his protégé now"  
"So what do you think I should do?" Ruby asked  
"You got anyone you can talk to about your nightmares? Rover met her question with her own, she nodded smiling brightly  
"Penny"  
"Well talk to her, talk to us, talk to Gangrel he'll tell you himself he's okay; but if you really want to do this I can only give you the same advice I gave Artemis's sister when I was helping to teach her to ride a bike"  
"What advice is that?"  
"Pain comes and goes, get up dust yourself off and Keep. Moving. Forward"

Yang finally found Blake in an abandoned classroom poring over maps and disparate pieces of information that Weiss had finally managed to decipher from the SDC  
"Found anything?" she asked her partner quietly as she stepped behind her, arms snaking around her waist as she peered over her shoulder at the numerous pages littering the desk  
"Nothing" Blake admitted, anger at herself evident in her tone "What would they steal an Oum damned freight train for, the dust on it makes sense but how and why do you steal the full train, where would they even hide it?"  
"Well Gangrel did say they have a base outside of the kingdoms" Yang suggested, Blake huffed  
"But how would you get it passed the walls, it makes no sense" the blonde pulled her closer and gently kissed her shoulder  
"I spoke to Gangrel earlier, he's had to tell Ozpin almost everything and who knows if the police start raiding White Businesses it might shake a few things up but he deliberately left a lead for just us"  
"What is it?" Blake had suddenly turned to face her, eyes intense but lacking focus and with dark rings around them  
"Merc and Em, he wants them in Beacon where we can keep an eye on them"  
"Then let's go" Blake made to leave but Yang pulled her back  
"Blake the only place you need to go is to bed, you look exhausted"  
"The White Fang need to be stopped, Adam needs to be stopped" the dark haired Faunus snarled out  
"Do you think I don't know that!" Yangs' voice raised in agitation "But you're in no shape to do anything right now, take a few days off come to the dance with me and we'll deal with them afterwards"  
"Damn it Yang, I haven't got time for a stupid dance!"  
"If Adam walked through that door right now what would you do?" Yang demanded  
"I'd end him, I'd make sure he could never hurt anyone else" Blake said fiercely, Yang simply shoved her into the desk  
"How? You can't even stop me, you can barely stand you're so tired" Blake tried to rise only for Yang to push her back into the desk again before wrapping around her waist and gently kissing the top of her head  
"Yang" Blake whispered reaching up to kiss her partner on the lips "Thank you for always being here for me" the blonde did not respond with words instead cupping her partners cheeks with her hands and kissing her back, the pair growing more bold as the kiss deepend, Blake wrapping her legs around Yangs' waist and running her hands through her partners' blonde mane, Yang responded by taking the Faunus' lower lip between her teeth as her hands moved from her face to caress her breasts through the fabric of her shirt, Blake suddenly took the initiative rising from the desk and pushing Yang back against a wall, their fingers intertwining as Blake pinned her partners arms and proceeded to kiss along her neck eliciting small gasps of pleasure  
"Blake, are you sure you want to do this here?" she managed to breath out, Blake gave her one last passionate kiss before breaking away from her  
"That door doesn't lock so it's probably not a great idea" she admitted, Yang gave her a fake pout  
"So about what I said"  
"You're right" Blake nodded "I'll get some sleep but only if you come and join me, I enjoyed falling asleep with you before"  
"Gladly" Yang beamed "But I meant about the dance"  
"I'll come the dance but on one condition" Blake told her, Yang looked apprehensive but nodded for her to continue "I don't want us to go as friends, I want us to be so much more than that Yang" the blonde took a moment to ensure she had heard correctly, a broad smile forming on her face  
"Are you asking me out" Blake nodded sheepishly and the blonde took her into her arms kissing her lips, nose and any other part of her face she could reach  
"I take it that's a yes?" the Feline asked smiling, Yang winked at her  
"I'm pouncing at the opportunity"

 **Authors Notes:**

Ozpin always seems tricky to write because you're never exactly sure how much he knows, just that it's more than you.  
Yes this chapter is this stories equivalent to the episode "Burning the Candle" because it makes sense to do it, in canon the team were going after the White Fang with no leads, in this story Gangrel being outed means they just lost their main source of information, Junior offered to share what he knows but the only thing that he's learned lately is that Adam like fire and payback.  
I like the idea of Weiss & Gangrel ( _Still_ calling it Polar Bear) being one of those stupidly cute couples, he has an outer shell almost as tough as his armour, half of the fandom writes Weiss as the textbook Tsundere, it just appeals to me; the German I used as Atlesian in this chapter (Also let me know if you think I'm over doing it with that) is Kostbar-Eins or 'Precious One' I'm using it as an Atlesian term of endearment since they're both originally from there  
The scene with Ruby, Rover and Artemis is to address the issue of Ruby being shaken up by some of the things she's seen, I don't know how well I handled it but I think Rover and Artemis did what they could in offering support.  
Yang and Blake are fun to write because they can go from smut to fluffy snuggling in seconds, also Bumblebee is now happening.  
Yangs' puns are an endeavour, that is all.

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As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	27. 27: Dance Dance

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I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 27: Dance Dance**

"Are you sure I look okay?" Ruby asked nervously as she fidgeted, playing with the fabric of the red dress Yang had bought her for the dance; she had stuck close to her sister and shot apprehensive glances at the large double doors that the guests would be entering the dance through, Yang gave her a mischievous wink  
"Don't worry sis when Penny sees you it'll turn her on, then off….Or is it off then on again for machines, either way she'll overheat"  
"Yang!" Ruby whined, Weiss rolled her eyes at the siblings antics  
"Please Yang don't tease her she's been jittery enough all day; furthermore I'm surprised you're so calm about your first official date with Blake" Yang gave a bemused chuckle  
"You think I'm calm right now, does this look like the sort of thing I wear when I'm calm?" the blonde indicated to the pale champagne gold coloured dress she was wearing "I still don't get how you were surprised by me asking her, you literally walked in on us in bed together"  
"I thought she'd fallen asleep reading again" Weiss said as a blush crept across her face "I didn't realise Ruby and I had almost interrupted something indecent" at this Yang sighed before firmly clamping her hands over her younger sisters ears  
"Weiss I have not had sex with Blake in our dorm, if and when that happens I will try to let you know in advance that the room is occupied; although with how distracting she can be I make no promises" her deep purple eyes took on a wistful look as she thought about things Weiss would honestly rather not know about  
"Thank you and for what it's worth I hope tonight goes well for both of you" she smiled, causing Yang to release Ruby and gave the heiress a brief hug  
"Aww you do care" she joked before leaning over the balcony that the three girls had been stood on and shouting down to Squish who had offered to lend a hand last minute, apparently knowing enough about electronic equipment to help the DJs set up their decks and PA system in considerably less time than it would normally have taken  
"How's it going down there?" the small Faunus gave her a thumbs up while attending to another cable before responding verbally  
"Wiring's done, want me to help bring the punch through?" Yangs' eyes flickered fiery red for a second  
"No way in hell are you touching the punch at any party my baby sister is at! I haven't forgotten last time!" the Faunus shrugged and made his way up the stairs  
"I wish you'd forget about it" Ruby grumbled  
"Hey squirt" Squish greeted Ruby as he reached the trio  
"I'm taller than you" Ruby pointed out, the reptilian made a comical display of taking a deep breath as if to calm himself  
"Never" he whispered "Mention my height or lack thereof when I am about to be entertaining ladies"  
"You're always entertaining ladies, just not the way you wish you were" Yang said slyly  
"You're both perverts" Weiss noted, the sound of the doors creaking open as the first guests stopped all conversation, Yang giving a thumbs up to the DJs who began their opening set before focusing on the doors, the four of them had agreed to meet their dates inside the venue. At the sight of a pale lime green dress clinging to a pale body Ruby squealed in delight, Weiss placing a hand firmly on the younger girls' shoulder  
"Do not use your Semblance to rush down there, just walk normally" Ruby rolled her eyes, excitement still plainly visible on her face  
"As normally as I can walk in these" she joked indicating to here heels before walking as fast as she could without breaking into a Semblance fuelled sprint and pulling the copper haired girl into a hug as soon as she reached her, a clicking sound got Weiss's attention and she turned to see Yang taking a photo of the moment with her scroll, smiling she showed it to Weiss  
"Well, this will definitely be her new background image by tomorrow" the heiress smiled, before Squish got her attention  
"Your date's here" her eyes scanned the crowd, easily finding Gangrels' larger than average form he gave her a wide smile as they caught each others' eye and made his way up towards her  
"Now where are those two cats" Squish said thoughtfully, a toothy grin splitting his face as he caught sight of Neon wearing a frilly white dress that clashed spectacularly with the hi-top sneakers she was wearing and showing off the vibrant tattoos she had on her upper arms "Well damn" he whispered to himself stunned as he took in her appearance, Yang looked past her  
"Wait, why is her partner here with both of the Malachite Twins?" her comment gained Gangrels' attention for a moment  
"That sounds like typical Flynt to be honest" he smirked before turning back to Weiss, Neon reached the balcony  
"Hey Perdu" she greeted the smaller Faunus, Yang actually did a double take due to how rare it was to hear Squish addressed by his real name "So how come we met up on the balcony?" Squish shrugged  
"It has been brought to my attention that I'm a little on the short side and I might be hard to find in a crowd, I don't think heels would work for me somehow" Neon gave a small musical sounding laugh  
"Can't argue with that" she smiled "Heels suck anyway, Flynt told to buy a pair but I think he thought I was going to try and come in my roller blades, he really thinks I have no social awareness sometimes"  
"Oh come on" Squish smiled "You definitely thought about coming in your skates" Neon winked at him, lifting her foot and displaying the bottom of her sneakers. She was wearing heelies  
"Be still my beating heart" the reptilian cackled, Yang watched the two couples her smile becoming harder and harder to maintain until she heard the voice she'd been waiting for behind her  
"Hey" Yang whirled around to see Blake in a deep indigo dress that hugged her figure, her mouth suddenly dry  
"H-hey, you look….wow" Yang managed to say, totally unaccustomed to fumbling over her words, Blake simply took her partners hand in her own and led her towards the dance floor  
"You look amazing as always Yang, but you did say you'd save me a dance"

The crowd cheered and several had their cameras out filming as Team JNPR had taken to the centre of the dance floor when the DJs played some bass heavy music, the team revealing some flashy and well co-ordinated dance moves, what truly surprised Ruby however was her own date nodding her head in time to the beat  
"You know this song?" she asked  
"Sure, it was one of the songs I sent to the Generals' Scroll" her emerald eyes twinkled at the memory of the prank, Ruby giggled and turned back to the dance floor to see that Team JNPRs' impromptu display had somehow turned into a highly competitive dance off between Jaune and Nora, Pyrrha cheering her date on while Ren just gave an amused smile and shrug  
"I know something about this should surprise me" Ruby laughed "But honestly at this none of it does" the song began to fade out, being replaced by something with a much slower tempo  
"Okay this one was specifically requested" the DJ called into his microphone, Ruby snorted  
"Wow he actually did it"  
"Who did what?" Penny asked her  
"Squish said if Jaune and Pyrrha ever got on the dance floor at the same time he was going to have the DJ play as many slow songs as it takes for them to finally kiss" Penny looked thoughtful for a moment before meeting Rubys' silver eyes  
"Ruby would you like to dance"  
"Erm, I" Ruby stammered "Penny I really can't dance" the pale girl took Rubys' hands in her own before leading her towards the dance floor  
"Don't worry neither can I, we'll figure it out together" she said at the exact moment the pair of them passed Rover and Artemis who had moved towards the dance floor with no hesitation, Artemis giving them both a distinct 'awww' and a bright smile  
"So why is Squish so invested in Jaune and Pyrrhas' interactions?" Penny asked as she placed her hands on Rubys' hips, the pair attempting to imitate the movements of the couples around them  
"Jaunes' older sister helped train Team GRAP they way they train my team so most of them feel a need to look out for Jaune, that and Squish said that the two of them were painful to watch with how obviously into each other they were" Ruby explained  
"You mean like Blake and your sister?"  
"Wait what? How did you know about that?" Penny indicated to something over Rubys' shoulder, as the pair turned Ruby looked where her date had indicated, her face reddening as she buried it into Pennys' shoulder utterly mortified; Blake and Yang were in a darkened corner of the hall making out with little to no care for any potential audience they may have  
"Oh my Oum, I can't believe they're doing that here" Ruby whispered aghast  
"I don't understand, I thought kissing on a date was a good sign?" Penny seemed bewildered, Ruby sighed remembering that her date was even less experienced than she was  
"It is, but I just think it's something that's between the two people on the date not the whole campus….Penny would you mind if we go somewhere else" sensing the younger girls obvious comfort Penny intertwined her fingers with Rubys' and let her lead the way  
"Of course, as long as I spend it with you tonight will be sensational" cold air hitting them both as they made their way out of the building  
"Should have brought my hood" Ruby grumbled  
"We can go back to your dorm if you want to get it?" Penny asked before something caught her eye, her expression taking on a serious expression  
"Penny what's wrong?" Ruby turned to see what had caught her attention, straining her eyes she made out the shape of of a lithe figure moving across the rooftops of the campus Pennys' voice had noticeably less emotion in it when she next spoke setting off after the mystery individual  
"Intruder alert"

Emerald and Mercury stayed close to the edge of the dance floor, keeping a watchful eye on the proceedings  
"You know Merc" Emerald flashed him a winning smile "I know this is technically part of a job but you don't have to mope, come on we can still make a date out of it"  
"We're dating now?" the grey haired teen retorted as they danced "I'm trying to but every time I look around the crowd I can see that damn lizard you sparred with up on the balcony with his date most likely talking trash about us" a pair of crimson eyes rolled at this  
"He's most likely talking trash about everyone here, the pair of them look like those two characters from the Muppets up there; are you really going to let them ruin our night Merc?" she made a point of moving her partners hand from her hips to her rear as she leaned into him, the moment being ruined by static in the ear pieces they were both wearing, followed by the drawling voice of Cinder Fall  
"Emerald, Mercury report?"  
"A few people have left the dance but they were all couples so they obviously won't be looking for you, unless they're into that sort of thing" Mercury mumbled jokingly  
"Do not test my patience" she hissed back "How long do I have"  
"I'd try and be in and out before midnight if possible" Emerald advised  
"Understood, continue to observe the students and integrate yourselves I'll send for you when I have additional tasks. Cinder out" the line went silent leaving the pair to return to the dance acting as if nothing had happened  
"So I've been thinking, and don't make any sarcastic comments Em" Mercury cut her off, the positively evil grin on her face a clear indication that she had been about to make just such a comment "I'm just gonna come out and say it, I don't think this casual thing between us is working"  
"Oh" Emerald said softly "Not one for letting a lady down gently I see, if you want to call it off Merc…."  
"That's not what I meant" he interrupted, cupping her cheek with one hand "I think we both know I've gotten way too attached to you for no strings to work any more; look Em I don't know how relationships work, I genuinely have no idea I was raised by killers but I'd love to give it a shot if you're interested" he trailed off, Emerald reaching forwards her hand running through Mercurys' hair as she kissed him grinning as they broke apart  
"Merc you dumb ass, why did you look so nervous as if I was going to say no?" she laughed  
"Wait so?"  
"Come on, we've done our job here" she sighed taking his hand "We're going back to our dorm I grew up on the streets so your idea of how a relationship is as good as mine but we're going to figure it out and make it work; and we are going to have some truly mind blowing sex tonight"

Ruby followed Penny as the mechanical girl stalked towards the building that her target had entered, stopping when she saw the Atlesian soldiers wounded and unconscious sprawled across the atrium floor  
"Oh my Oum" Ruby gasped withdrawing her scroll "I'm deploying my locker and getting Crescent Rose" Penny gently grabbed her wrist and stopped her  
"Negative, rocket locker would alert our target of our presence" she adjusted the shoulder of her dress causing Ruby to look aware for a moment before withdrawing two of her swords from the compartment from her back, detaching the imperceptibly thin wires that that tethered them to her body she handed one to Ruby before making a call via her own internal comm system  
"General Ironwood, intruder detected send backup to my location, multiple wounded blunt force trauma burns and possible internal injuries, no fatalities, moving to intercept. Polendina out."  
"Well not exactly how I planned my first date" Ruby joked as she gave the sword a few experimental swings to get a feel for it  
"Fate rarely calls upon us at a moment of our choosing" Penny said simply as she lead the way towards the elevator.

The elevator ride was more tense than Ruby would like to admit, Penny had deduced the most likely place someone would try and infiltrate would be the offices were Beacons' admin and tech support were based Ruby had never been to this specific part of the school and was currently trying to keep her mind off of Pennys' current demeanour which was frankly a little unnerving, as the doors finally opened the pair stepped out caught sight of a slender woman dressed in all black  
"Erm, I think you might be a little lost" Ruby said stepping forwards, Penny moved to her side discreetly drawing another sword and keeping it attached to her  
"Hands in the air intruder" she said calmly, the woman slowly turned to face them raising her hands as she did so both girls noticing too late the large vial of Dust she had emptied as she moved  
"Ruby down" Penny called as the intruders' golden eyes began to glow, the dust hovering in front of her coalescing and forming large shards which were flung at the pair, Ruby diving behind a console for cover, Penny simply sidestepping before throwing the sword in her left hand forwards  
"Get over here" their assailant smirked as she leaned back the blade flying over her head as she formed a pair of curved blades from Dust that had been woven into her clothing and severing the wire tethering the weapon to Pennys' body, following the motion through the intruder back flipped and landed in a crouch her two blades forming a bow she fired off three flaming arrows simultaneously; Ruby leapt forward time slowing to a crawl as her Semblance activated she sped across the room and tackled Penny to the floor one the arrows passing through the space she had occupied a moment earlier; explosions rocked the room as all three projectiles detonated on impact scrambling back to her feet Ruby looked around the room Pennys' sword at the ready  
"She's gone" she said simply turning to help Penny back to her feet, the masked woman had vanished without a trace  
"You just saved me" Penny said as she managed to stand on shaky legs, the pale girls' emotions having seemingly returned to her with the immediate threat gone, with no idea how else to respond Penny pulled Ruby into a crushing hug which was gratefully returned until a throat was cleared behind them, both girls turned to see General Ironwood and Professor Ozpin stepping out of the elevator, a team of Atlesian soldiers behind them, breaking from the hug Penny snapped to attention  
"General Ironwood sir, target escaped, facial recognition inconclusive"  
"At ease Penny" the General said softly as she stepped forwards "Are either of you hurt" Ruby shook her head Penny motioned to her severed sword which had embedded itself in the opposite wall  
"My photon accelerator will be inoperative until that can be reattached"  
"Professor Ozpin" Ruby started "I think I recognise the woman who was here, it was the same woman who helped Roman Torchwick escape the night you offered me a place here"  
"That is indeed troubling" the Professor said, turning to the General "Several months ago one of Vales' more prominent criminals was seen working with someone capable of some very powerful Dust fuelled Pyro-Kinetics, it would seem this individual has finally reappeared" the General nodded before turning his attention to Ruby and Penny  
"I'll organise official debriefings for you tomorrow along with the men that were wounded tonight. I think it's appropriate to say that I think what both of you did tonight is exactly what being a Hunter is all about, you recognised a threat, you took action and you did the very best you could"  
"Thank you sir" Penny said instinctively snapping back to attention, the General gave her a warm smile  
"That will be all tonight, make your way back to the ship Penny, I'm sorry your date has had to be cut short" her emerald eyes were downcast as she took Rubys' hand and left, once they had rode the elevator back to the ground floor Penny stopped, Ruby turning to face her  
"Penny what's wrong?"  
"I was just thinking about something you said earlier, you said kissing on a date is good but it's between the two people on the date"  
"Yeah" Ruby said, not entirely sure where Penny was going  
"Well we're the only people here right now" with that the leaned forwards a planted a soft kiss on Rubys' lips, the contact was brief Penny smiled as she pulled away  
"Thank you for a wonderful time" Ruby was left stunned as Penny made her way back to the Atlesian flagship, slowly coming to her senses she touched her lips a confused but ecstatic smile forming on her face as she triggered her Semblance and raced back towards her dorm to tell Yang  
"She kissed me"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay let's see shall we  
Yangs puns and innuendos are both a pleasure and a pain to think up.  
Neon Katt totally wears Hi-Top Heelies to parties and Neon and Squish on a date totally throw shade at everyone from a balcony  
Flynt bringing both of the Malachite twins is a reminder that they're not dead, one of them was injured in the White Fang fire-bombing, but Aura.  
The JNPR Dance scene, okay it's one of my head-canons that Nora has the most Gangster play list ever, the idea of her getting competitive and turning it into a dance off with Jaune occurred to me literally as I was writing, also Penny like trap apparently.  
I needed a reason for Ruby to leave the dance seeing as she actually had a date unlike in canon, I think seeing her sister making out with one of her friends would be enough for her to want to leave, also Ruby & Penny against Cinder makes more sense to me than just Ruby, sorry but she just isn't that good, Cinder would paint her across the walls and floor.  
I find fluff scenes adorable to write and will continue to do so, I'd like to think I got the balance about right in this chapter  
Also in this fic Cinder and Neo aren't part of the Mercury and Emeralds' 'Team' with Roman being captured in the end of Vol.1 instead of Vol.2 somebody needs to run the operations and Adam only controls the White Fang

Thank you to Drake187 for their reply on the last chapter, the Velvet situation will be addressed next chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	28. 28: Escape

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 28: Escape**

The week had been a series of gruelling skirmishes each of them slowly chipping away at the stamina of Team CFVY, with the loss of the majority of the Atlesian Knights in the aerial assault from the Grimm their progress in clearing out the nests and hives that surrounded their true objective had been severely hampered; the ten automatons on the surviving Bull-Head having been whittled down to four over the course of the week as they assisted the Hunters and defended the clearing they had set up their makeshift base of operations in. Coco and Velvet slowly crept through the trees a single Atlesian knight trailing behind them, almost a week beyond the front lines away from amenities like showers had taken its' toll on them their clothes were torn and muddy and both wore determined but utterly exhausted expressions Cocos' made more prominent by the dried blood and fading bruises around her left eye, Velvets' knuckles bloody after deciding to deal with some of the last wave of Grimm by hand to conserve power for her weapon; eventually the pair reached their destination the spawning pit itself was huge, a stadium sized hole filled with liquid darkness that bubbled and rippled seemingly with malevolent intent as a foul mist rose from it, all plant life within fifty meters of the pit was dead or dying and no wildlife dared near it, the only respite was that no Grimm lurked in these trees Professor Port had told the Team that freshly spawned Grimm were so ravenous that cannibalism among them was rife Grimm grew more intelligent as they aged so not even other monsters would make their homes here, taking cover behind one of the large jagged boulders littering the circumference of the spawning pit Coco and Velvet crouched down the former withdrawing her scroll, the latter depositing a large duffel bag on the ground  
"Professor" she said in hushed tones, not willing to take any risks this close to the objective "We've reached the target, we won't be able to see when Fox and Yatsu reach the other side it's too big and it's a mist coming from it that we can't see through….Understood Professor" closing her scroll she turned to her partner and saw that the Faunus was staring at her own scroll chewing her lip  
"Still staring at that missed call from him aren't you?" she asked, Velvet turned to her and sighed as she showed Coco the screen, her background image was a picture she had taken of herself and Adam on one of their dates, both of them grinning like idiots  
"I'm worried about what's going to happen when we get home, he must know that I went to that gas station and found Gangrel. He knows that we're finished….I just wish we didn't have to be" Coco ran her hands through her currently grimy hair, her beret having been lost earlier in the week  
"Velvet, give me your Scroll" she did as her leader instructed, Coco promptly throwing the device back towards the trees  
"What the fuck!" Velvet cried indignantly  
"You dropped your scroll early on in the mission, you never saw the missed call from Adam. Understand?" Coco gave her a stern look  
"What?" Velvet asked her, utterly dumbstruck  
"Velvet, you're my team-mate and although I will never fully understand what possessed you to join the White Fang but I can at least buy you some more time to figure things out, get a new scroll when we get back to Beacon and don't give your number to anyone associated with your Ex"  
"Coco" Velvet started as tears started to well up in her eyes and she pulled her leader into a tight hug hoping to convey as much of the gratitude and appreciation she felt as possible "I'm sorry I ever doubted you" the fashionista patted her back, unsure how to respond  
"It's okay, it's okay. And you're going to be fine when we get home I'll make damn sure of it, now let's go and perform some Grimm abortions" Velvet pulled back and gave a weak smile at the sight of the feral grin forming on Cocos' face  
"Still upset that we're here longer than we thought we'd be?" the Faunus chuckled Coco frowned as she unzipped the duffel bag Velvet had been carrying, retrieving one of the devices within  
"The dance is tonight" she growled "I planned that damn party and I'm stuck here, fuck this jungle, fuck this pit and fuck these Grimm. Everything burns" getting to her feet she stomped off preparing to set the first of many explosive charges around the mouth of the spawning pit.

The ground shook as Professor Peter Port landed, the blade of his axe cleaving through Grimm in a wide arc as he did so, the two of the last remaining Atlesian Knights stood atop the Bull-head alongside the pilot and co-pilot raining gunfire into the slowly dwindling mass of Grimm; the attack had started with a small nest of Disembowellers which had since been joined by a large pack of Hyena Grimm know as Maniacs the large canine like beasts being much more intelligent and mobile than the insects making them a considerably more dangerous threat  
"I'll unhair your heads!" Port snarled as Coldstream Guard was brought to bear on the snapping jaws of a Maniac, splitting its' skull before he promptly spun the weapon in his hand and fired the Blunderbuss into more of their number  
"Come, come you forward and unable worms! You cream faced loons!" his tirade halted abruptly as he was bowled to the floor from behind, reaching over his head he managed to grab his attacker by the scruff of its' neck and hurl the Grimm away from him, the Atlesian Knights leaping from their positions and joining the fray making short work of dispatching the Maniac that had leapt on his back, before being set upon themselves by more of the pack Port rushed forwards neatly severing a monster in half as it crushed one the robots cranium in its' fang filled maw  
"You scullion!" he turned removed the forelimb of another "You rampallian!" he removed the beasts' head "You fustilarian! I'll tickle your catastrophe!" the rampage continued until not one Grimm remained to foul the clearing with its' presence, straightening himself with a huff the Professor made his way towards the lowering ramp of the craft he had defended and casually strolled aboard as if nothing unusual had happened, the last remaining Atlesian Knight following him as he idly smoothed out creases in the sleeves he had rolled up prior to the fight  
"Jolly good show lads" he said to the pilot and co-pilot of the ship with a friendly guffaw, the younger men stared at him with a mix of disbelief and admiration  
"That was bat-shit insane….sir" the co-pilot, a small man new on his first official deployment by the name of Grun Jenkins breathed out, the pilot Blau Himmel snorted  
"We've got one tin can left with us, three in total. I don't doubt those students of yours but I really hope they can get those charges rigged soon I'll be glad to get wheels up before nightfall" Port nodded in agreement  
"Team CFVY should be more than capable of that feat gentlemen and I admit I'll be glad to see the halls of Beacon once again, the thrill of battle just isn't the same without another hunter to enjoy it with and a bottle of whiskey afterwards" the two soldiers gave small chuckles at that before the comm of Bull-head crackled into life  
"Professor Port!" the voice of Fox Alistair pierced through the static  
"Mister Alistair, what's your situation?" concern laced the Professors' voice  
"Rigged half the charges when we were attacked, Yatsuhashi is holding the line on his own while I finish up, we need immediate evac Professor!"  
"Understood, I'll send Coco and Velvet to help the Bull-Head will be inbound within minutes. Good hunting" the comm went dead as the pilot and co-pilot found their seats and kicked the engines of the craft into life  
"Let's go help those kids!" Himmel barked  
"I've got Foxs' location" Jenkins informed them, Port busy trying to contact the other half of Team CFVY  
"Ladies your team-mates are on the other side of that spawning pit, however many charges you've planted will have to be enough they need your assistance we are moving to evacuate as we speak" the wide set man then turned to the soldiers, his expression grim  
"They shall have wars and pay for their presumption. Once more unto the breach my dear friends, once more!"

Coco gave a string of panicked curses as she ended the call before racing back towards Velvet, grabbing the almost empty duffel bag containing the last of the explosives, the Atlesian Knight assigned to the pair following her  
"Velvet! We need to go!" she cried, the Rabbit-Faunus stepping away from a charge she had just finished wiring and turning to her team leader  
"Coco what's wrong?" her leader ran passed her, grabbing her shoulder and pulling her along as she spoke  
"Fox and Yatsu are under attack, they need help" with no more to be said between them the pair sprinted around the edge of the gigantic crater that formed the spawning pit, in their haste they knocked several small rocks into the suppurating surface of the swirling darkness not realising that they had done so until the screeching of newborn Grimm assaulted their ears as they engulfed the Atlesian Knight that had trailing behind them and tore it into several sparking pieces within seconds, Coco skidded to a halt deploying Satani Arbor as she pivoted around, the mini-gun raking the surface of pool as she opened fire inadvertently triggering the spawning of more monsters, the Grimm were smaller than the Hunters with lithe bodies carried by far too many spindly claw-tipped limbs and possessing simian faces warped into terrifying screaming visages by their bone masks  
"Spidermonkeys! Lots of 'em!" Coco called to Velvet as she unleashed another salvo into the Grimm each one she eviscerated with gun fire seemingly replaced by two more until the weapon emptied, Velvet leapt in front of her a copy of the mini-gun produced by Leporidae Rampant flaring into life and cutting through the hoard while Coco reloaded, moments later the weapon finally ran out of power and the hard-light construct fragmented and dissolving into glowing cobalt embers Coco turned to her as the wave of Grimm surged towards them, tears in her eyes and lower lip quivering  
"Velvet, Velvet just go. I'll cover you" Velvet realised what Coco meant to do and grabbed her leader forcing her along with her as she broke into a full sprint  
"You're not dying here Coco! None of us are!" the pair pushed themselves as fast as their muscles and Aura could carry them, Coco turning to Velvet as they ran  
"Damn it Velvet we're supposed to be helping the others, if they're still on our tail all we've done is get them completely overrun!" the Faunus indicated to the duffel bag Coco was still carrying  
"How many charges have you got left?" she demanded, her breathing ragged as she ran  
"Only two" Coco answered  
"Think we're far enough away from the others?" Coco gave a pained smile at Velvets' question  
"Let's find out!" she roared before coming to a halt and throwing the bag towards the Grimm that were gaining on them and redeploying her weapon, as soon as the first of the Spidermonkeys reached the explosives she opened fire, the explosion blossoming outwards and consuming several of their number, Coco collapsed her weapon before turning to Velvet as she saw chunks of rubble falling into the abyss of the spawning pool  
"We need to get the fuck out of here before that triggers more of them"

Fox brought his blades Hunger and Thirst up to cover his face, the Disemboweller lashing out with its' many jointed forelimbs the blow connecting with enough force to knock him back, throwing his arms out to the sides he knocked the Mantis-Grimm off balance before charging forwards, his weapons tearing through the gap in its' exoskeleton where abdomen met thorax and cutting the monster in half, an explosion getting his attention he made the mistake of turning in the direction of the noise his Semblance making aware of the whip-crack of the Mantis-Grimm nearest to him unfurling its' arms a fraction of a second before the body heat of Yatsuhashi was suddenly between him and the attack, the concussive blast of his Semblance tearing the Disemboweller apart  
"You must be more careful my friend" the giant of man said as he turned to face Fox, his voice a strained grunt  
"Yatsu, you okay?" the larger Hunter waved him off  
"A flesh wound, not fatal merely unfortunate" the two of them took a moment to catch their breath, the relative peace of their victory broken by Coco Adel running towards them screaming in fury weapon already drawn  
"Easy Coco" Yatsuhashi said softly a small grin forming on his face "It seems Fox may have overreacted in calling Port" Velvet appeared beside the leader of Team CFVY  
"Sweet Oum what happened to your arm?" she demanded as she saw the blood flowing freely from a gash in his upper arm  
"My fault" Fox spat "I got distracted by that explosion, needed bailing out. I'm guessing that was you by the way?" Coco nodded solemnly  
"Knocked some rocks into the spawning pit by accident and it spat a ton of Spidermonkeys at us we had to set the last two charges off to get rid of em"  
"Which begs the question" Velvet said, giving the bubbling contents of the crater a wary glance "Where is whatever that explosion spawned?"  
"Is it just me or is it bubbling a bit more than it was?" Coco asked the conversation halted by the sound of the Atlesian Raubvogel Bull-Head approaching overhead, the ramp lowered, relieved expressions crossed the faces of all four members of Team CFVY as the craft descended low enough for them to leap aboard  
"Velvet you're out of power you first, I'll get Fox" Coco instructed, the blind fighter was staring intently at the pool focusing his Semblance a look of concern rapidly changing to one of sheer terror as his sonar and thermal imaging detected something  
"Go! Go now!" Velvet leapt onto the craft, Yatsuhashi following her the Faunus turned to see Coco and Fox leap into the air just as something truly massive breached the surface and spewed a jet of fire, Fox hurled Coco forwards a split second before he was engulfed in flames  
"Fox!" Coco screamed her team-mates name as Professor Port grabbed her as she made to leap back out of the Bull-Head  
"Let me go! Port let me go I need to save him!"  
"Miss Adel, you cannot endanger your-" his orders cut off as the blind fighter himself appeared on the edge of the ramp, dragging himself forward his combat gear burned almost completely off, his blades glowing with the heat as Fox staggered aboard howling in pain  
"Fox!" Coco rushed forwards and helped her comrade to one of the seats  
"Fuck, fuck my eyes I had my Semblance up when I got hit it burns so bad" Velvet winced in pain she could only imagine what being caught in a fire would feel like to someone who saw the world in terms of body heat, a reverberating scream tore through the air and Velvet looked out of the craft to see the Grimm that had breathed fire on here team-mate  
"What in Oums' name is that?" she asked her voice a terrified whisper, the monster was easily ten stories tall, bipedal and resembling some prehistoric apex predator, rows of spines and armoured ridges jutting into the air from its' back, its' tail breaking trees as it swayed the thing roared again flames issuing from its' gaping mouth  
"We've been hit!" Himmel screamed  
"How the fuck are you planning on fighting that?" Jenkins demanded, Port shook his head and produced the detonator for the charges  
"We can't hope to fight a Gojirex and escape with our lives, but we can complete the task entrusted to us" with that said he pressed the large red button and a series of explosions rocked the ground below as the spawning pit imploded in on itself, the manifest darkness coalescing into a myriad of Grimm that quickly set upon each other as they tried to escape, the Gojirex breathing flames on its' own legs as they were beset by thousands of Spidermonkeys, a lone Nevermore stretching its' wings but being pounced upon by a pack of Maniacs which promptly began to maul each other as their prey dissolved.  
"Is Fox gonna be okay?" Velvet asked as she turned to face the rest of her team, Coco was trying her best to comfort him  
"You're gonna be fine Fox I swear you're gonna be fine, don't ever scare me like that again" he reached forwards his thumb brushing against Cocos' cheek  
"Coco, you're crying?" he asked confused  
"Of course I'm crying you idiot!" she shouted "You nearly fucking died!" she wrapped her arms around his shoulders and began bawling in earnest  
"Mister Alistair has suffered no lasting physical injury" Professor Port said without looking up from treating Yatsuhashis' wounded arm "Merely an unfortunate side effect of his own Semblance being turned against him, once the initial pay subsides he'll be fine Miss Adel" Fox patted his leaders back with one hand while the other covered his eyes  
"Well that's some good news" the blind fighter growled through clenched teeth  
"The good news" Port smiled "Is that the mission was a success, each and every one of you acquitted yourselves over the course of this week in a manner that makes me proud, when you go on to do great things I will be able to tell new generations of students that not only did I teach you I served with you beyond the Front Lines and watched the birth of the legend that Team CFVY will no doubt become" small smiled could be seen on the faces of all members of the team in question, Coco gave a watery chuckle  
"Even better news is we can go back to civilisation, I need a shower so bad"  
"Indeed" Professor Port chortled turning to the pilot who shrugged  
"We're going to have to stop at the outpost to refuel and get those burned armour plates on the right engine looked at, ETA for Beacon is probably some time Monday morning" Velvet made her self as comfortable as she could as she strapped herself into the harness of her seat  
"I haven't slept properly in days and I've had too many close calls" she said with a resounding yawn her fatigue making itself known as the adrenaline she had running on left her system "Wake me up when we get home"

 **Authors Notes:**

Well Team CFVY accomplished their mission with no losses to their own team but, twenty nine of thirty Atlesian Knights and Three Bull-Heads were destroyed and six crew members are died in the process as well as several close calls.  
This chapter takes the same day as the dance, this is actually a few hours earlier but it made more sense to me to release that chapter first.  
Yes Velvets' weapon ran out of power, because it's cool enough without having an infinite battery as well.  
Yes Professor Port quotes threats and insults from the works of Shakespeare while fighting  
Coco Adel is perfectly willing to sacrifice her own life for any member of her team, so you can read the moment between her and Fox either as platonic or romantic I'm not sure which way I'm going with it yet as they're pretty minor characters in the grand scheme of things.  
Foxs' Semblance is Thermal Imaging and Sonar, being engulfed in a firestorm like that while using his Semblance won't physically injure him while he still has Aura but it will cause severe backlash and pain in his eyes.  
More Grimm I've invented:  
Maniacs, Hyena Grimm basically a spikier nastier Beowulf  
Spidermonkeys, torso and head are roughly the size of a child and resembles a small chimp, they have eight limbs that end in paws with sharp claws and they have a tail  
The Gojirex, the name a fusion of Gojira and T-Rex, it's basically original Godzilla crossed with the nineties Godzilla that we'd all rather forget about.  
The Spawning Pool was destroyed so even though the Gojirex was still alive the only thing it has to eat is other Grimm which are now in finite supply in the area.  
I don't expect any of my own species of Grimm to become major plot points until we move past Vol.3, but we will most definitely see the Gojirex again.  
Grimm cannibalism is a thing now.

Thank you to Drake 187 for their review of the last chapter; I can see where you're coming from with your comment about Mercury and Emerald, I see a lot of the comments between them as banter between friends that got out of hand and led to angry sex one day.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	29. 29: Mountain Glenn

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 29: Mountain Glenn**

Ruby reappeared in the doorway of the dormitory, a slice of toast clamped firmly in her teeth and carrying breakfast for the rest of her team in a cartoonish display of balance, today was the day of their mission and Ruby insisted that they eat a decent breakfast before setting off, distributing the plates among the rest of them she opened the newspaper she'd had rolled up under her arm and nearly choked on her toast as she took in the front page  
"Oh my Oum, that's low" she gasped as she coughed up crumbs  
"What's wrong?" Weiss asked, Ruby tried to hide the paper from her partner  
"N-n-nothing, nothing at all, nope, negative" she stammered, Weiss frowned before reaching forward and snatching the paper and reading the headline aloud  
"Un-Vale-d. Heiress of the SDC spotted at party with questionable choice in dates" the photograph was one of her and Gangrel dancing together, turning the page and scanning through the offending article her expression darkened  
"Do these lowbrow, talentless, guttersnipe hacks have nothing better to report on!" the heiress demanded, her tone becoming more venomous with each syllable "This whole article can be boiled down to an assertion that I am a 'good girl gone wild' because I come from a well off family and chose to attend a party with a Faunus and perhaps my Father should demand my return to Atlas" her team looked disgusted, Blake reaching over and reading the article for herself  
"Let me see this, son of a convicted criminal, arrested on several occasions….without charge but they don't mention that, charged with as-oh fuck off that was dropped for lack of evidence and he was twelve" Blake ranted as she read, Yang wrapping her arms around her partners waist and reading over her head  
"Okay we can agree that this article is a really unfunny joke but Un-Vale-d, that's a decent pun" seeing three very displeased pairs of eyes turn on her she grinned and chose to address Blake exclusively "Have I told you that you're really hot when you're angry?" her partner turned to face her, her glower giving way to a small smile as she kissed Yang briefly on the lips before turning back to Weiss  
"Are you okay?" the heiress gave an annoyed sigh  
"There's nothing we can do about it right now, I'm putting my Scroll on silent for this mission because I'm sure when my Father gets wind of this he's going to make himself involved in my business" a loud knock on the door demanded their attention, Ruby opening it to reveal Professor Goodwitch carrying a large package  
"Girls" she began "I do not make a habit of delivering mail to students but seeing as you are due to begin your first official mission today I will make an exception, Miss Rose Miss Xiao Long this came for you, addressed from Patch. I expect you to be ready to depart with Professor Oobleck in forty five minutes good luck Team RWBY" her stern tone softening at the last few words before she handed the package over and closed the door  
"Stuff from home!" Ruby cried tearing into the package, revealing….  
"ZWEI!" Yang cheered as the corgi in question rolled around on the carpet  
"Your Father sent a Dog in the mail?" Weiss asked, utterly dumbstruck  
"Yeah he'll have been called away from Signal for a mission, he does stuff like this" Ruby giggled as she picked the dog and let it proceed to lick her face, Blake fixed Yang with an accusatory stare  
"So this is the pet that stroking my hair reminded you of is it? You neglected to mention it being a dog"  
"Would it help if I said you're both adorable?" Yang smiled Weiss walked over and fixed Zwei with a cold glare  
"Are you telling me that this mangy, drooling mutt is going to LIVE WITH US FOR EVER! Oh yes he, yes he is" her voice becoming high pitched as she scratched Zwei behind the ears  
"Didn't have you pegged as a dog person Ice Queen" Yang chuckled, Weiss continued petting Zwei  
"Puppies are above bunk beds on the list of things I wanted as a child but Father would never let me have one"  
"Your dad seems pawful" Yang said without missing a beat, getting a groan from everyone present  
"Well we can't leave him here for a week" Ruby said firmly, emptying out the contents of her rucksack "Will the rest of you be able to split some of this between you and carry it?" she asked as took Zwei from her sister and deposited the puppy in the bag and began to replace as many of the previous contents as she could  
"This….Seems like a bad idea" Blake said, nevertheless she began packing some of Rubys' gear into her own bag  
"Don't worry" Yang whispered into her ear "I'll still snuggle with you over Zwei any day"

Gangrel waited at Beacons' personal docking station near the electronic notice board displaying the first year teams and their respective missions, he had skipped the first lesson of the day to be here and told the rest of his team not to bother making excuses for him, he would explain to Professor Peach himself why had chosen to here instead and she could either accept it or not as far as he was concerned  
"Aww perimeter defence? That blows!" Gangrel was distracted from his own thoughts by a whining voice turning he saw a team of first years, one of them a vaguely familiar monkey Faunus another one of them a blue haired teen with an advanced looking rifle slung over his back  
"Oh hey its' the kid who kept pestering my date to dance the other night" he sneered, the blue haired boy gulping as Gangrel towered over him "You wouldn't happen to be responsible for this?" he demanded pushing a copy of the days paper into his hands, the boy promptly skimmed through the article  
"Wow, this is really fucked up" he summed up "Nothing to do with me at all man, sorry about the other night as well, didn't mean to interrupt yours and Weiss's date like that" the Bear-Faunus decided to let the issue drop  
"Whatever kid, so what were you hoping for if not perimeter duty?" the Faunus was the one who answered  
"We kinda hoping to follow one of the hunters assisting the police, you know the whole trainee detective gig"  
"Never gonna happen" Gangrel chuckled "No nice way to say it but you're exchange students Vale and wherever you're from have different laws so those jobs are going to local teams"  
"That's a shame" the blue haired teen sighed holding his hand out "Neptune Vasilias, these are Sun, Sage and Scarlet" Gangrel shook their hands catching sight of someone with white hair approaching the board  
"Well lads, nice talking but I've got people to see" he moved passed them and promptly took Weiss into his arms and picked her off the floor  
"Gangrel" she giggled blushing "You're making a scene" he kissed her lips gently as he placed her down  
"Yeah well" he growled "The papers are already having a field day with us, may as well give something write about….Unless you don't want to?" Weiss smiled up at him  
"Yes I saw that article and I stand by what I said before, worth it" the Bear-Faunus returned her smile  
"Good, oh by the way I checked the board, you got a mission outside of the kingdom but still in the buffer zone, somewhere in sector five"  
"Awesome" Ruby grinned "This should be all kinds of fun"  
"This sounds like a job for an older team" Weiss said apprehensively as she stepped over to the board and read the briefing, Gangrel merely shrugged  
"That's what I thought, I asked one of the assistants and they said you were requested specifically, so knock 'em dead….Just stay safe out there" Weiss gave his hand a reassuring squeeze as Ruby leaned between them to read the mission herself  
"Ugh, recon with Oobleck, forget everything I said about this being fun" she grumbled, Gangrel gave her a small smile  
"Don't be so sure, I've never done a job with Oobleck but I hear him and Port were on the same team back in the day and Port is brilliant" sniffing the air he gave the two girls a grin before leaning in and lowering his voice "Nice bag, I always wanted a dog couldn't get one in the care home and my dad worked too many hours when we moved over here"  
"Sweet Oum, who's ship is that?" Yang called getting their attention as what Weiss recognised as one of the newer Atlesian models skidded to a halt in the docking bay, its' right wing smoking and sparking as rushed repair work failed under pressure moments later a ramp opened on the rear  
"What did I tell you Port is brilliant" Gangrel chuckled, Team CFVY followed the Professor off of the Bull-Head, Fox wearing fatigues instead of his usual gear, Gangrel and Team RWBY made their way over to them  
"Hey Thumper, how'd the job go?" he asked, her exhausted look told him everything he needed to know  
"There were just so many" she mumbled before looking at Gangrel as if seeing him for the first time "We need to talk later" all present understood what the conversation would be about and the Bear-Faunus simply nodded, a squeal from Ruby got everyone's attention, seeing their bemused stares she gave a nervous grin  
"Sorry, Penny said she couldn't skip class to say goodbye but she's thinking about me and can't wait to see me when I get back" the older students chuckled as words tumbled out of her at high speed  
"We should be going" Weiss said, turning and standing on her tiptoes to give Gangrel one last kiss before departing for her first official mission as a huntress.

"I see, you brought your own non-perishable foods, sleeping bags and additional ammunition with you; a wise choice preparedness is often the difference between life or death" Oobleck commended them as he stepped away from the controls of the Bull-Head, Team RWBY were using what appeared one of the standard models for this mission though it did have an autopilot feature, apparently it was the Professors' personal transport  
"Thank you Professor" Ruby started  
"Doctor, I didn't earn a PHD for fun you know" Oobleck reprimanded her  
"Doctor Oobleck" Ruby continued "We didn't get much of a chance look at the mission briefing would you mind filling us in on what we're hoping to find in sector five, the Doctor lowered his glasses and peered over them at the students before him  
"The briefing was kept intentionally vague, you were hand chosen to accompany me on this mission by Headmaster Ozpin himself, sector five is home to one of the Kingdom of Vales' greatest failures"  
"Mountain Glenn" Yang deduced "It was intended to be an expansion of Vale but it was overrun by the Grimm and had to annexed from the rest of the Kingdom"  
"Precisely" Oobleck said with a forlorn expression "Abandoned by the good people of the Kingdom, but alas our Kingdom is not made up of good people exclusively"  
"You think it's a hideout?" Blake asked as comprehension dawned on her face  
"Exactly" Oobleck grinned "I am aware of your history with certain illegal organisations Miss Belladonna and the information provided by one Mister Slate leads us to believe that Mountain Glenn is a likely candidate for a White Fang base of Operations; hence Team RWBY being chosen for this mission" a series of electronic beeps caught his attention, Oobleck disconnected the steering from the Bull-Head controls promptly collapsing it and placing it one of the pockets of his coat before opening the side doors of the craft  
"It would seem we have arrived at the outskirts of Mountain Glenn, from here on out we travel on foot; I will call my ship for an extraction at the conclusion of this mission" with that the man leapt from the craft on to the roof of a ruined building, Team RWBY following him down  
"What was that?" Oobleck demanded as Team RWBY landed behind him, weapons drawn  
"What was what?" Ruby asked, feigning innocence Oobleck stepped closer her to her reaching over the girls shoulder  
"I distinctly heard a barking sound when you landed, far too small to be any of the canine Grimm genus I can only deduce one of you brought-" Zweis' head bust from the opening of the rucksack and the corgi licked the professors' fingers "A dog" he concluded  
"Well, I thought that maybe we could…." Ruby trailed off  
"A canines' sense of smell would be a valuable asset in a mission of this nature Miss Rose, well reasoned" Oobleck rambled as he took Zwei and Ruby handed him a leash for the small dog  
"See" she smiled turning to her team-mates "I'm a genius" her words were greeted with disbelieving stares  
"Shall we proceed?" Oobleck said gesturing to the fire escape stairs along the outside of the building, which despite their ramshackle and rusted appearance held and they made their way to the ground, the creaking of the metal however had alerted a pack of Beowolves to their presence  
"Well girls" Oobleck called to them "This is the first of will undoubtedly me many bouts, show me what you are capable of"

Oobleck had been correct, the day had been a series of encounters with mercifully small numbers of Grimm at disturbingly regular intervals over the course of a search that had thus far yielded no results, there had been no sign of any White Fang activity when night fell and the doctor instructed the girls to set up camp in one of the many gutted building comprising Mountain Glenn, Ruby and Oobleck returned from securing the perimeter, Zwei at their heels to find Blake and Yang sharing a sleeping bag the Faunus nuzzling into her partner  
"Wonderful, a textbook camp fire" Blake and Yang tried to move apart as Oobleck saw them, the Professor gave them a soft chuckle "Don't move on my account ladies, relationships among Hunters especially partners are well documented, societal norms having no baring on them"  
"So you and Port then?" Yang snarked, hands flying to her mouth as she realised what she'd just said, Oobleck laughed  
"Peter is a remarkable man but no my dear his partner who then became his wife was Etoile Rouge who was lost to us on a mission beyond the Front Lines; I myself had a fling with the leader of team COPR Julius Crocus"  
"Too much information!" Ruby cried clamping her hands over her ears  
"What happened?" Blake asked propping herself up, Yang rolled her eyes  
"This one's a hopeless romantic" she informed Oobleck  
"Alas it was not to be, though our relationship as it was didn't last we remained good friends and partners in every other sense of the word until he fell in battle, the best of us always seem to be the first to go"  
"Didn't Port just come back from a mission beyond the front lines?" Yang asked Oobleck nodded solemnly  
"He takes one every year and will continue to do so long after he retires, as much as I admire my friend he has a self destructive side to him that has fuelled some of his legendary actions; he goes beyond the Front Line so that when he finally falls he may buried as close to his wife as possible" Blake wiped a tear from her eyes and turned to Yang  
"Yang promise me that if anything ever happens to me" her amber eyes her partners amethyst ones "That you won't do anything like that" the blonde pulled her into a tight embrace  
"Nothing is happening to you while I'm here" she said firmly  
"Blake, Sis" Ruby chimed in, "Neither of you are dying"  
"Quite right" Oobleck agreed "Now I need a volunteer for first watch  
"Yo" Ruby said raising her hand.

Ruby perched on an exposed crossbeam of the building her team had set up camp in, Crescent Rose in rifle form as she peered through the scope sweeping the area, the rest of her team asleep along with the professor, she was eventually distracted from her task of standing watch as Zwei placed his head on her lap drooling before turning and running back down the makeshift ramp from the crossbeam to the floor and out of the blasted doorway of the ruined building  
"Zwei, Zwei!" Ruby hissed before sighing in irritation and leaping down to the ground and silently heading after her dog finding the corgi relieving himself against the remains of a fire hydrant  
"Zwei this is a wasteland you literally could have done that anywhere" she grumbled, the dog answered her with a friendly bark  
"What was that?"a hushed tone nearby asked  
"What was what?" a second answered, Ruby silently scooped up Zwei and used her Aura to fuel a leap onto the roof of a burned out bar across the road and urgently hushed the corgi as she searched for the source of the noise, finding a pair of individuals clad in the uniform of the White Fang patrolling the area weapons drawn, Ruby lined up to take the shot then decided against it waiting for them to turn back the way they had came she silently followed them, leaping down from the rooftops and making use of rubble and the burned out shells of cars as cover while she stalked them, after roughly half an hour of following the White Fang stopped at what Ruby assumed was the entrance to a subway before entering  
"That must be their base" she whispered to Zwei "Go and wake the others, bring them back here I'll wait here" the dog needed seemingly in understanding before running back the way they had come, Ruby crept forwards rifle trained on the entrance that the two White Fang members had used as she read the sign that proclaimed _'Cable car, access to under-city levels'_ it was for this reason that she registered the movement behind her too late, spinning on her heel and readying her weapon as a rocket impacted against her Aura faster than she could trigger her Semblance hurling her backwards down the stairs of the entrance her weapon clattering to the ground several feet away; gasping and struggling to her feet Ruby looked up at what had shot her, standing over the entrance were three Atlesian Paladin battle-suit variants with their weapons trained on her  
"Well this is a pleasant surprise" a deep yet silky voice to her left sounded Ruby turned, still dazed and swaying from the previous attack and was promptly hoisted from her feet a hand closing around her throat; Ruby gazed into the smirking face of a tall man with a face framed by Bull horns and crimson hair, his right eye blood red, his left eye replaced by a cybernetic implant and marred by two long and prominent scars  
"Surely didn't think your sneaking around could fool Faunus senses" the man sneered "Ruby Rose I presume, we have things to discuss" Adam Taurus told her before delivering a solid punch to her temple that knocked her out cold.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay before I write the notes for this I'll just mention that on the day I'm writing this (9th of October 2016) a few spoilers and teasers have been released that may invalidate certain parts of this story, for example Blake seemingly having living relatives; consider it safe to say that post Vol.3 this story will be veering in massively different directions to canon.

Yes the media got hold of pictures of Weiss at the dance, because there is no universe in which the paparazzi are not dicks.  
Zwei is now part of the story, bring treats to your fluffy overlord and scratch behind the ears of your new god.  
Yeah Sun & Neptune were here, still don't have much of a use for them in this story but I'll give them cameos like this just to remind myself that they are still alive and present should a use for them make itself known to me.  
Oobleck is basically Doctor Who (which is why he insists on the title) his remotely controlled Bull-Head with advanced autopilot is his TARDIS  
Also, I inadvertently gave myself the feels with that Port & Oobleck back story.  
Capturing Roman a whole volume early had consequences, now Adam has Ruby….out of the two of them who would you rather be captured by?

Thank you Drake187 for their review on the last chapter, yeah monkey Grimm with way too many arms and legs, Hyena Grimm, Mantis Grimm, Bat Grimm with EMP Cries; but since Griffin and Dragon Grimm are a thing then so is Godzilla.

Yes that was a newborn Gojirex they do get bigger and nastier, the Gojirex is a rare breed of Grimm that was spawned in this instance as a way to protect the spawning pool which is semi sentient (Which is something we'll get more into post Vol.3) that actually dwarfs the Dragon the real horror of the Grimm Dragon is that it's a _Mobile Spawning Pool_ rather than its' size

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	30. 30: Loose Ends

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 30: Loose Ends**

Gangrel took a swig of his beer before setting the bottle on the coffee table and looking across at his Father, he had decided to visit his home in the Kennels after classes  
"So you're okay with me drinking now?" Gangrel asked with a mischievous grin the legal age in Vale was eighteen but he knew his father was not exactly happy with his habits, Bjorn grunted  
"No point trying to tell you otherwise, I caught you stealing my liquor when you were thirteen remember when I made you drink that full glass of whiskey?" his father chuckled "Most kids would of thrown up, you asked me for another one"  
"You looked about ready to throw me out the window" Gangrel laughed as he remembered the incident, Bjorn placed his own drink on the table between them and fixed his son with a stern glare  
"So come on son, you never come home on a school night what's sent you back here with your tail between your legs" Gangrel winced at the implication  
"Dad come on it's not like-" his father held up a hand to cut him off  
"Don't bother apologising" Bjorn sighed "There's nothing to be sorry for, you're nineteen years old you'll be twenty in a few months; you're a grown man training to be a hunter you don't need to check up on me and feel sorry for me when you've got your own life" Gangrel gave his father a concerned look before deciding that forcing the issue with him would be an uphill struggle he handed a copy of the days newspaper to him  
"Felt like getting away from Beacon for a few hours, you must have seen this" he said indicating to the headline, his father gave an annoyed growl that Gangrel realised upon hearing it was where he'd picked up his own habit from  
"Well I was right, it's a headline and sweet Oum you really cannot dance" Bjorn said gruffly "So what then? Miss Schnee rethinking things with you because of this trash?"  
"Nah" Gangrel smiled "I spoke to Weiss this morning, she doesn't care about it but her team are on their first away mission between worrying about her and dealing with this shit I needed some space"  
"Boy you can't date a hunter and worry about 'em" his father chided "Tried that once before I met your mother, didn't end well. So what are you planning on doing about this article"  
"You know damn well what I want to do about it" the younger Bear-Faunus growled  
"Aye you want to go and do what that idiot boy Taurus who left you for dead would have done; go and prove to everyone that whoever wrote this article is right about you!" his fathers' voice rose in anger  
"Well what else am I meant to do?" Gangrel demanded, his own voice raising in response "They're always going to think we're savages and monsters whatever we do!"  
"And are these the people that matter to you?" Bjorn gestured to the article "You'll go out of your way to prove the racists right because their opinion means so much to ya? I'd have hoped you were a smarter man than that Gang"  
"So what do you expect me to do, sit back and take it?" Gangrel snarled  
"Aye that's exactly what I expect you to do" Bjorn nodded "Because at the end of the day you're the one with the bright future and the pretty girl on your arm, don't let these bitter racist fucks take that from you Oum knows we've had enough taken from us already" Bjorn watched his son run his hands through his hair in irritation  
"It's just…." Gangrel trailed off as he tried to find words "I've been in the paper before, a few jobs I did with the White Fang got some coverage but this is different; I've been called worse than anything in that article but it was at least for stuff I'd actually done, this is just because I'm a Faunus and it reminds me why I stuck with the Fang for so long"  
"It feels like you're powerless, doesn't matter what you do you'll never be good enough" Bjorn nodded solemnly "And all that nonsense that the White Fang has turned into felt good, felt like you were taking control; I understand son trust me I understand"  
"How did you keep yourself from going nuts?" Gangrel asked "You worked security at the old White Fang protests, surely you must felt like breaking some teeth?" Bjorn gave a bitter laugh  
"Your mother would have left me and after she died I had you to think about, if it wasn't for you and Athena Oum rest her soul I probably would've been in prison a lot earlier for a lot longer; which brings us back to my point these scum bag journalists are taking shots at you because of your girlfriend, I'll send them a strongly worded letter telling them to take their opinion and jam it up every orifice along with the best order to do it in, but I don't see why it should bother you; you're happy Weiss is happy nobody else gets a say" Gangrel gave a small smile  
"Thanks dad, I think that's what I needed to hear" Bjorn snorted  
"There's a great many things you need to hear but I doubt you'd listen if I told you" the pair shared a laugh and a brief hug before Gangrel made his way to the door  
"I've got to go, I need to be on the last Bull-Head back to Beacon I've got classes tomorrow" his father called after him as he left  
"Aye well next time you grace me with your presence bring your girlfriend with ya; a Schnee being good for a Faunus sweet Oum that actually restored my faith in humanity"

Cinder surveyed her two minions stood to attention as she lounged comfortably in Adams' chair, having made herself at home in his office since he had been wounded in combat with Malkavia Pitch  
"Emerald, Mercury" she drawled as she handed them a copy of the previous days paper "What do you know of Mister Slate" Mercury skimmed through the article  
"I thought he worked for Adam, I saw him here after we dealt with all the deserters" the teen shrugged, Cinders golden eyes narrowed  
"Apparently not all the deserters have been dealt with, Mister Slate here is not just dating the Schnee heiress for appearances it seems"  
"Damn, sex good enough to turn traitor for" Mercury muttered earning himself a glare from Cinder and a slap to the back of the head from Emerald before the mastermind continued  
"Gangrel Slate is meant to be dead, he and Adam were the ones who disposed of the Black Bear Syndicates' hired killer Slate was supposed to die on that job"  
"And now he knows he was set up and that we work with Adam" Emerald summed up "How screwed are we?" Cinder thought for a moment  
"He must surely have spoken to Ozpin by now yet you haven't been arrested or simply dealt with; I can only assume that Slate has chosen to keep your secrets for his own ends"  
"So he's going to grab us and try to beat information out of us" Mercury shrugged "I suppose it's a good thing I don't have kneecaps to break then" Emerald gave him a frown, Cinder took note of her behaviour, something seemed different in their interactions  
"Doubtlessly" she said disregarding the matter "Killing him now would raise suspicions and is a risk we cannot afford; tell me do you have anything else to report" Emerald looked thoughtful for a moment before speaking  
"Captain Scarlatina, Velvet, she returned from a mission yesterday and seems to have been actively avoiding Merc and I, the last time she spoke to us she was when she was going to try and Help Adam" Cinder gave a small smile  
"Well it seems Adams' fears were not unfounded, another ally has betrayed him"  
"So we've got two White Fang officers probably planning on killing us in Beacon, Cinder it's time to cut and run" Mercury chimed in  
"Silence Mercury" Cinder spat "You will follow the instructions you have been given, I will speak with Adam and we shall discuss how to respond to these developments effectively and without jeopardising our goals. Leave me"

Emerald leaned into Mercury on the Bull-Head back to Beacon as her partner wrapped his arm around her shoulders  
"You need to stop questioning Cinder" she told him softly, Mercury gave her a concerned look  
"You need to start Em, she'll throw us to the Beowolves eventually" her vivid red eyes focused on him  
"Cinder is going to change the world, she takes people like us that society never wanted and gives us a purpose; without her I'd still be stealing purses maybe worse" Emerald tried to suppress a shudder at the thought of some of the other methods of making a living available to her in her former life, Mercury noticed the shudder and pulled her a little closer  
"Look Em I hope you're right I really do, but I learned a few things from old Marcus" he still refused to call the man his father "There's revolutionaries like Cinder and Adam all over the world, they're a steady supply of work for people like me; thing is unless you're one of their chosen people you're just a means to an end and I honestly can't figure out what her end game is which honestly scares me a little"  
"So are you planning on abandoning us?" Emerald gave his a disappointed stare  
"How far do you think I'd get before Cinder had me killed?" Merc shrugged "Em I'm not going to just run out on you, I just want you to consider it, Cinder has us sleeping in the same building as people who want to kill us if this goes south I want you to come with me, let Cinder and Adam fight their own war" Emerald reached up to give him a brief kiss before intertwining her fingers with his  
"Cinder gave me food and shelter when I was starving and homeless and gave you legs when doctors said you'd never walk again"  
"She made us useful to her, I just don't want to be within striking distance when our usefulness runs out" Mercury kissed the top of Emeralds' head  
"She is the avatar of the darkness itself; have some faith" his partner told him.

Velvet waited at the balcony she had told Gangrel she'd meet him at; the pair had not managed to speak to each other the previous day as Velvet had taken a shower and simply slept the day away after returning home from her first mission of the semester, the bone deep weariness finally becoming too great to ignore, she snapped abruptly to her senses by the sound of a reverberating crack  
"Gang you dick" she sputtered waving the acrid black smog that accompanied the use of his Semblance, the Bear-Faunus cackled in response  
"Sorry, sorry, but your face was priceless though" Velvet pouted at him as he continued sniggering  
"Seriously, I've been on edge enough without you doing dumb shit like that" Gangrel shrugged  
"I know, I'm just getting the use of my Semblance back, I've been without it since what happened" Velvets' eyes looked anywhere but at the Bear-Faunus at the mention of what happened that night, before she forced herself to meet Gangrels' eyes  
"Are you going to kill Adam?" she asked him bluntly  
"What?" he looked taken aback at the question  
"Gang I'm not stupid, I know you and Blake are trying to stop whatever he's doing and I know that he left you to die, are you planning on killing him" Gangrel looked out at the view of Vale afforded by the balcony as he thought about his response  
"I don't want to, I never wanted to kill him Thumper, fuck we've been friends for ages but he needs to be stopped; honestly I don't know what I thought the end result was going to be when I got myself into this shit, I suppose I thought I'd force him to make a mistake somewhere down the line and he'd end up getting caught Vale won't extradite him to Atlas so he'd serve a few years and calm down while he's in prison"  
"You really thought it'd be that easy?" Velvet asked him disbelieving, Gangrel chuckled  
"No but it was a nice dream to have"  
"So where does that leave you now?"  
"Honestly" Gangrel shrugged "It leaves me doing my job as a Hunter, I know Adam and his business partner have some people inside Beacon, I'm keeping them where I can keep an eye on them, the plan hasn't changed"  
"I want to help" Velvet said suddenly  
"Thumper" Gangrel warned her before being cut off  
"No Gangrel, you introduced me to Adam, you got me into this you don't get to tell me not to be involved now, I love Adam a part of me will always love Adam but he needs to be stopped for everyone's good….Including his own" Gangrel pinched the bridge of his nose  
"Fine" he ground out "But I need you to understand something Velvet, I don't want to see Adam dead but if he puts me in a position where I have to kill him to stop him then that's exactly what I'll do" Velvet chewed her lip nervously before nodding  
"Fine, I suppose that's the best I can ask for"  
"Keep your team out of this if you can help it" the Bear-Faunus warned her, seeing Velvets' expression he continued "Blake nearly got caught a few weeks ago, I got opened up and left on the floor, I've had the Bull-Head I was on shot down before; this isn't a game and people are going to get hurt, get your brother out of the Fang and keep the people close to you out of the way as much as you can"  
"I'll do what I can" Velvet nodded "I know this isn't a game I've seen some of what Adam is capable of but if Coco gets wind of this, she's going to be involved"  
"Lovely" Gangrel growled, sarcasm dripping from the word, the pair of them were silent for a moment staring out from the Balcony before something caught Velvets' eye  
"What's that?" she pointed to what had drawn her attention a plume of black smoke rising into the air, straining her sensitive Faunus ears she could vaguely make out the sound of alarms in the distance before the Beacon campus intercom crackled into life, Professor Ozpins voice sounding throughout the halls  
"Mass Grimm incursion detected within the walls, all students currently cleared for active duty report to the docking bay for deployment"  
"Are Team CFVY good to go?" Gangrel asked Velvet nodded  
"What about Team GRAP?" the Bear-Faunus grinned  
"I haven't had the all clear but I'm not missing this"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay this was a short chapter to tie up, as the name suggests loose ends, next chapter will be returning to Team RWBYs plot line and beginning the final stretch of Volume 2.  
Gangrels Conversation with his Dad, happens around the same time Team RWBY are setting up camp, everything else happens the next day so we're obviously a little bit ahead of ourselves, I could have put this chapter here or after the next chapter, but the way I have the next three chapters planned out it would interrupt the flow of the story.

So to summarise.  
Gangrel is still trying to reconcile wanting to stop Adam and the White Fang with having the urge to deal with problems the way the he would while he was in the White Fang  
Emerald worships the cult of Cinder, Mercury is just a hired gun.  
Velvet is now one of the people trying to save Adam from himself and save everybody else from Adam

THIS STORY HAS PASSED THE 5K VIEWS MARK, you people are awesome

Thank you to Drake187 and AirForceMuffin for their reviews on the last chapter, I promise you I'll be addressing the cliff hanger next chapter and you'll definitely be getting to see Adam go a little further off the deep end; in fact trigger warnings in advance, it's going to be nasty.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	31. 31: Rescue Mission

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

TRIGGER WARNING – This chapter contains depictions of and alludes to more graphic things than this stories usually features, you have been warned

 **Chapter 31: Rescue Mission**

Ruby slowly regained consciousness her left eye opening much slower than her right as a deep pounding ache erupted throughout that side of her skull, years of having Aura at ones disposal tended to leave even trainee Hunters unaccustomed to dealing with any considerable amount of physical pain, and Adam Taurus frankly hit like a truck. As her vision stopped swimming and her surroundings came into focus she saw that she was being held in a small and completely bare room, Crescent Rose and her cape had been thrown carelessly in a corner out of her reach the only other decoration or furniture was the chair that she realised as she tried to move that she was tied to, looking down she saw ropes around her chest giving her just enough room to breath, her arms were strapped to the arms of the chair, her legs were similarly bound to the legs of the chair which was in turn bolted to the floor; before she could even begin to formulate a plan the single entrance to her makeshift prison opened to her right and two individuals opened, one of them sporting antlers from his head and wearing the uniform of a generic White Fang Grunt, she could see part of the outline of another grunt guarding the door outside, the second individual to enter however was evidently a much more immediate threat  
"You know" Adam Taurus observed, his smirk carrying through to his voice "Usually if I knock someone out they don't get up for a day or two, I'm very mildly impressed Ruby" Ruby struggled to at least appear calm as her captor strolled casually towards her  
"Surprised that I know who you are Ruby Rose?" Adam Asked  
"Not really" Ruby managed to keep her voice from wavering as she spoke "I know who you are, you're Blakes' old partner the one who used to look like Spike from Cowboy Bebop" Adams' smile flickered for a moment and he took a deep breath before turning to his associate  
"You hear this Perry? Honestly I curse the day I let Blake borrow some of my Manga collection" the White Fang grunt gave a quiet chuckle from the back of the corner of the room he'd positioned himself, seemingly guarding Rubys' weapon. Adam turned his attention back to Ruby  
"Which brings me to the reason we're both here, I know the rest of your team will look for you and they might eventually find their way here but Mountain Glenn is a large place so how about you tell me where they are and we can speed their futile attempts to rescue you up?" Ruby wanted to make some clever one-liner about his over confidence but the words wouldn't come, she'd been almost comically easy to out manoeuvre and overpower the amount of fire power currently at Adams' disposal giving his attitude some justification; a sense of dread set in as Ruby realised that this was not like the stories her uncle told and it was not like fighting Grimm  
"Nothing?" Adam sneered "You have nothing to tell me?" Rubys' thoughts raced desperately, _What would Blake do?_ In this situation she had honestly no idea, Blake only brought Adam up in conversation if it was absolutely necessary. _What would Weiss do?_ Ruby quickly realised she didn't have the vocabulary needed for Weiss Schnee tirade. _What would Yang do?_ Ruby instantly knew the answer to that but in her current predicament punching Adam in the face was out of the question. _What would Penny do?_ Probably something incredibly cool that she couldn't even hope to pull off. _What would Gangrel do?_ A small smile tugged at Rubys' lips as she answered that question to herself  
"Yeah, I've got something to tell you" Ruby croaked out  
"Honestly I was expecting more resistance from you, this is disappointingly anti-climactic" Adam told her softly as he crouched down so that his face was level with Rubys', Ruby then proceeded to spit in his face  
"When I get out of here I'm gonna make you eat that fucking mask, how's that for resistance" she snarled with as much menace and venom as she could muster, Adam wiped his face as he stood back up his hand slowly closing around the hilt of his sword  
"That's more like it, I can see the time you've spent with Gang has left an impression on you" Adam sounded almost amused before his tone darkened at his next words "But you are no Gangrel Slate" moving impossibly fast Adam partially unsheathed Wilt, the butt of the weapon jerking Rubys' head back as it impacted against her face, replacing the weapon the Bull-Faunus crouched down again roughly grabbing her hair and pulling her head back to its' previous position, Rubys' eyes watered and blood flowed freely from her clearly broken nose  
"Look at me Ruby, look at me. I don't want to hurt you, truly I take no pleasure in inflicting pain on children, so make this easier for both of us and tell me; Where is Blake?" Ruby spat out some of the crimson liquid that was dripping into her mouth but remained silent, Adam gave an exasperated sigh before releasing her head, causing it to droop slightly and placing his hand over hers  
"Fine" he said simply, she barely had chance to register the word  
SNAP  
"Arrgh!" Ruby screamed in pain, Adam stepped back, as she took several breaths and blinked the tears from her eyes she looked down at her left hand to see that the joints of her pinky finger were facing _the wrong way._ Bile rose in her throat and her breathing grew faster and shallower as Adam loomed over her again  
"You see this is the downside of having your Aura unlocked, some very cruel people taught me this little trick" he sounded almost disinterested "As long as I don't cut anything off your Aura will fix everything that happens; so I'm going to break your fingers one at a time and if you don't tell me where Blake is then I'm going to wait for you to recover and I'm going to do it over and over again until you crack"

Weiss was slowly dragged from her sleep by the feeling of a cold wet nose nuzzling into her  
"Not in public Gangrel" she mumbled to herself, eyes finally opening as the feeling persisted; an embarrassed blush heating her face as she realised that it was Zwei that had woken her, fixing the Corgi with a harsh glare, she whispered  
"He must never know" the dog whined in response to her admonishment, before running back out of the ruined building they were using for shelter, looking at her Scroll and ignoring the missed calls from her father Weiss saw that it was well past the time that Ruby should have woken her for guard duty, making her way outside expecting to see Ruby asleep on the job she found Zwei waiting seemingly expectantly for her; casting her eyes around and finding no trace of her partner she quickly made her way back inside and shook the remaining members of her team awake  
"Blake, Yang, wake up" she hissed urgently  
"Weiss I swear I'm going to"  
"Ruby isn't here; wake up right now!" she raised her voice as much as she dared in the Grimm infested city, the commotion being enough to stir Professor Oobleck who was evidently a very light sleeper; Yang immediately springing into action as she extracted herself from the sleeping bag and started attaching her Gauntlets  
"Then we need to find her; split up meet back here in-" she was cut off as Oobleck cleared his throat behind her, the girls turned to see him crouched down stroking Zwei who had once again returned, attaching the Corgis' leash to his collar the professor rose to his feet  
"I believe staying together would be a preferable course of action ladies; our canine friend seems intent on us following him; prepare your weapons and stay alert, Grimm do not fight silently so it is not unreasonable to assume that your team-mate is in a much greater danger"

With a sickening crack the bones of the last of Rubys' fingers gave way and the young Huntress screamed in agony, tears streaming down her face as she struggled in vain against her restraints; her Aura healed her faster than she hoped offering her little respite; this was the third time that Adam had broken her fingers, her head dropped down and she forced herself to grit her teeth and not give the monstrous Faunus the satisfaction of hearing her cry out, Adam for his part waited silently for a few moments before deciding that his prisoner was still not going to talk; he made his way towards the door of the room giving her some parting words as he left  
"Little girl your resolve will run out before my patience does, but if you don't give me what I want the next time I come back then I'm going to find a tire iron and break your legs as well" stepping out of the room and closing the door behind him Adam took several deep breaths to steady himself and grabbed the railing of the balcony to stop his hands from visibly shaking before turning to see the two White Fang members outside the makeshift interrogation room, one of them Perry a Moose-Faunus native to Vale who was rapidly working his through the ranks and would probably become and officer at the conclusion of this mission; he wasn't Gang or Velvet but he was capable, the other was a grunt whose name Adam was unsure of  
"Perry find a tire iron, or a crowbar we're bound to have some lying around" before the moose Faunus could comply the grunt spoke up  
"I don't think this is working boss, we might need to try something else" Adam turned to face him, curious to see if the nameless Fang had a spark of intelligence or insight that might make him noteworthy  
"I'm open to suggestions" the grunt paused for a moment before smirking behind his mask and speaking  
"Well there's worse things in the world than a beating, there's a lot more men working on this site than women; a lot of people are getting pretty tense….How about you let a few of the boys use her a scratching post, get it out their systems" Adam took a moment to fully appreciate what was being suggested before looking over his shoulder and seeing a look of revulsion on Perrys' face that mirrored his own sentiments, he turned back to the grunt  
"Give me your knife" the grunt swiftly complied, faster than anyone's eyes could track Adam had taken the proffered blade and stabbed the grunt in the crotch, withdrawing the blade as his victim fell to the floor screaming, the Bull-Faunus then hoisted him back to his feet before dragging the blade across his throat  
"Look at me, look at me!" he snarled as the dying grunt rapidly bled out "I am not a monster!" Adam screamed; letting the grunt fall to the ground he turned to Perry who had watched events transpire without betraying a single emotion  
"New plan forget the tire iron, you take this bastard topside and drag him a few blocks from the entrance….leave him for the Grimm to eat"

Yangs' armoured fist collided with the face of the bespectacled White Fang, his screams muted by the ribbon of Gambol shroud currently gagging him while Blake and Weiss held his arms, they had found the White Fang member dragging the body of one his associates through the streets  
"Miss Xiao Long" Oobleck gave a worried look "I must express my deep concern at your methods" the blonde girls irises flickered red for a split second  
"When its' your sister you can tell me how to get answers" she growled out before unleashing another devastating combo, glasses shattered and the unmasked White Fang fell forward, as Blake removed the ribbon from his mouth he spat out a mouth full of blood, which on closer inspection contained the shattered remains of several teeth  
"Okay, okay I'll talk" Perry slurred out through his cracked jaw "You're looking for Ruby Rose, Adam has her in the tunnels but good luck getting down there, he knows you're coming even if you get in you're never getting back out alive" the Faunus laughed, blood from his mouth splattering across the asphalt as he did so, Yang levelled the shotgun of her right gauntlet against Perrys' head  
"Miss Xiao Long I insist that you stop!" Oobleck called thought he made no effort to intervene, Yangs' voice was emotionless, her arm visibly shaking as she took a nervous breath  
"I'm sorry" she forced out "We can't let him go, we can't risk it" Blake stepped forward and brought the butt of Gambol Shroud down against her prisoners temple leaving him out cold on the floor, before forcing Yang away from him and glaring fiercely into her eyes  
"Yang, never again"  
"Blake I-"  
"No!" she shouted cutting her off "This never happens again Yang, this can _never_ happen again"  
"Adam has-"  
"THIS IS HOW IT STARTS YANG!" She cried arms tightening around her partner "The justifications and telling me it's just this one time! Please don't do this, don't go down the path Adam has and make me hate you the way I hate him, I can't do it Yang" Yang pulled the feline closer as the pair of them were overcome by tears  
"I'm so sorry Blake" she sobbed into her partners hair "I just, I just…." she trailed off unable to express the sheer helplessness she felt  
"Miss Belladonna, Miss Xiao Long" Professor Oobleck said quietly "I'm afraid we must be going, Mountain Glenn has an extensive cave network beneath it which is what our guest meant by the tunnels, they were originally used to house the subway system between the expansion and the rest of Glenn, later a subterranean city not unlike lower Atlas being built around them; judging by what he was carrying this White Fang member was heading away from their base of operations; I would suggest finding another entrance to the underground and hopefully taking the element of surprise" the group of huntresses nodded silently, small glimmers of hope igniting within each of them now that they had something approaching a plan, as the group set off Yang placed a hand on the Professors' shoulder  
"Doctor Oobleck" she murmured, as quietly as possible hoping that Blake couldn't hear what she was about to say "If I look like I'm about to loose control like that again, I-I want you to stop me, whatever it takes….kill me if you have to"

Ruby winced in pain as her Aura twisted her mangled digits back into place with some unseen force and knitted the bone back together at an impossible rate; she supposed the super speed of her Semblance may have had some part in it and then the thought struck her, _her speed_ , she hadn't managed to fully master this technique the way Rover had only ever managing a fraction of a second before losing control of it but that was all it would take then again if this didn't work she would have drained herself possibly too much to keep withstanding the torture her captor was dispensing. Taking a deep breath and focusing herself as she activated her Semblance and managing to push it to its' limits without moving her body, her entire form became blurry and indistinct as if she were rapidly vibrating, rose petals hung suspended in the air as Ruby stood up, her body phasing through her restraints.  
"It worked" Ruby whispered shocked by her own ability as she staggered forwards, her body returning to its' natural state making her way across the room she picked up her cloak and fastened it around her shoulders, checking Crescent Rose she was amazed to see that Adam was so sure of himself that he hadn't even bothered to remove the ammunition from the weapon, silently making her way to the door she found it was unlocked and that the guard previously stationed outside was nowhere to be found, upon seeing the bloodstains on the wall and floor she instantly recalled Adams' furious screaming outside after his last visit, her face paled as she deduced what had happened to the guard, unfolding Crescent Rose into its' Sniper Rifle form and holding the weapon in still tender hands she looked over the railings to see several White Fang members working below her  
"INTRUDER ALERT" someone called out, alarms began blaring throughout the underground complex  
"Oh no" Ruby whispered to herself, daring to glance over the railings again she was shocked to see that the people below her were heading away from the nearest stairs to her position, Rubys' eyes widened as she realised that she wasn't the intruder and who the most likely candidates would be.

Yang fought her way through a hailstorm of bullets, each ricocheting harmlessly off of her Aura, the minuscule amount of which they chipped away merely becoming fuel for her Semblance, her own gauntlets send high explosive Dust shells into the hoard of White Fang members that stood in her way, beside her Blake was using her Semblance to avoid attackers while using non-lethal force to leave them sprawled on the ground, Weiss shielding them from any heavier weapons used against them with her Glyphs while Oobleck returned fire with his own weapon _'Cambrian Explosion'_ a single Atlesian Paladin battle-suit lumbered around a corner weapons at the ready  
"Focus your fire on that, I won't be able to block everything it can throw at you!" Weiss shouted; Blake Yang and Oobleck moved to fire on the machine before they were halted what sounded like a sonic boom before a crimson streak burst into view, rose petals trailing behind it, Ruby phased through the back of the battle-suit and out of the front, dragging its' pilot out with her the machine slumped forwards as Ruby raced towards her team, dropping the White Fang pilot as she flew into Yangs' arms  
"Ruby you're okay!" her sister exclaimed  
"Y-yeah, yeah mostly" Ruby stammered as she held on to her, Yang pulled back and felt her chest tighten as she got a proper look at her sister, dried blood caked the lower half of her face and a rapidly fading bruise stretched from her left temple to her eye, looking at Rubys' hands Yang nearly wept, the signs of the damage inflicted on them was all too apparent  
"Fall back, fall back to the train! Everybody is evacuating!" one of the White Fang still standing called to his comrades, Yangs' head snapped up, her irises burning red as her Semblance flickered into life, the metal floor beneath her beginning to glow under the intense heat  
"Blake" Yang breathed out before moving to follow the retreating White Fang "I'm sorry, I know you're going to hate me; but I'm going to kill him for this" Blake sprung forward, her palm blistering even through her Aura as she took Yangs' hand in hers  
"No Yang" the blonde turned to face her and was stunned by the look of sheer fury on the Blakes' face  
"We're both going to kill him"

 **Authors Notes:**

I'll just say right now that whatever angry comments you type about this chapter are probably deserved but they will do nothing but add fuel to the fire that is my enthusiasm for this story.

So let's summarise  
Yes Adam is officially the bad guy at this point, he threatened to torture that member of the Black Bear Syndicate before he shot him, now it's officially on the agenda.  
His method of torturing Ruby was inspired by Tokyo Ghoul (Jason removing Kaneki's fingers and toes) but adapted for what Aura can repair  
Ruby trying and failing to be a bad ass by emulating the people around her was entertaining to write.  
Weiss's wake up call….Gangrel must never know.  
Yes Adam is ruthless, but he's not a rapist, and he won't allow his underlings to do anything like that to prisoners, he still has some sort of code that he tries to live by; I think of it like something Edmure Tully said to Jaime Lannister (Game of Thrones) _"You understand on some level that you're an evil man; tell me I want to know I truly do, how do you live with yourself? We all have to tell ourselves that we're decent don't we? To sleep at night"_ This is Adams' way of telling himself that he's still a decent person despite everything.  
Yang as a parallel to Adam is an interesting concept to me and I like the idea of Blake having to save her the way she couldn't save Adam from himself; also let's be honest with ourselves she would have beaten answers out of as many people as it took to find Ruby and we all know it.  
You thought I'd forgotten about Ruby learning to phase through stuff like Rover can, you were mislead, this was what I gave her that ability for.  
I think Cambrian Explosion is a great name for Ooblecks' weapon

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter, even though I said Gangrels' Lower Atlesian accent sounds like Yorkshire whenever I write Bjorn I can hear some of my Irish uncles voices in my heads and well you wanted to see how far off the deep end Adam's gone, hope I didn't disappoint.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	32. 32: Crazy Train

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 32: Crazy Train**

Adam held the White Fang grunt off of the ground, a single hand around his throat while his legs kicked frantically  
"What do you mean the prisoner is loose!" he demanded as he slammed the struggling grunt into the floor; his former partner and her associates had made a more cunning line of attack than he'd anticipated, he had been prepared for a full frontal assault fuelled by desperation after he'd captured Ruby, instead they'd found their way into his underground base sooner than he'd planned for and arrived by blowing one of the entrances the White Fang had sealed and proceeding to storm the premises, the fourth member of Team RWBY being freed potentially spelt disaster. Feeling a large hand on his shoulder Adam turned to see Felix Sober behind him, another of his old friends from Lobo-Cachorro  
"Adam it's time to go" the tanned feline Faunus told him bluntly, Adam gave a snarl of frustration  
"We've got her!" he shouted "Blake is here! We can win this!"  
"And how many people have to die?" Felix demanded "Adam this base is lost, if they don't blow the dust they'll have the authorities here soon enough, we need to get our people out" Adam silently fumed before storming past his old friend and punching a wall hard enough to dent it  
"Fine" he spat "Give the order, everyone fall back to the train get the last carriage attached while I start it up; we're going to have start the plan early"  
"Are you sure that's the best idea?"  
"No" Adam laughed bitterly "But if this base goes then our people will have to try and walk from here to civilisation without being caught by the Grimm; it's the best option we've got. Meet me on the train Felix"

Team Ruby and Professor Oobleck reached the platform in time to watch the freight train departing  
"Well I suppose that answers the question of what they needed it for" Blake said sardonically  
"This is preposterous" Oobleck exclaimed "These tunnels are sealed, they have nowhere to go but a dead end"  
"Well they're clearly trying to go somewhere" Yang snarled sprinting after the train as it began to build up speed  
"Only one thing to do" Ruby shouted, following her sister "Team RWBY, we are stopping this train" sensing Weiss Blake and Oobleck running as well she used her Semblance rush forwards and leap onto the roof of the rear carriage, using the blade of Crescent rose to secure herself she reached down and helped the others aboard before removing a hatch that allowed them to drop down into the carriage itself, before any of them could do so they caught sight of something  
"What is that?" Weiss asked pointing down to the mess of metal and wires below  
"That" Ruby sighed as she recognised the device "Is a bomb, a pretty small one but-"  
"But with the amount of stolen dust in the carriage it doesn't need to be big" the felines' expression was horrified "The bomb itself is just the trigger for the Dust, we need to detach this from the rest of the train"  
"We've got incoming" Yang informed them the girls looked up to see a large number of White Fang climbing up onto the roof of the train from various carriages  
"Push forward" Oobleck ordered, Zweis' head poking out of his jacket the Corgi being situated in one of his inside pockets; as the girls rushed to comply the train car disconnected itself  
"I think Adam really wants us off this train" Yangs' grin was feral as she rushed and charged the first of the White Fang attackers, Blake rushed in behind her the partners making short work of their assailants in a shocking display of ferocity at roughly the same time the train carriage that had separated exploded  
"What set that bomb off?" Ruby demanded  
"Erm, Ruby we've got another one" Weiss informed her panicked, looking into the carriage she was currently stood on top of she saw that it was indeed rigged with explosives  
"Yang, Blake, check that car!" having done so her sister gave her a worried glance  
"This one's got a bomb as well!"  
"This is his plan!" Oobleck shouted as he indicated to where the last carriage had detonated, shadowy forms could be seen scurrying along the walls and floor trailing after the train, Oobleck was aghast  
"He means to unseal the tunnels and lead the Grimm into the heart of Vale!" Ruby looked to her teacher for guidance  
"What do we do?" Oobleck readied his weapon and steeled himself  
"Weiss, Blake, Yang; go low and disarm any explosives you can it seems just disconnecting them will not be enough. Ruby you're with me"

Adam stood at the controls of the rapidly accelerating train, Felix behind him  
"You know" the muscular Faunus mused "I never did ask about this part of the plan; we're driving a train rigged to explode straight into a wall, seems like the sort of thing we'd leave to Torchwick" Adam responded with a chuckle that had a sinister edge to it  
"That was actually the plan originally, let him go out in a blaze of glory and see if his profits can buy him a way into the afterlife"  
"So…." Felix let the question hang in the air, Adam snorted  
"Relax we'll be fine besides, you can't tell me you've never wanted to see exactly how much your Aura can take" the pair were interrupted by a frantic White Fang grunt bursting through the door  
"Commander Taurus, they made it on to the train" he stopped to collapse forward coughing blood up and clutching at his side as he did so "They're running right through us sir, a lot of people have already been thrown off the train; the blonde one punched me through the roof of a carriage" Adam cursed to himself before forcing himself to focus  
"Head back through the train, tell our people to fight with everything they have, use the battle-suits; did Romans' pet monster make it aboard?" the wounded Fang nodded Adam glowered, his cybernetic eye glowing a brighter red as he did so "Tell her to guard the inside of the train, if she fights alongside our people she's liable to kill them as well" the grunt forced himself to his feet and limped back down the train  
"Where do you want me?" Felix asked as removed his hefty chainsaw from its' harness on his back  
"Cover the next carriage, kill anyone that isn't Blake….let her past you, I'll deal with her myself" Felix was glad of his mask covering his entire face as he left, he did not want Adam to notice the concerned and alarmed expression he wore.

"We've got problems up ahead!" Ruby called back to Oobleck as she raced along the roof of the train, being halted by the appearance of what looked like a detachment of Paladin battle-suits, at least a dozen of the mechanised walkers advanced on the pair of them, weapons launching a horrific salvo of weapons fire on them, Ruby through herself down letting it pass over her head  
"Stay down!" Oobleck ordered, a split second later Ruby felt a wave of heat wash over her as the Professors weapon reduced the cockpit of the nearest fighting machine to molten slag, the force of the impact sending a second battle-suit toppling over the side to be torn apart as it was caught between the side of the train and the wall of the tunnel, leaping back to her feet the scythe wielder charged into action Ruby didn't have enough energy left to phase through each of the battle-suits and remove their pilots as she had done before, instead she darted from machine to machine the blade of her weapons ruining joints and pistons immobilizing them long enough for Oobleck to do more significant damage  
"Ruby go on ahead, we cannot afford to get bogged down here" the Professor ordered  
"What about you?" she called back, Oobleck reared himself to his full height and rolled his shoulders back before turning to the remaining battle-suits  
"I believe it is time our canine friend and I taught them a lesson" he said with a confident smile, Ruby silently nodded and sprinted on ahead.

"There don't seem to be any more bombs" Weiss said gratefully as the three of them made their way into the next carriage, having used Ice Dust to dismantle explosives in the previous four  
"Thank Oum for that, let's hurry up" Yang snarled, her eyes had not returned to their usual lilac colour since she had seen the horrors wrought on her baby sister  
"Yang, you need to calm down" Blake told her nervously as she squeezed her partners' hand  
"I thought you want-"  
"I do, after Gangrel and now Ruby Adam has to be stopped and it can't be done peacefully" Blake took a deep breath to steady herself "But you can't just rush at Adam and hope to overpower him, his Semblance lets him ignore other peoples' Aura for a short time. We need to be careful when we fight him" Yang blanched at the information before her expression returned to a state of grim resolve  
"Good to know but still we have to go" as she made to open the door to the next carriage it was blown from its' hinges sending Blake and Yang staggering back towards Weiss; as they readied their weapons they were greeted with the sight of a minuscule individual sauntering through the scorched entrance, mismatched eyes one brown the other pink and hair that matched in one hand was an ornate parasol held over her shoulder, in the other was what had blown the door from its' hinges, a highly advanced looking firearm, the hand-cannon would have looked at home in one of the science fiction films Ruby watched, the newcomer surveyed the three of them a manic grin splitting her face when she saw Weiss  
"Erm, not to state the obvious but she's not White Fang" Yang mumbled as the small girl stood opposite them holstered her gun and withdrew her scroll and began to type out a text message  
"Well she hasn't shot at us again" Blake replied, at this point the newcomer threw the scroll forward for Yang to catch the blonde read the message aloud  
" _Your friend took my Roman, so I'm going to take his Schnee. Neo,_ _kisses XD_ _"_ looking up she saw that the irises of Neo's eyes had turned to a ghostly white and she was withdrawing a blade from her parasol  
"Not a chance half-pint" Yang spat moving to charge her before Weiss rushed forwards  
"I can handle this, you two need to go on ahead!"  
"Weiss-" Blake tried to object but was cut off  
"Just go!" she watched the pair leave and Neo allow them to as Weiss drew her own sword, holding Myrtenaster at the ready she rushed at her slightly smaller opponent who casually parried each of her strikes, Weiss was left handed as she made to slash at Neo's face the smiling madwoman blocked and switched her own blade from her right hand to her left as she spun behind Weiss managing to elbow her in the kidneys and send her staggering forwards, the follow up attack blocked by a glyph; the pair readied their blades again and slowly began to circle one another looking for openings.

Yang and Blake made it though a pair of carriages unhindered before being confronted with a large muscular and tattooed Faunus, a Chainsaw in one hand the blades dormant Yang felt a tug on her shoulder and turned to see Blake staring straight at the mask of the person barring their way  
"Felix, please don't do this" she whispered "You know what Adam wants to do, please help us" the Faunus exhaled slowly evidently tense as he discarded his weapon and reached up to remove his mask revealing vivid yellow cat like eyes complimented by whiskers growing from his face and the large teeth of some ancient sabre-toothed cat  
"Blake he told me to let you pass but only you; stopping you here would be for your own good"  
"Felix, think about this" Blake pleaded with her old friend "Is this what Kai would have wanted, is this what Luna wants for you?" the larger Faunus narrowed his eyes at the mention of his wife  
"You don't get it do you Blake" he spat "I can't leave, half the White Fang on the run end up on the coast of Vaccuo, where me and Luna live now; Adam knows where we live because he bought our house for us as a wedding present, he'll kill her if I don't"  
"Blake go" Yang told her, the blondes eyes slowly morphed from their current fiery red to their natural colour as she deactivated Ember Celicia  
"Yang what are you doing?" Blake demanded as she saw the gauntlets collapse in on themselves  
"Adam might be a monster, but I'm not going to kill a man for trying to protect his family" she said firmly before reaching out to pull Blake into a hug  
"I'll be there soon" she whispered in her partners ear, Blake swallowed looking as though she were fighting back tears and rushed into the next carriage Felix giving a regret filled sigh as she passed him before stepping forwards and raising his guard  
"So we're not fighting to kill then" Felix noted, Yang shook her head  
"Blake deserves better" she said simply before throwing her first punch.

Blake bolted past her former friend and through as single empty train carriage the automatic doors closing with audible hisses behind her, as she made her way into the final carriage before the controls she came to a halt standing in the centre with his sword already drawn was Adam.  
"What have you done to yourself?" Blake asked in shock as she took in his appearance, he no longer wore his mask choosing instead to display the cybernetic implant replacing his left eye and the two gruesome scars on his face with pride  
"These" he chuckled softly "Are just what happens when you put your faith in the wrong people, a mistake I'm in the process of correcting"  
"Gang didn't die" Blake informed him smiling, the Bull-Faunus frowned  
"No matter, he will do before this is over and so will you" with no more to be said the pair lunged at each other.

Weiss frantically blocked and parried strike after strike from her berserk opponent, using her Semblance to shield herself from any of the barrage of attacks that made their way past her defences; the problem Weiss realised was that she knew how to respond to opponents that fought like she did, opponents that used an identifiable technique and proper form; that was rendered moot against Neo who fought like a woman possessed, as Weiss countered a wild slash from Neo's blade which was once again in her right hand her left swung forward and connected with her jaw as Weiss staggered away her adversary used her momentum to carry herself into a spinning kick which sent the heiress sprawling to the floor, Weiss rolled away the sound of her opponents' sword piercing the space she had occupied a moment earlier ringing in her ears, staying on one knee Weiss surveyed the situation in front of her Neo leering at her maniacally with seemingly an endless amount of energy to spare and realised that she needed to change tactics, slowly a small smile crept across her face as she planted Myrtenaster into the floor of the carriage, Neo fought with unrestrained fury and was highly mobile, Weiss realised that she knew somebody else that could be described that way, she steadied herself as her opponent rushed at her again leaping high into the air and somersaulting; Weiss used a Glyph that she rarely implemented due to how much it taxed her, her time dilation Glyph; the world around her slowed to a crawl and as Neo came down an acrobatic axe kick aimed at Weiss' skull the heiress rose to her feet catching her left ankle in her right hand before bringing her left across in a brutal hook, shattering the crazed girls knee before throwing her back against the side of the carriage as the last of her relative momentum was expended, Neo's body convulsed with spasms of silent agony as Weiss pulled Myrtenaster free from the floor and proceeded to impale the smaller girls' right foot, with the use of both legs taken from her Neo collapsed and Weiss used the opportunity to grab both sides of her head and drive her knee into the maniacs face until she stopped struggling before turning away and slowly limping into the next carriage, hoping she still had enough Aura left help Blake and Yang.

Yang weaved under a left hook from Felix, the uppercut she intended to answer with being stopped as the Cat-Faunus lunged forwards his elbow colliding with her right cheek, promptly being followed by a backhand that caught the opposite cheek and a vicious turning kick to the ribs that sent Yang staggering back  
"Should have seen that coming" Yang mused out loud as she sidestepped a vicious right, countering with a left hook and right jab to the back and right side of her opponents head, Felix responded by ducking and swinging a punishing left at her stomach as Yang blocked his strike she realised it was a feint the Faunus exploded forwards his right handed haymaker crashing against the back of her skull, followed by a knee to the face, the blonde rolled across the floor before quickly returning to her feet  
"Really, why's that?" Felix asked in response to her previous comment as he raised his guard again, Yang raised her own as she edged closer  
"Because you either fight like a bulkier Blake or Gang without his semblance" she answered as gave a few experimental left jabs which the Faunus blocked with his right elbow before swinging his arm down aiming for Yangs collarbone, the blonde evaded and sent him staggering back with a right hook to the jaw  
"Yeah well" Felix grinned as he rubbed his jaw "Tukson made us all learn the basics, said any kids living where we did should know how to defend themselves" the two circled each other for a moment before Yang threw a wild right, Felix didn't respond with a punch choosing instead to weave under it attack with and sweep Yangs' feet from under her as her own momentum carried her forwards he grabbed the back of her neck and smashed her face against the side of the carriage, Yang struggled to pull the Faunus into a headlock his response to smash her head against the wall a few more times before throwing her to the ground, hesitating when he saw tears in her eyes  
"Fuck sake" he growled placing a foot on Yangs' chest before continuing "Who are you to Blake?"  
"Just don't let Adam hurt her, just please stop him"  
"Not what I asked" Felix moved his foot and prepared to stomp on the Blondes' face and end the fight  
"I LOVE HER OKAY!" Yang screamed "We're partners, we've only started dating recently but she means so much to me, I can't let anything happen to her" Felix removed his foot and stepped back, running his hands through his dark hair  
"For Oums' fucking sake!" he spat "Why did this whole damn thing become so fucking complicated; get up" he barked indicating to Yang  
"What?"  
"Just get up, my wife and I are going to have to go into hiding after this but fuck, Blake is well, Blake she's one of us; come on we're going to slap sense into Adam" Felix reached down and pulled the Blonde to his feet before making his way towards the door.

Blake sidestepped Adams' downward slash and flipped over the blade as he followed up with a wide arc, his next move however was to vault off of the side of the carriage and deliver a spinning heel kick to her chest that sent her to the ground she brought her blade up in a reverse grip as she rose to one knee blocking a low slash intended to remove her head, rather than parry Blake activated her semblance in tandem with some of the Ice Dust she had in the magazine of Gambol Shroud, stepping back she left a perfect ice sculpture of herself behind, Wilt frozen in place against the blade. Adam rolled his remaining eye before somersaulting over the ice sculpture and delivering an axe kick which Blake promptly sidestepped, triggering her Semblance again she left a shadow clone in her place as she brought her blade around in a broad sweeping slash at the Bull-Faunus' neck; Adam ducked under the attack, his hands glowing crimson as he delivered a palm strike to her right shoulder releasing her grip on Gambol shroud and followed up with a right hook that cracked her cheekbone as it bypassed her Aura, grabbing her by the scruff of the neck he hurled Blake across the carriage into her own ice clone, shattering it and freeing his sword Adam stalked forwards as Blake pulled Gambol Shroud back to her hand via its' ribbon and backed away, Adam gave her a twisted smile as he recovered his weapon  
"I could end this at any time and we both know it" he told her as he readied Wilt for another exchange of blows "But for all the pain you've put me through I'm going to let you struggle and suffer"  
"All the pain….Do you hear yourself Adam, you tortured a fifteen year old girl! What have you become!" Blake roared furiously as she charged at him, her attacks were clumsy and sluggish from the mix of pain and adrenaline  
"I've become willing" Adam hissed as weaved around his former partners attacks before catching her wrist in his hand "To do what's needed" he punctuated his statement with a punch to the temple sword still in his hand, his Semblance causing his hand to glow deep crimson as it cracked the bones around Blakes left eye even further, his left hand moved to her throat and he threw her like a rag doll into the wall, Blake struggled to her feet blood trickling down her face and vision swimming as she advanced on the Bull Faunus  
"So have I Adam and you need to be stopped" her attack was halted prematurely however as pain blossomed in her side, gasping as she collapsed forwards suddenly feeling cold and numb she clutched at her wound feeling blood soaking into her clothes  
"I can't be stopped" Adam said tonelessly "This is the future of Faunus, this is destiny" he wiped Blakes' blood from Wilt before sheathing the weapon and slowly walking towards the controls of the train, seeing the barriers and solid wall in the distance rapidly rushing to meet him he wasn't sure if he had enough Aura left to survive the impact _though truthfully_ Adam thought to himself _death here would still be enough of a victory_ , the sound of the door behind him hissing as it opened caught his attention, turning he saw Felix without his mask and the blonde huntress  
"Adam, what the fuck have you done" his old friend whispered in abject horror, Yang barrelled past him and knelt over Blake's prone form, her eyes a terrifying blood red as she looked up at Adam, her entire body began to glow as she raised her right arm towards him, and armoured gauntlet forming around it  
"You monster!" moments later Adams' world became nothing but pain.

 **Authors Notes:**

Yep, cliffhanger I know I'm beyond reform at this point.

Yeah canon was a little vague about how exactly Team RWBY & Oobleck pulled off a rescue mission on a fortified position so I've had to hand wave a little and say that the majority of the entrances to the under-city and subway system were sealed (pretty sure that is actually canon) Adam has sentries on the open ones so the team blasted open one of the sealed entrances and caught them off guard.  
Also yes Ruby was the one who identified the bomb, minor detail but the weapons nut should know what a bomb looks like.  
Also more hand waving in regards to plans; I've had to explain how the people on the train are planning on surviving this; the original plan was that Roman well wouldn't Adam is just hoping he can tank the hit and get out of the hole before the Grimm catch up.  
Yes Neo is "Romans' pet monster" and yes the gun she used was the Death Ray from Chibi, I changed the fight match ups around, Gangrel stabbed Roman near the end of Vol.1 Weiss and Gangrel were in the papers together, Neo wants payback.  
Weiss won by fighting dirty, think of this as a parallel to her fight with Gangrel in Chapter 08  
Yang V Felix, neither of them wanted to kill the other one but they're protecting people they love and yes Yang is using the L word.  
Felix just betrayed Adam, what happens to people that betray Adam?  
Somebody is notable in their absence in this chapter aren't they  
Yang found Blake on the floor bleeding and didn't get to tell her she loved her to her face….Ooh Yangsty

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, yeah I don't want to make Adam a Saturday morning cartoon villain from the eighties although yes the team split up like in canon in this chapter, I think in this case it's pretty unavoidable.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	33. 33: Breach

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 33: Breach**

Yang forced herself forwards, staggering through the mess of mangled stone and steel towards the light at the end of the tunnel, any puns or jokes she may have had about her situation under other circumstances forgotten as the blonde huntress carried the limp form of Blake Belladonna in her arms, blood from the wound in her side staining her own clothes as Yang clutched her close. Reaching the surface Yang desperately looked around to see crowds fleeing in all directions and realised that the train had brought them directly into the centre of Vale  
"Medic!" she screamed as tears streamed down her face "She needs a medic! Somebody help her! Somebody please!" stumbling forwards a few more steps her legs finally gave way, collapsing to her knees she lowered her partner to the ground applying pressure to the gash Adams' sword had torn in her side, Blake hissed in pain at the contact  
"You're gonna be okay Blake, you're gonna be okay just stay with me" Yangs words came out rushed and panicked between sobs  
"The Grimm are coming" Blake managed to whisper through gritted teeth "Get the people out, you can't worry about me now"  
"EVERYBODY RUN WE HAVE GRIMM INCOMING!" Yang turned to see Felix pulling himself from the breach, his White Fang vest having been shredded in the explosion making him harder to identify as a member of the organisation responsible  
"SEND WORD TO BEACON, WE NEED HUNTERS HERE NOW!" the larger feline bellowed, some of the armoured police that had quickly flocked to the scene making an effort to comply as Felix rushed to where Yang knelt over Blake  
"Oh fuck, Blake can you hear me?" he demanded positioning himself on the other side of the smaller Faunus before shouting over to police who were still standing around dumbstruck unsure if they should point their weapons at the breach or the people that had crawled from it  
"Why aren't you helping!" Yang demanded aiming her gauntlets at one of the officers, another of their number stepped forward, placing a hand on Yangs' shoulder  
"A medical evac is already en route, we need to know what's happening" Felix was the one who answered  
"There are about to be a whole lot of Grimm coming out of that hole" the officer trained his ears and through the sounds of alarms and the terrified public he could here the howls and screeches of the approaching monsters  
"Shouldn't we evacuate?" the officer asked, Yang gave him an incredulous look  
"And what let the Grimm run through Vale? Blake's right" she let out a choked sob at the words "We have to protect the people" Felix nodded as he took over from Yang and applied pressure to Blakes' injuries while the Blonde huntress readied herself, her Semblance flickering into life as the first Grimm surged forth.

"Status report" Gangrel demanded of the pilot of the Bull-Head he was currently aboard, besides the crew there were ten individuals on the transport, two medics Team GRAP and Team CFVY the Co-Pilot turned to respond  
"Massive underground explosion, Grimm are coming up through the hole, we have reports of a wounded Huntress on site, this going to be the first craft to reach" Gangrel growled to himself  
"I'm the leader of the most senior Hunter Team currently inbound, I'm taking command until we're relieved by qualified Hunters. Understood?" when he received acknowledgement from those around him he continued "Okay pilot, two stops drop everyone except myself and Velvet a block away from the breach, Rover I want a barricade set up use your Semblance one way in or out"  
"Overdrive mode?" the canine asked as he removed his mask and checked his weapon, Gangrel nodded  
"I'm not happy about it but we're going to need it, Coco you set that artillery piece of yours up in the hole Rover leaves in the perimeter, Yatsuhashi you cover her kill anything that gets close, Missy while there's no airborne Grimm I want you on the rooftops sniping, check for trapped civilians, co-ordinate with Fox and Squish to get them out through the exit Coco and Yatsu are covering; everyone understand?" again everyone nodded, Velvet spoke up  
"What about us?" Gangrel gave a grimace  
"We're the second stop, we cover the medics as they get the hunter out; when they leave we hit the Grimm hard and help any law enforcement units on the ground hold the line until reinforcements arrive"  
"We're approaching the first drop zone" the co-pilot informed them  
"Squish, I'm gonna need some rocket fuel" Rover told his reptilian team-mate who proceeded to reach into his pocket and withdraw a small airtight bag of white powder  
"Is that cocaine?" Coco asked confused, Rover nodded as he took the bag and withdrew a red dust crystal from one of his own pockets, crushing the crystal and emptying the drug onto a flat surface of the interior of the craft, mixing the two powders together and racking up a line of the concoction Rover grinned to himself  
"Thank Oum Ruby isn't here, Yang would kill me if I taught her this trick" with that he proceeded to inhale the mix of cocaine and dust  
"What the fuck is he-" Coco started before Squish cut her off  
"Just wait for it" slowly Rovers' Semblance activated as he replaced his mask, but it was different, instead of the usual arcing electricity that accompanied his vibrating form he was wreathed in golden fire as he opened the side hatch of the Bull-Head  
"Going in hot!" he cackled with unrestrained glee as he leapt from the craft, the tarmac below cracking and bubbling as he connected with it before shooting off leaving a towering pillar of fire and shattered ground in his wake  
"He can metabolise dust for short periods" Squish informed the shocked members of Team CFVY "He just needs the sniff to safely get it into his system"  
"Okay enough talk, get on the ground you fuckers!" Gangrel barked Coco, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Artemis and Perdu rushed forwards exiting the Bull-Head weapons' drawn, Gangrel turned to the Rabbit-Faunus at his side  
"We get the fun job"

Neo regained consciousness to find her world a blur of darkness and pain, her Aura had snapped the broken bones of her left leg back into place but it was agonising to stand, casting her eyes around the ruined train carriage she searched for her weapons, the flickering emergency lights giving her surroundings an eerie glow finally she saw the blade she hid inside her parasol glinting as the light struck it, it was pinned under debris with a silent huff of frustration Neo limped into the next carriage leaving bloody footprints behind her. Reaching the next carriage her face cracked into a twisted smile, there were two girls one of them the red caped scythe wielder that had humiliated her Roman at the dust store, the other was the Schnee who was being helped to her feet by the former; Ruby rose gasped at the sight of Neo and converted her weapon to its' rifle form by which time Neo had already drawn her death ray and fired; to no effect, frowning the mute squeezed the trigger again with the same result, the weapon simply spat sparks in protest, Neo silently seethed and activated her Semblance; Rubys' return fire shattering the image she left behind her as she vanished.

Gangrel leapt from the Bull-Head as it neared the extraction point, triggering his Semblance and a handful of Gravity Dust at the same time he reappeared on the ground and brought Iorek and Iofur out in wide arcs the Dust sending a wave of sheer concussive force forwards crushing the bones of the nearest Grimm and hurling them back as they were caught in the blast; with a small thud Velvet landed beside him and produced a replica of Cocos' mini-gun and rained death on as many Grimm as possible while the Medics rushed from the transport, the Bear Faunus moved to cover them his blood running cold when he saw who the injured huntress was  
"Yang what the fuck happened, Felix what are you doing here?" the asked furiously as he helped Blake on to a stretcher  
"This was Adams' plan" Felix told him, his tone one of utter horror "The plan was to do this during the tournament while most of the Hunters in Vale would be in the stadium"  
"And you helped him do it" Gangrel snarled readying his swords  
"He helped Blake!" Yang shouted moving forwards, without warning an arc of crimson light shot forwards, causing the Hunters to dive to the ground  
"Yes he did" a voice dripping with venom hissed "And for that he can die with the rest of you traitors" Gangrel rose to his feet, Yang and Velvet taking up positions behind him the Bear-Faunus caught sight of Felix, blood pooled on the floor beneath the ruined body of his old friend, Gangrels' gaze was murderous as he looked up at Adam, the Bull-Faunus' clothes were tattered his cybernetic eye was sparking and flickering and his right horn had been broken off halfway  
"Get Blake out of here" Yang urgently ordered the medics who carried the surviving Cat-Faunus aboard, Adam seemingly not having enough power left in his Semblance to stop them  
"Where's Weiss?" Gangrel snarled to the blonde as Adam advanced on them  
"Still in the tunnels"  
"So we have to run through him then" Gangrel gripped his swords tighter and readied himself, Adam himself grinned like a madman as he neared them  
"So Blake escaped again, no matter I'm going to destroy everything she loves" he pointed at Yang with the blade of Wilt "Starting with you"

Rover hacked through Grimm with impunity, a Creep was bisected as it reached him a Deathstalker exploded as he phased through it, firing Malis-Canis directly into its' innards, the effects of the drugs and Dust he had imbibed had worn off and now his incredible speed was starting to fluctuate as the come-down hit him, he could feel the blood trickling from his nose under his mask and an immense pressure was building up behind his eyes; skidding to a halt he propped himself against an upturned car and fired into the seemingly endless hoard of Grimm  
"Babe, two Bull-Heads' inbound" upon hearing Artemis' voice over his comm he leapt into cover as two of the advanced Atlesian Raubvogel flew over head their weapons strafing the Grimm below, rear hatches opened and a small squad of Atlesian knights leapt from each transport each led by a team of Hunters, a sonic blast annihilated an approaching Creep to Rovers' side, the blast ringing in his sensitive ears  
"Sorry about that man, should have know better" Flynt Coal helped Rover to his feet another Deathstalker rushed towards them only to be halted as a thin wall of shimmering multicoloured light bisected it like a guillotine, Neon skating into view having thrown the light that trailed behind her forward  
"My Semblance is pretty cool huh, as I build up momentum I can convert kinetic energy into a solid state" the hyperactive Faunus laughed as she drew her weapons and launched herself back into the fray  
"You okay to stand?" Coal asked  
"Yeah I'm good" Rover forced himself back to his feet readying his weapon "Who else is here?"  
"Team FNKI and Team CPIA from Atlas just touched down, some of Beacons' professors are inbound. We've just gotta hold the line until they get here" Rover nodded  
"Hey Squish your girl just showed up and helped save my ass, your next date better be something special" the reptilians' voice was terse as he replied over the sound of his own weapon rapid firing  
"And I bet she looked sexy as all hell while she did it but she can look after herself the civilians can't so don't distract me"

Penny had been separated from the rest of her team, that was not a problem.  
She had been blind-sided by a Creep before lodging one of her swords in the base of its' spine, that was not a problem.  
She had felt part of the outer layer of her chassis come away and her left shoulder was currently sparking whenever she moved the arm, that was not a problem.  
She didn't know how but she was inexplicably sure that Ruby was on this battlefield somewhere and she couldn't find her, that was a problem.  
"Attack pattern Slate" she said tonelessly as she brought two of her swords to bear on the nearest Deathstalker, wide slashes removing its' pincers before firmly planting her foot against its skull and kicking with enough force to shatter bone, the monster did not get back up, another Creep leapt at her, pain lanced through her damaged arm as she deflected its' first attack replacing the sword in said arm back in her storage unit she took up a fencing stance with her remaining weapon  
"Attack pattern Schnee" the Creep leapt at her again only to find a blade in its' throat protruding from the back of its' skull, as Penny struggled forwards a King-Taijitu reared one of its heads, Penny regarded the towering beast and simply deployed all eight of her swords on their tethers  
"Attack pattern Polendina" the serpent Grimm fell to the floor in pieces as it began to dissolve, Penny continued searching the area for any trace of a red cape or scythe.

Ruby and Weiss fought back to back in the remains of the front train car, so close to reaching the surface but neither of them had much more left to give and they were surrounded, several Grimm ignored them all together as they exited the breach but more than enough turned their attention to the tiring Huntresses  
"You know one of us could probably buy the other enough time to get out" Ruby said as she brought Crescent Rose around in a wide arc that cleaved through several grim, Weiss landed on the blade of the scythe as she blocked the stinger of a Deathstalker with a glyph before driving her rapier through its' eye socket  
"My Semblance is better suited to defence, I'll cover you" Weiss replied, Ruby fired her sniper rifle over her partners' shoulder splattering the rapidly dissipating contents of a Creeps' skull across the wall  
"Nope, I'm not telling Gang I left you behind" Ruby laughed, Weiss gave a small smile as she vaulted off of another Glyph and leapt over Ruby to impale another Creep  
"I'm not telling Yang _or_ Penny I left you behind"  
"I could just order you to go" Ruby countered as she removed one of the heads of a King-Taijitu, Weiss piercing the other as it whipped round  
"You could but I would be forced to disobey" Ruby frowned as she made short work of several approaching Grimm  
"So, this is how we die then?" Ruby asked her voice trembling, Weiss reached out and squeezed her young leaders' hand before readying her self for the next assault  
"I think it might be Ruby and I want you to know you're the best friend I ever had" her own voice wavering as she slashed through the first Creep to reach them Rubys' rifle terminating the next few  
"You too Weiss, so for the love of Oum fall back!" she cried as she emptied her magazine before converting Crescent Rose back to its' scythe form, the Grimm didn't leave them enough time to reload  
"I am not going to abandon-" her rebuttal was cut short by an explosion throwing both of them backwards, Ruby slowly rose to her hands and knees crawling forwards to recover her scythe ears still ringing from the blast struggling back to her feet she saw Weiss in a similar position, looking back into the tunnels her mouth was left agape by a lone figure striding through the flames, weapon slung over his shoulder his footfalls punctuated by the sound of enthusiastic barks  
"Terribly sorry about the delay girls, it appears that the Grimm wished to be taught the same lesson as the White Fang; unfortunately neither group are exactly model students. Now I do believe our attention is required up ahead"

Gangrel attacked Adam with unrestrained fury, each attack sending the Bull-Faunus staggering back despite failing to get past his guard years of fighting alongside the Bear-Faunus had left Adam intimately aware of Gangrels' approach to one on one combat, as Gangrel reappeared Adam ducked under an attack that would have severed his head before firing Blush point blank into his chest, Gangrels' armour was sturdy enough that the gunshot left nothing but a blackened mark and forced him back a step; before Adam could press the advantage pain erupted in his side sending him sprawling to the ground quickly springing to his feet he saw the cause of the problem, Blakes' human partner had punched him in the kidneys and discharged the weapon mounted in her gauntlets  
"I never need much of a reason to want to hurt a human but thank you for that anyway" Adam spat, blood trickling from his mouth as he spoke Yangs' attack clearly having done serious damage deciding to cut the fight short he slashed with Wilt his entire body radiating the crimson glow of his Semblance as he did so before the arc of energy could shear the blonde huntress in half it impacted against another target; Velvet had leapt over Yang using a copy of Wilt to block the attack, the blue blade fizzled out of existence the Rabbit-Faunus instantly forming new weapons, copies of Gangrels' swords brought to bear in a wild slash that Adam managed to sidestep, sweeping Velvets' legs and following up with a spinning kick that sent her to the ground, attempting to rise she found Blush levelled at her face  
"Don't make me hurt you" her former lover whispered  
"This has to stop Adam" at her words Adams' finger tightened around the trigger  
"I loved you Velvet I really did" the Bull-Faunus turned away as he prepared to fire, seemingly unable to look at the results; the shot never came instead Adam dropped to the floor clutching the stump of his left arm, Gangrel stood over him sword aimed at his throat  
"You killed Felix you son of a bitch" the Bear-Faunus snarled as he stamped directly on the wound Yang had inflicted on him "What was it you said to me Adam; die slowly!" each word was punctuated by a furious kick to his old friends' face and chest  
"Gangrel stop!" turning to see the source of the interruption the Bear-Faunus' struggled to believe his eyes when Weiss staggered out the breach towards him, Ruby and Professor Oobleck on either side of her taking shots at any Grimm that tried to near them during the lull in combat, Adam swept Gangrels' legs out as he pulled himself to his feet sending a wave of crimson energy forth from his blade that would have engulfed both Weiss and Ruby  
"DIE SCHNEE!" the crazed Bull-Faunus screamed, both girls being tackled to the ground in a single motion faster than Gangrel could react, as the pair rose to her feet the Bear-Faunus saw the identity of the newcomer and laughed at the sheer absurdity of the situation  
"About time you did something fucking useful"  
"Salutations" was the only response Penny gave him, the greeting missing its' usual cheer as she stared at Adam with ill intent; The Bull-Faunus looked around him and took stock of the situation, he was bleeding heavily from a gunshot in his side and his left arm that had been severed at the elbow as well as sporting several cracked ribs and was currently surrounded by Gangrel, Velvet, Blakes' new partner, the Schnee, the girl he had tortured, a Professor at Beacon and another trainee huntress he didn't recognise  
"It's over Adam" Velvet looked at him her eyespleading "Just let it end" Adam raised Wilt high in a reverse grip, crimson energy swirling around his entire body his remaining eye glowing with a terrifying light  
"It's over" he laughed blood continuing to drip down his chin as he did so "It's over for all of you" with that he prepared to bring the blade downwards but found his arm halted by a vice like grip  
"It's time to answer for your mistakes Taurus" the woman who had appeared from seemingly nowhere spoke, her voice echoing and distorted by the helmet she wore a, giant Grimm mask that housed a respirator system, raven black hair cascading down her back and clad in deep crimson and black combat gear, a sheath containing multiple blades at her side without another word reality itself seemed to warp behind Adam forming a portal which the newcomer prompted to unceremoniously kick the wounded Faunus through  
"Gang! Gang are you there!" Artemis' voice could be heard through the comm he had been ignoring for the duration of his battle with Adam  
"Yeah I can here you Missy"  
"Survivors are out, Goodwitch and Port are inbound with Teams CRDL and MELO what's your status"  
"Blake was the injured huntress I'm with the rest of Team RWBY, Oobleck and an Atlesian student. We're about to plug that hole, how's everyone else holding up?"  
"No injuries or fatalities, minimal civilian casualties, Rovers barrier held up and those Atlesian reinforcements helped. I'm gonna keep picking Grimm off until we get the order to fall back"  
"See you at Beacon" Gangrel removed his comm before striding over to Weiss and lifting her from the ground in the tightest embrace he could manage  
"Thank sweet Oum you're safe" he said softly into her hair  
"Not to be _that_ person" Velvet interrupted nervously "But there are still Grimm coming out of that breach, we're not quite safe yet, the Bear-Faunus smirked  
"Oh you're gonna want your camera out for this thumper. Hey Penny!" the ginger girl looked up from her position hugging Ruby, between herself and Yang the younger girl was barely visible, she gave him a questioning look  
"If you still got that big fucking cannon of yours then this would be a great time to use it" Penny smiled at Gangrels' suggestion, deploying all eight of her swords as she marched towards the breach  
"That is a sensational idea" she grinned as she took a knee before firing her photon accelerator directly into the breach a performing a mass cull of the Grimm that attempted to escape.

 **Authors Notes:**

That, was intense.

Okay so let's some up shall we:  
Blake isn't dead, she basically got her Vol.3 stabbing a little early  
Redemption arc for White Fang Lt/Chainsaw Guy/Felix Sombre, unfortunately he had to die, that's four people that have gone against Adam now, one of them had to go just to make him a viable villain, Felix drew the short straw.  
Rovers' overdrive mode, I've been holding that back since I first mentioned Squish selling drugs way way back; yes Ruby could probably do that if she tried but she's not going to think to mix Dust with drugs then inhale it on her own and Rover isn't going to tell her for fear of what Yang would do to him, also the come down from it is unpleasant.  
Neo is alive, she had the Death Ray from Chibi, now its' broken.  
Team CPIA (Sepia) is what I'm calling Pennys' team, Ciel being the leader, Team MELO (Mellow) is what I'm calling Mercury and Emeralds team, remember Cinder and Neo aren't at Beacon in this story.  
Flynt, Neon and Penny all did cool stuff.  
That Weiss and Ruby scene in the wreckage of the train….I'm not crying! You're crying!  
Adam got pretty beat up, internal bleeding courtesy of Yang, he gave a twist on his Vol.3 line before Gangrel gave him a spectacular twist on Vol.3 that I'm sure Bumblebee shippers everywhere are cheering at.  
Yes that was Raven, I'm saying that her mask has a respirator in it, that will come into play much later in the story; also when she talks her voice sounds like a female version of Zoom in The Flash Season 2.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, next chapter will be the resoloution of Vol.2

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	34. 34: Moving Forwards

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 34: Moving Forwards**

Ruby held Zwei close to her chest as she stood on the podium facing the assembled students from all four academies, Ozpin was giving a speech honouring the students that held the breach until fully trained hunters could arrive; five teams of trainees all of which were still in their teens were being commended for serving with honour and distinction, the young girl tuned him out, his words becoming nothing but an indistinct buzz in the back of her mind. Twenty people had fought against the Grimm and potentially saved countless lives, sixteen of them stood here  
"Are you okay?" Ruby tried not to jump at the voice as Penny reached over and scratched behind Zweis' ears "Beautiful animal….canine….dog….mutt" she mumbled to herself clearly still drained from the battle causing Ruby to giggle slightly  
"Yeah" Ruby sighed eventually, her attention completely taken away from the audience in front of her "Things got messed up, really messed up back there"  
"Your face was covered in blood when I found you" Penny mentioned as she took Rubys' hand in her own  
"I got….I, Penny I really don't want to talk about it right now" she stammered, the ginger girl felt Rubys' hand start to tremble in her own  
"Ruby look at me" Penny whispered softly, when a pair of silver eyes met her own she continued "It's going to be okay, whatever happened is over and I'm here whenever you need me to be"  
"You two are really sweet together" a voice interrupted, Ruby turned to see Artemis and Rover stood behind them, the Cat-Faunus being the one who had spoken  
"Come on" Rover chuckled "Speech is over, I think Ozpin cut it short when he realised everyone was paying more attention to you two having a moment" Ruby gave a weak chuckle as a blush crept across her face, looking around she saw that the other teams were indeed leaving the stage and joining the crowds exiting the auditorium, Squish and Neo were leaving together, Flynt was in a corner clearly flirting with one of one of the students from Shade, Nebula something or other, the rest of Team FNKI had already left; looking over to the doors she saw Ciel give both her and Penny a brief salute before leaving with the rest of Team CPIA, Team CFVY were already gone  
"Where's the rest of your team?" Rover asked as the four of them made to leave, Ruby setting Zwei down on the floor as she wrapped an arm around Penny  
"Blake got hurt, she's gonna be okay but Yang wouldn't leave the infirmary; I think Weiss is with Gang" Rover and Artemis shared a look, the Bear-Faunus' expression had been unreadable on the flight back to Beacon  
"I'm gonna go look for them" Rover sighed  
"You sure?" Artemis asked "Might be a bad idea to interrupt" the Dog-Faunus gave her a brief kiss before leaving  
"I know but I wanna make sure he's okay myself, besides it's a bad time but I've got something I want his opinion on" Ruby turned to Artemis  
"So where are you going now?"  
"Probably just back to the dorm, process some of what happened today" the Faunus shrugged, Ruby looked at her nervously  
"Hey, would you mind if Penny and I joined you? I just want to be around people right now"

Blake woke with a start it was the second time she had woken up in the private room of the infirmary, she actually suspected this was the exact same room Gangrel had been in but that was besides the point; the first time she had regained consciousness Yang had been there still coated in blood and grime from the battle, her face a bruised mess; that was when she had heard the news about Felix and wept bitterly into the blondes' shoulder until sleep claimed her again. Opening her eyes to see what had woken her she saw Yangs' face above her and felt a gentle touch on her Faunus ears  
"Sorry" Yang whispered "I didn't mean to wake you, the doctors had to take your bow off while they checked up on you I didn't think you'd want it left off in here" a small smile graced her lips before she leaned up and kissed her partner, jolts of pain shooting through her head as she lifted it  
"Thank you Yang that's really considerate of you, are you okay?" the blonde brawler sat in the chair next to the bed and placed her head in her palms, Blake noted that she had clearly been there the whole time as she still wore the same outfit stained with Blakes' own blood  
"Yeah I'm fine Blake just a few bruises and a little shaken up" her voice wavered at the last few words before she forced herself to continue "You're gonna have a scar where he, where he stabbed you and you've got some fractures along the side of your skull but your Aura is healing that pretty quickly" Blake nodded silently at the news before her face darkened  
"Adam's still out there" Yang nodded  
"Yeah me and Gang went to town on him though, he hurt you and I just saw red Blake….He nearly Taurus apart"  
"Oh for the love of…." Blake trailed off, chuckling at the pun until she heard Yangs laughter give way to tears and immediately turned to face her  
"Yang, what's wrong"  
"Blake how can you stand to look at me?" the Faunus reached out and took Yangs' hand in hers  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I'm a monster Blake" Yang cried "I beat someone half to death for answers, I tortured someone the way Adam would and then I was going to kill him just because it seemed less of a risk; I turned into everything you hate out there and at the end of the day I still couldn't stop him from hurting you"  
"Come here" Blake said simply, moving to allow her partner room on the bed, slowly Yang joined her the pair embracing each other as Yang cried into Blakes' shoulder  
"You could never be like Adam Yang, never" the Faunus girl whispered as she stroked the blondes' hair "And this just proves it he never once took ownership of what he did, he always had an excuse for why someone had to be hurt"  
"Blake if you weren't there I would-"  
"Then it's a good thing I'm always going to be there for you" Blake interrupted "Besides, he hurt people you care about….He made it Purr-sonal" Yang pulled back and gave her a disbelieving stare  
"Did you just?"  
"Yes I did but only because I love you" Blake whispered as she kissed her  
"I love you too Blake" Yang whispered back as their lips met again.

Gangrel sat silently on the roof of Beacon staring at the creased old photograph in his hands, tears slowly dripping onto its' surface his whole body tensed as he shook with a combination of grief and unrelenting hate  
"Gangrel please talk to me" Weiss whispered softly as she leaned into him, without thinking he placed his arm around her shoulders allowing the heiress to get closer, looking at the photograph Weiss saw it was the one that both he and Blake had both shown her before  
"Why did you stop me Weiss?" the Bear-Faunus managed to croak out, his voice hoarse  
"You were going to beat him to death Gangrel"  
"You should have let me" he growled "I shouldn't have fucked about taking his arm, I should gone straight for his head. Now he's still out there and we all have to worry him killing anyone else that care about"  
"Gangrel-" Weiss started  
"No Weiss" Gangrel snarled, tears welling up in his eyes again "He nearly killed you, Penny saved you because I didn't react fast enough! He killed Felix because I didn't stop him fuck Kai is dead because I didn't stop Pitch! What is the point in me being able to teleport if I can't use it to save the people that matter to me?"  
"You did everything you could" Weiss kissed his cheek causing him to turn to her, his eyes red and puffy "Felix meant a lot to you, I know that but you need to mourn for him and keep moving forward; Adam has taken a lot from you but please Gangrel don't sit here worrying about what could have been, don't let him take what we have right now"  
"Thanks Weiss" Gangrel managed to say as he kissed the top of her head "Apparently Beacon is gonna be closed for a couple weeks due to the breach I'm probably going out of town"  
"Gangrel" Weiss looked at him apprehensively  
"Felix had a wife, Luna, I'm going to Vaccuo to help with funeral arrangements; I'm probably going to ask Blake to come with me"  
"Do want me to come with you?"  
"No" he shook his head "As much as I'm probably going to want you there to stop me doing something stupid almost everyone at his funeral will be connected to the White Fang in one way or another"  
"Stay safe out there Gangrel" Weiss murmured before kissing him, the two holding each other silently for a few moments before someone cleared their throat behind them  
"What's up Rover?" Gangrel asked as he turned his head to the newcomer  
"Just came to see if you're okay, Artemis has Ruby and Penny in our dorm Squish and Neon are heading there soon, so are Blake and Yang I was thinking of seeing if Team CFVY want to come round as well but we'll need more room"  
"You can, I'm not really in the mood for a party right now though" Rover nodded silently before speaking again  
"I get that, look I know it's a bad time Gang but I can I talk to you alone for a sec?" Weiss stood up, giving him a brief hug  
"I'll go see how Ruby's coping, I think she's going to need as many people there for her as possible after her ordeal"  
"I'll be down there soon" the Bear-Faunus called after her before motioning to his team-mate to join him, Rover sat down next to him before producing a small box from one of his pockets and showing its' contents to his leader  
"So you're going to do it then?" Gangrel asked, a small smile forming on his face  
"Yeah, I think it's time" Rover replied a much broader grin forming on his own face "I'm thinking with what happened out there the White Fang are less likely to hit the tournament right?"  
"Not guaranteed" Gangrel growled "Is that where you're thinking of doing this?" the canine nodded  
"Yeah right after our first match, I want the whole world to see this" Gangrel gave a watery chuckle as he rose to his feet  
"That crowd isn't gonna know what hit 'em when you pull that out Rover"

"Hey mum"  
"Oh thank Oum you're safe, the centre of Vale is still cordoned off there's been a huge trench dug into the ground there were people coming into A&E talking about an invisible Faunus" Velvet quickly cut her mother off before she could worry herself into a frenzy  
"Mum I'm fine, I called to say I'm fine. There was an explosion underground that let some Grimm come up through the hole, my team were one the first ones to respond, that invisible Faunus is a Hunter he's actually a friend of mine, the trench was made by one of his team to stop Grimm getting further into the city"  
"You were in the middle of all that?" her mother gasped  
"It's my job mum" Velvet replied firmly "Every hunter came home safe, my whole team received commendations from Professor Ozpin, there's some talk about medals for bravery but honestly; this is just what I do"  
"I know it is Velvet and that's what worries me, speaking of coming home safe"  
"Yeah" Velvet cut her off knowing what the question would be "Classes are cancelled for a while so I'll come home and see everyone, I might try and introduce you to some of my team if they're available"  
"That's great to hear, what about that boy you were dating Flax says he met him briefly"  
"We're" Velvet paused for a moment "We're not together any more"  
"Oh, that's a shame dear, Flax said he seemed really nice"  
"Yeah he did, he just wasn't quite what seemed" Velvet sighed "Anyway I've got to go Mum, I'll see you soon, love you"  
"Love you too honey" ending the call Velvet turned to Coco had just left the shower  
"You okay Velvet?" she asked  
"I will be, I'm gonna need some time to fully deal with what I saw back there" Coco moved and sat next to her team-mate, Velvet had explained to her on the flight back to Beacon that Adam had killed one of his own comrades for trying to assist Blake  
"So, you want us to meet your family?" Coco grinned "I'll try to tone the swearing down" Velvet laughed  
"Yeah my Mum works in A&E and my Dad is an engineer so they're probably used to it but still; oh and my little brother seems to love trouble so he's going to have a crush on you about five seconds after you walk through the door just giving you fair warning" Coco lowered her glasses and fixed Velvet with an intense stare  
"I will rock his world"  
"Oh my fucking Oum!" Velvet shrieked as she fell off of her bed laughing "You're insane"  
"Oh please we're all a little crazy here, so are we doing anything tonight?" Velvet shrugged  
"I think most of the students that were at the breach are meeting up at Team GRAPs dorm, we'll need more space but we'll figure out where we're going from there"  
"Sounds like a plan, I'll tell Fox and Yatsu to meet us there" the pair of them left Velvet silently marvelling to herself how much things had changed in the last few months.

Adam howled in pain  
"You were warned that this would be unpleasant" Cinder noted dispassionately "It seems Neo is not the only one who needed new equipment after your latest mishap; although I am forced to wonder Adam how many times are you going to find yourself on an operating table relying on my good will" Adam slowly rose from the cold slab he had been laid on, his entire chest and midsection bound in bandages blood slowly seeping through them and glanced down at the source of his pain, the cybernetic replacement for his left hand and forearm the process of activating it had felt like razors on each of his nerve endings but now the prosthetic worked as it should do  
"Your rifle was not recovered, adjustments will be made to your new arm to compensate" Cinder told him, surveying the skeletal limb with distaste  
"Thank you Cinder" Adam said simply as he flexed his new fingers  
"Don't thank me, just prove that my investments in you are not wasted"  
"Oh" Adam sneered "Is this where I answer for my mistakes? Like your agent told me?" Cinder narrowed her eyes before giving him a bemused smile  
"That; was no agent of mine, only a fool would believe she can actually be controlled it merely suited her own interests to deliver you here"  
"So what of our plans moving forward?" Adam asked, Cinders' eyes glowed slightly as she frowned at him  
"Your little escapade has set us back, we've lost the element of surprise along with several valuable assets"  
"We had no choice!" Adam snarled  
"Do not attempt to justify yourself to me!" She spat back at him "I am not one of your deserters I have no use for your excuses. Our plans will have to be altered, you have cost us the initiative in this game of ours but you have sown panic and discontent, that will give us all the opportunities we need. Now, will you continue to play your part?" Adam caught sight of his reflection in her eyes, his own remaining iris glowed with the light of his Semblance, burning brighter as he spoke  
"Always Cinder. I can pull enough assets from Vaccuo without destabilising the White Fang overall to make up for our losses"  
"Good" Cinder cooed "Rest assured Adam, when Remnant is brought to its' knees your people will be rewarded and their sacrifices will be remembered for generations; the first step into the new world is burning Vale to the ground"

 **Authors Notes:**

Well here we are, the end of Vol.2 thank you to everyone who has stuck with me thus far, allow me a little time to solidify plans going forwards.

So to summarise:  
Everyone is still alive (except Felix) but they're all still a little shaken up.  
Ruby has more nightmare fuel now, I really do need to let her catch a break  
the Yangst was real in this chapter but the Bees are stronger than that; also as I said in an earlier chapter I like Yang and Adam as parallels of each other, seeing how Yang differently to Adam when she crosses a line is what sets them apart.  
Adam has a new arm, he lost Blush I'm thinking of making the weapon he gets to replace it something similar to Ember Celica just to underline the fact that one is a mirror of the other, but we'll see.  
Speaking of parallels I think the scene with Velvet and Coco is a great chance to see how far she's come since the first few chapters.  
Gangrel isn't in the best of places right now, he and Blake will be outside of Vale for the start of Vol.3.  
Also, some foreshadowing between Rover and Gangrel, it might be what you think then again it might not.  
Raven does not work for Cinder, as she said "Only a fool would believe she can actually be controlled"

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.

Stick around for Vol.3


	35. 35: Welcome Back (Vol3)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 35: Welcome Back**

Velvet made herself comfortable as she lounged on the patio with the rest of her team around her, it had been an unusually warm fall day and since Velvet was back home from Beacon for a few days while classes were cancelled her father had decided to fire up the barbecue, he had since left for work being on the night shift that week making a parting comment to Fox about coming round any time. Team CFVY had made an outstandingly positive impression on the Scarlatina family, Velvet having rolled her eyes when Fox and her father started talking about the combat sports that they were both avid followers of, her father having been a boxer back in his prime Fox having grown up watching the Hunter tournament matches before his Semblance claimed his sight; Velvets' mother and sister were both enamoured with Yatsuhashi the gentle giant being the first to help with the cleaning after dinner while Poly sat atop his shoulders, Velvet and Coco both smirked at each other struggling not to laugh as they pretended not to see the glances that Flax was shooting the fashionista Velvets' predictions had been correct and the thirteen year old seemed unable to function with Coco in the vicinity  
"It's painful to watch" Velvet snorted to herself indicating to her brother  
"I know right" Fox smirked, feeling everyone's attention turn to him he shrugged "I'm blind but I can actually feel him blushing with my Semblance it's that bad" the comment left Velvet hunched over with silent laughter  
"Because nobody on this team knows anything about being a little awkward do they?" Coco countered "Velvet, Yatsu I'm looking at you"  
"Oh shut up, I was a bit oblivious but not tripping over myself and stuttering" Velvet defended, Yatsuhashi merely shrugged  
"I had a thing for Velvet last year and I didn't know how to deal with it so I said as little as possible" seeing his team turn towards him with questioning looks the giant sighed and continued "When I started thinking about people romantically it was mainly boys. I thought for years I was gay, coming out to my family could have gone better than it did then when I came to Beacon and started thinking about you like that it was strange; I felt like I'd gone through the struggle of dealing with my family and accepting myself just to be wrong about myself"  
"Nothing weird about that Yatsu" Fox shrugged "Honestly if I'm attracted to somebody it's not physical at all, you're all just warm bodies to me"  
"So you must love Yang then" Velvet said with a snigger getting a laugh from the rest of the team, the blind fighter merely shrugged  
"I never really spoke to her that much, but yeah when she walks in a room she demands my attention….What about you Coco?" the fashionista grinned  
"Bi as fuck" she said proudly before turning to Velvet "But don't let your brother know, his thirteen year old mind wouldn't know what to do with those kind of fantasises"  
"That" Velvet said pointedly "Is something I never want to think about" the sound of the back door of the house opening interrupted the conversation, Velvet looked up to see her mother with an apologetic look on her face  
"Velvet honey the hospital just called A&E need me to come in they're having a busy night, I've already put Poly to bed would you be able to babysit if you're not going back Beacon? You're friends are welcome to stay"  
"No problem Mum" she smiled Fox stood up  
"I'm gonna have to head out, Bull-Heads' don't run to my part of town regularly. It was nice to meet you Misses Scarlatina"  
"No problem Fox, see you soon" Velvet said, Yatsuhashi stood up  
"I think I'm going to get that last Bull-Head as well" Coco gave him a concerned glance  
"Are you sure?" as he nodded and made to leave Velvet turned to her leader  
"What was that about?"  
"Fox lives in Ferns-Shade right on the outskirts of Vale, he's actually within walking distance of the wall itself, Yatsu lives in a little village outside of the walls he'll have to get the last Bull-Head with Fox get off at the wall and walk home from there"  
"That's one hell of a trip home, he should have just stayed on the sofa" the Faunus sighed  
"You know he won't impose himself on anyone though" Coco replied with a small smile and shake of the head the two sat with a pleasant silence between them for a few moments until the door opened again, revealing Flax  
"Hey sis, can I talk to you for a sec?"  
"Yeah sure" she motioned towards the seats that the male members of Team CFVY had vacated, nervously sitting himself down the young Faunus began  
"So I heard you and Adam aren't a thing any more, does that affect y'know?" Velvet nodded  
"I'm not part of the White Fang any more, Coco knows about my involvement"  
"I haven't really spoken to anyone from the Fang since the arcade got shot up, the manager there said he'd let me know when some work came up. The news are saying it was the Fang that caused the breach"  
"It was" Velvet informed him "I left Adam because the sort of things he's willing to do scare me and I don't want to be involved in any of it, he was at the breach, we fought"  
"Did you know what he was planning?" her brothers' tone turned cold  
"No. I knew he had a base out in Mountain Glenn but I didn't know what it was for, I thought it was just a place to stockpile equipment outside of the kingdoms, what's this about?" she asked sensing that something was bothering her brother  
"One of my friends from school, his family were in the centre of Vale when the breach happened….His mum's in a coma"  
"Oh fuck" Coco breathed out  
"So I was thinking" Flax continued "I'm out of the White Fang as well but I still mean what I said to you before, I want to help people that's why I'm going to apply for Bulb Prep" Velvet took a moment to make sure she understood, Bulb Prep was the central Vale equivalent to Signal in Patch a training school for prospective Hunters before they attended Beacon  
"You want to be a Hunter?"  
"Yeah" he nodded enthusiastically "You make a difference in the world Velvet, I need to do the same"  
"Yeah but Flax" Velvet said as delicately as she could "You can't fight, you haven't unlocked your Aura yet and you've never built a weapon  
"That's what three years at Bulb is for" he countered "Besides, I've got that baseball bat" Velvet groaned and placed her head in her hands at the thought of her brother trying to fight Grimm with Gangrels' old baseball bat  
"Fair warning kid" Coco leaned forwards "It gets fucked up sometimes, real fucked up. Our teams' last mission-"  
"Coco don't tell him about that!" Velvet interrupted  
"If he wants to do this he should know what he's getting himself in for" she replied "Our teams' last mission, there were a few times we all could have died. Our Bull-Head got took out of the sky and your sisters' harness wouldn't release she was stuck on a transport when it crashed in Grimm infested territory, Fox was nearly burned alive when we evacuated….I very nearly died, I was going to sacrifice myself to buy Velvet some time" Flax paled but remained resolute  
"Well nobody said it was going to be easy"  
"See" Velvet groaned "I told you he can't keep himself out of trouble" Coco grinned giving her team-mate a wink over the top of her sunglasses before turning back to the younger Faunus  
"Well I think he's pretty cute, if only he was five years older"  
"DAMNIT COCO!" Velvet cried.

Ruby knelt before the headstone her fingers brushing the edge of the plaque bearing the inscription _'Thus I kindly scatter'_ while she lived on Patch she usually only visited her mothers' grave once a year on her birthday, but while she was back from Beacon for a while she decided to visit at least once  
"Hey mum" she began softly "Sorry I don't come by more often but things are pretty busy Dad's here as too, he's doing okay he's you know….Dad. He's still teaching at Signal but he said he took some of the other Beacon first years on their first mission and he's going to be going on some missions soon; he misses adventuring with you but Uncle Qrow is trying to get him back out into the world by the sounds of things" the young Huntress stopped and took a deep breath, her weak smile becoming more genuine as she continued  
"I haven't gotten kicked out of Beacon yet, which is cool I think being on a team with Yang helps, I keep her in line….as much as anyone can, she's actually a really awesome fighter, you can tell she's learned a lot from Dad; so are Weiss and Blake they're my team-mates, you can tell that training with Team GRAP has paid off as well, they're a team of third years I'm friends with one of them has similar Semblance to me and he's been helping me understand how to use mine. So yeah, I've made a lot of new friends at Beacon and somebody who's more than a friend….I haven't told Dad yet so keep that a secret for me, my team Team RWBY and yes that causes confusion are going to be competing in the Vytal Tournament so wish me luck. Bye Mum" slowly rising to her feet she turned away from the edge of the cliff and walked back towards the tree line, her father sat on the stump while Zwei rolled around in the grass it was an old habit that the two let each other say what they felt they needed to say to Summer privately, placing herself on the stump of another recently felled tree she looked Taiyang in the eye  
"You okay Dad?" her father nodded silently before smiling  
"Yeah I'm okay Ruby, I just can't get over how much you look like her she'd be proud of you especially after what you did at the breach"  
"Are you proud of me?" she asked tentatively  
"Of course I am" he beamed "Of both of you my children are heroes….Doesn't mean I'm not worried sick" he chuckled softly  
"Yang's sorry she didn't come home Dad but our team-mate Weiss stayed at Beacon, her and her family don't seem to get on it didn't feel right leaving her on her own"  
"Weiss Schnee? The one who was in the papers' because she went to a dance with a Faunus boy yeah I can imagine why that would cause problems for her family" Taiyang shook his head  
"It's sad that anyone is that narrow minded" Ruby huffed "Gangrels' whole team are Faunus and they're super cool, I mean there's squish he's super good with weapons and has Yangs' sense of humour and Rover has speed like mine him and his partner Artemis are the cutest couple ever. Gangrel actually grew up with one of my team, they've had to leave town for a funeral that's why Yang stayed behind"  
"It's good to know that you're making so many friends at Beacon Ruby" her fathers' eyes twinkled as his smile broadened "But since the word dating has come up, I took a team of first years on their mission, Team JNPR their leader says he knows you quite well and that you were the first friend he made at the academy I asked how you were doing and he was about to tell me who you were dating before his brain kicked itself into gear and he clammed up, I couldn't get it out of him for the whole mission" Ruby pulled her hood over her face to hide the blush creeping across her cheeks  
"Dad!" she whined "I can't believe you tried to pump my friends for information; how did Team JNPR do anyway I didn't get a chance to talk to them before I came home?"  
"They handled themselves well, they're co-ordinated that Ren doesn't talk much but he's very capable, Nora is more hyper than you on a sugar rush but she's got a lot of potential, Pyrrha lives up to the hype the media give her and your friend Jaune needs to work on his technique but he's got a good head on his shoulders and he can take a hit like a champ. But you" Taiyang smirked "Are stalling, so who's the lucky guy?"  
"It's not a guy" Ruby mumbled as quietly as possible  
"Oh" her father said simply before asking the exact same questions he would have asked if it had been "What's her name? How did you meet? How did you stop Yang from drowning her in the fountain in front of Beacon?" Ruby giggled at the last question before withdrawing her scroll and showing her father the picture Yang had taken of Ruby and Penny at the dance, Taiyang couldn't help but smile at the adoring expressions the pair wore in the image  
"Her name's Penny" Ruby smiled "She's one the students from Atlas competing in the tournament, I ran into her while she was exploring Vale….Literally ran into her, I actually qualified Team RWBY by beating the leader of her team who gave me Pennys' number afterwards. Yang seems to think we're cute together"  
"She's not wrong" Taiyang chuckled "I'm glad you're happy, a little concerned that you're fifteen and surrounded by older students and a little more concerned that she's an exchange student. Getting your heart broken sucks and the first time hurts like hell, trust me I'm a bit of an expert" Ruby tried to ignore the bitter edge to her fathers' tone at the last few words  
"We'll worry about what's going to happen when she goes home nearer to the time, right now I'm happy" Ruby gave a bright smile before nervously asking "So it doesn't bother you that I'm dating another girl?" at this Taiyang doubled over howling with laughter  
"Oh Oum no it doesn't bother me at all, your uncle Qrow never told you then?"  
"Told me what?" she asked tentatively  
"When we were at Beacon I got drunk and made out with everybody on Team STRQ at least once"  
"Wait, you mean-"  
"Everybody" Taiyang said firmly  
"Eww"

Blake had never been able to fall asleep while travelling it didn't matter if it was by Air-ship, Bull-Head or her current form of transportation, a heavily armoured train; it was an ability she was jealous of in other people but the constant rattling of the carriages combined with the noise which Faunus senses only amplified conspired against her to keep her awake, grumbling to herself she tried yet again to get comfortable eliciting a bemused snort from Gangrel who was sat opposite her  
"Just give it up Blake, we're nearly there anyway"  
"You're sure?" she asked, the Bear-Faunus nodded  
"Yeah I did this trip over the summer remember, besides this is Vaccuo heat" he griped wiping sweat from his brow he and Blake were both used to extreme cold hailing from Atlas but had differing opinions on the opposite Blake loved the heat and would lounge around in warm weather all day if permitted whereas Gangrel simply grew irritable  
"I don't know why you had us take the train instead of a ferry or Air-Ship" Blake said as she stood and stretched feeling off balance without the familiar weight of Gambol Shroud on her back, Gangrel had told her it would be a bad idea to try and take their weapons into Vaccuo despite being trainee Hunters the Bear-Faunus himself travelled without his swords or armour  
"Because they cost more and I'm not made of money" Gangrel growled out, Blake nodded her own financial situation not being any better as she was surviving on what she had managed to steal from White Fang safe houses while on the run from Adam before coming to Beacon  
"Hey look out the window" Gangrel said Blake did so and was stunned by the sight in front of her, they were reaching the outer wall of Vaccuo, gigantic stone barriers roughly one hundred feet tall manned by soldiers and hunters each of the entrances to the kingdom guarded by an array of artillery pieces that rivalled Atlesian Air-Ships in destructive capability. The kingdoms of Vale and Vaccuo were both laid out similarly, a sprawling central kingdom which was enclosed within the walls a buffer zone of outlying farms and villages where the majority of the Kingdoms' Hunters worked then a no mans' land between them which the well defended train they were currently riding had travelled through  
"Those are some pretty formidable defences" Blake stated  
"Yeah and I bet theirs are actually manned" Gangrel growled out, Blake rolled her eyes  
"Are you still on about Team SSSN?"  
"Yes I'm still on about Team SSSN they abandoned their post, in Atlas they'd have been shot" The Bear-Faunus seemed disgusted by the team from Mistrals' actions having heard through the grapevine at Beacon that when the breach had happened they had left their position defending Vales' perimeter and attempted to join the fray, they saw themselves as heroic he saw them as idiots and intended to give them a thorough chewing out when he returned.  
"They thought they were doing the right thing and they were misguided, I think we'd both be a little more sympathetic to people in that position" Blake reasoned  
"I've got no sympathy for a bunch of fucking cretins who abandon their post mid-battle" Gangrel spat, sounding offended at the mere suggestion, the discussion was cut short by a voice blaring over the trains' intercom  
"We will be arriving at our first stop inside Mistral, Nusar-Khalij very shortly all passengers alighting at Nusar-Khalij please unsure you have all your belongings with you when you leave the train"  
"That's our stop" Gangrel said simply

Stepping off of the train, duffel bag slung over his shoulder Gangrel blinked in the almost offensively bright sun as he stepped onto the platform  
"Welcome to Nusar-Khalij" he said to Blake as he helped her with her own bag "It means Vulture Bay in old Vaccuan"  
"Sounds like a lovely place" she smirked  
"It's no worse then anywhere else we've lived, pretty much under White Fang control so we're probably the only Faunus in town it's not safe for"  
"So where are we meeting Luna?" Blake asked nervously, she hadn't seen her old friend in a long time and wished it could be under better circumstances, checking the time Gangrel answered  
"Her and Felix ran a café closer to the centre of Mistral but she lives near the bay itself, I know the way to the house from here" he set off with Blake trailing along after him awestruck at the architecture around her; Lower Atlas was a maze of steel and concrete, dirty, ramshackle and almost perpetually dark in some places. Vale was a busy but open city whereas Vaccuo was seemingly filled with ancient spires and buildings with domed roofs, marvels of stone and glass that shimmered in the light and heat  
"We've got company" Blake muttered as Gangrel navigated through the streets  
"I know" he grinned as he led her down a back alley and calmly waited, the lone Faunus that had been following them finding himself pinned to the wall as Gangrel held him off the ground by the neck  
"Kid, do we look like the sort of tourists that can be robbed?" he sneered, the Dog-Faunus struggled, canine ears flat against his skull as he struggled  
"You're Gangrel Slate and Blake Belladonna?" upon hearing their names Gangrel dropped him  
"Yeah we are"  
"I don't know why you came here" the Dog-Faunus laughed "But you're all kinds of fucked, we've all been told to keep an eye out for you word is the order came from High Commander Taurus himself"  
"Taurus doesn't run Vaccuo" Gangrel said nonchalantly "When you wake up, tell your boss that we're in town and we want to talk"  
"When I wake up?" to answer the question Gangrel delivered a brutal right hook to the canines' temple that left him sprawled on the floor before leaving the alley, turning to Blake he saw the confused expression she wore  
"What?"  
"Adam doesn't run Vaccuo?" she asked  
"He doesn't, the White Fang have less of the kingdom under control than you'd think since a lot of people that come here are trying to keep a low profile, it's not as bad as Mistral but still" Mistral was the only kingdom that the White Fang had failed to make serious progress in controlling the criminal underworld of, Lower Atlas was almost entirely theirs and Vale had been heading in the same direction prior to the breach  
"Thing is" Gangrel continued "Adam can't be everywhere, this is the Faunus part of town the same way the kennels are in Vale since Adam can't run everything directly he lets somebody he trusts run the Faunus controlled part of a Kingdom and handle day to day management of the White Fang in that Kingdom"  
"Weren't you his right hand in the kennels?" Blake asked  
"I was until I went to Beacon then it was that idiot Cheshire I don't even know who's in charge now" Gangrel told her "But I do know who runs operations in Vaccuo" his grin implying that he wanted her to ask  
"Who is it?" she sighed  
"Fagin" Gangrel grinned  
"As in Fagin Grey"  
"The one and only" the Bear-Faunus replied, his grin broadening "And I think we can make a compelling argument for him to help us"

 **Authors Notes:**

Welcome back, was it all you hoped for?

Before we get into anything else I'm going to address the new 'World of Remnant' videos, I'm ignoring them simple as that; I already had my own vision of each Kingdom in my head and I'm sticking with them.  
 _Vale & Vaccuo: _Have an 'Attack on Titan' style wall around the main city of the Kingdom which is the size of a small country, the walls are well defended, beyond the walls are the 'buffer zone' basically outlying farms, villages and islands off the coast of the Kingdom where the majority of Hunters work, at the edge of the buffer zone is 'The Front Line' a militarised area that is considered the edge of civilisation Hunters only go further than that in extreme cases. Vale and Vaccuo have a 'Fortress of the Iron Kabaneri' style armoured train that runs between the two kingdoms.  
 _Atlas:_ is effectively two kingdoms slapped on top of each other the kingdom has similar walls to Vale and Vaccuo though obviously more advanced due to Atlesian technology, Atlas is covered in mountains which are protected by weapon emplacements built into them, Upper Atlas is an idyllic place to live despite the cold, Lower Atlas is a dystopian hell-scape that mixes Steam-Punk  & Cyber-Punk aesthetics.  
 _Mistral:_ I like the Asian aesthetic they had so I'll keep that but I imagine the Kingdom as having a Spartan warrior culture, this is a place that reveres people like Pyrrha Nikos; I'm also saying that Mistral doesn't have much of a White Fang presence.  
Also each Kingdom will have some unique Grimm as well as some that are pretty common to them all.

Now to summarise the chapter:  
Compare Velvet at home in this chapter to how she was in the first few chapters, she's come a long way.  
Her younger brother wants to follow in her footsteps and become a Hunter, he also has a perfectly understandable crush on Coco.  
Fox lives on the edge of Vale literally walking distance from the wall, Yatsuhashi lives just outside the wall (So does Jaune I just haven't mentioned it yet)  
Taiyang is best Dad, that is all.  
Also yes Taiyang was the Hunter that Team JNPR shadowed for their mission.  
Nusar-Khalij "Vulture Bay" in Arabic (I used Google Translate) I'm going to use Arabic as old Vaccuan the same way I use German as old Atlesian, I'll probably use Japanese for Mistral.  
Team SSSN tried to join in the battle at the Breach but left they're position on the wall to do so, remember they were assigned to perimeter defence and Grimm are attracted to negative emotions, the Breach would have attracted more Grimm to the wall from the outside.  
Fagin Grey another one of the kids from the orphanage, I said way back that he was in Vaccuo. Adam puts people he trusts in charge of controlling operations in each Kingdoms, the White Fang day to day function like the Mafia.

Thank you to the people who reviewed the last few chapters, the website has fixed its' bug so I can see them now.  
 _Drake187:_ I don't think I'm going to dismantle Adam much more than I already have, the thing is every time he gets mangled he just comes back nastier.  
As far as Adam and Yang being parallels, Yang has shown she can and will use violence and intimidation to get what she wants the difference is she actually realises when she's going to far Adam thinks that ends always justify the means.  
Winter coming to Vale you say? Oh I have plans.  
 _Air Force Muffin:_ Yeah Ravens' respirator voice is based off of Zoom in Flash season two, whose portrayal was in turn influenced by Darth Vader watch this video on Youtube /watch?v=kVoPAhejCr0 this is how I imagine her voice sounding with the mask on, also the way Zooms' body vibrates with electricity crackling around him is they way I imagine Rovers' Semblance.  
The Breach was fun to write, even if I did tear up a little writing that scene between Weiss and Ruby (Go ahead judge me)  
Bumblebee is the OTP

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.  
Also, holy shit this story has over six thousand views that's insane


	36. 36: Paying Respects

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 36: Paying Respects**

The sun beamed down on those assembled in harsh juxtaposition to the tone of the event, warm and bright as if the climate of Vaccuo itself was mocking them for their loss. Gangrel stood in the crowd of black clad mourners slightly surprised to see a handful of humans interspersed with the gathered Faunus Felix it seemed had been well known and liked locally, forcing idle musings about whether or not these humans knew about Felix being a ranking officer of the White Fang Gangrel returned his attention to the end of the speech that the priest, a stocky Boar-Faunus with a weather beaten appearance was giving, Gangrel was not religious nobody from Atlas had much use for superstitions but some things were kept for traditions sake  
"I would not take away from the grief you feel today, I would not say that everything is all right" the tanned and leathery skinned pastor began, his Vaccuan accent and the tusks protruding from his mouth turning his words into a twanging drawl "Because it is not and you know it, it would be cheap and cruel of me to deny that you hurt and will continue to hurt for a long time to come. Oum has made each of us so that we can feel and relate to each other and we here have all lost a loved one, yet I would like to offer some words of comfort for you all" Gangrel reached out and wrapped an arm around Luna squeezing her gently, Felixs' widow shook with silent tears the Bear-Faunus saw Blake on the other side of Luna gripping her hand as tears streamed down her own face  
"Let not your hearts be troubled" the pastor continued "For though young Felix was taken from us far to soon and his body returns to Dust from which it came I ask you all to remember that he passed in the service of Oum performing an act of heroism and kindness towards another, his soul and Aura leave this befouled world to meet Oum and prepare a place for us all in the next life. Felix Sombre is an example that that which we should all strive to be so I ask all of you gathered here today that when presented with a choice in your own lives between that which you know to be right and that which is easy, remember Felix Sombre" Gangrel took several deep shuddering breaths as the sermon concluded, forcing himself to keep the stoic mask he'd been wearing throughout the service in tact as he walked with Blake and Luna towards the coffin it was a closed casket service due to the extent of the injuries Adams' Semblance had inflicted, nearing the ornate black box each of them placed a red Dust crystal around the edge Luna continued to sob and Gangrel desperately wished he knew what to say to her but the words wouldn't come  
"Luna, you don't need to be here" Blake said as soothingly as she could through her own tears "You don't need to watch this" Luna choked back another sob  
"Yes I do" she croaked out as they stepped back and allowed the other mourners to place their own fire Dust around the coffin, cremations were the usual method of disposing of bodies in Atlas and Luna said that despite moving to Vaccuo Felix should be given a true Atlesian funeral it was customary but not strictly necessary for the family and close friends of the deceased to stay around the pyre until it burned out Luna wiped her eyes and turned back towards the casket  
"I need to be here Blake, you and Gangrel can go if you don't want to see this but I'm not leaving Felix until it's over" Blake squeezed her hand  
"We're not going anywhere" Gangrel silently nodded in agreement as he watched a small group of Faunus in pinstriped suits surrounding a smaller Faunus in a white tuxedo place their Dust and pay their final respects, there was only one person he knew who would wear such a suit to the funeral of an old friend or come to said funeral with an armed entourage, the group then continued to surround their obvious leader as he approached the pastor  
"That's him isn't it?" Blake asked under her breath  
"Course it, who else would it be" Gangrel growled back "I'll talk to him when everyone has laid their Dust" looking around many of those who had attended were leaving, mere acquaintances rather than true friends those that remained gradually surrounded the casket at a safe distance, Gangrel lost sight of the white suited Faunus and slowly moved away from Blake and Luna to look for him discreetly as the pastor stepped forwards to do the honours  
"I had to tell the Vaccuan fuck if he pronounces this wrong I'm gonna cut his throat" someone with a broad Lower Atlesian accent said conversationally behind him Gangrel turned to see the white suited Faunus, fedora lowered over his face and shoes polished to be near reflective in the sunlight flanked by his bodyguards Gangrel gave him a brief nod by way of greeting as the Pastor spoke once again  
"Wir kehren zuruck zu staub und licht" he pronounced the old Atlesian perfectly before lighting the Dust crystals and stepping away as flames began to engulf the coffin  
"Guess you don't get to cut his throat then Fagin" Gangrel smirked as he turned to see the rat Faunus had removed his hat, revealing narrow pale green eyes sunk deep into his thin bony face and protruding front teeth that jutted over his bottom lip when his mouth was closed, one of which had a silver cap over it  
"You address the boss as Mister Grey or Sir" one of the bodyguards said, Gangrel fixed him with a cold glare looking at his face and canine like ears before smirking  
"I don't suppose you have a little brother who got knocked out in an alleyway recently?" the bodyguard made to step forward before Fagin stopped him  
"Lucky I suggest you think this through, we're here to pay respects to someone who was not just a captain in our establishment but also a good friend of mine, Mister Slate here is another good friend of mine. One more fuck up from you and I put you at the bottom of the bay in a concrete overcoat, understand?"  
"Yes Mister Grey" Lucky said simply, head hanging in shame  
"Good now go sit in the car, in fact all of you go" the entourage silently left, Fagin replaced his hat and gave Gangrel a calculating look  
"Y'know Gang getting off the train and beating the snot out of one of my guys is a good way to get my attention, just not the kind you want"  
"We need to talk Fagin" Gangrel said  
"That's what we're doing now"  
"No I mean properly, I'm calling a sit down" Fagin raised an eyebrow at that, a sit down was usually a way to try and peacefully mediate disputes over turf and control of rackets between White Fang officers  
"Okay tonight then, don't drink too much at the wake" Fagin told him "Who are the other parties?"  
"Myself and Blake"  
"Adams' ex Blake?" Fagin said disbelieving  
"Blake that all of us grew up with not just Adam" Gangrel retorted "And Luna as well, she deserves to know everything, but Fagin I need a favour"  
"You've got some balls asking-" the Bear-Faunus raised a hand to silence the rat  
"I've got some pictures of what happened in Vale that'll make things clear just don't let Luna see them, she needs to know but there's a reason this funeral was closed casket" Fagin slowly nodded before turning to leave shooting one last comment over his shoulder  
"Okay but let's make one thing clear, whatever the outcome of this sit down is you and Blake get the fuck out of Vaccuo _tonight_ and don't ever come into my patch without my say so again"

Professor Ozpin sighed as he placed his mug down on the desk and peered over his shoulder at the man standing before him with their back straight and hand behind their back, taking the papers that had been placed on his desk and skimming through them  
"I see" the headmaster said with ghost of a smile tugging at his lips "It would seem that your transition from the battlefield to command has given you a taste for politics, I must congratulate you on both your appointment and the finesse it no doubt took you to acquire it James" General Ironwood held his hands out apologetically  
"Ozpin my old friend I never came here intending for this"  
"But you did bring an adequate fleet for the job just in case" Ozpin countered softly  
"If it is any consolation" Ironwood bristled slightly at the implications "The council of Vale were considering an inquest that could affect your position as headmaster; I argued that since unlike Atlas, Beacon academy is a separate entity to the government of the Kingdom to do so would be a show of cowardice and unwillingness to face responsibility on their part. Your hunters were the first to arrive on the scene and took charge of the situation admirably"  
"Yes Mister Slate lead the counter attack well, placing himself in the thickest part of the fighting and using the skills of those accompanying him to great effect" Ozpins' smile grew as Ironwood looked uncomfortable "But you still wish to detain him don't you James?"  
"He is a Lower Atlesian Faunus who seems to have a habit of being wherever the White Fang are, I have been given the duty of ensuring that the public are safe for the duration of the Vytal Festival, it would be remiss of me to not detain him"  
"Detain him on what grounds?"  
"These people are always involved in something, it shouldn't be hard to find a reason" Ironwood said dismissively  
"I warn you now James I will tolerate no racial prejudice in my school _these people_ as you put it are my students, many Faunus serve in your military do they not"  
"They have a gift for violence, it makes sense to find an application for it" Ironwood made the decision to stop talking when he felt the air pressure shift somewhat looking at Ozpins' hands he saw the eerie green light beginning to shine from them and the mug he was holding being reduced to a lattice of cracks, when the headmaster next spoke the General swore his voice echoed despite the room having no such acoustics before  
"Gangrel Slate made some bad decisions early in his life due circumstances pressed upon him, he is not the first to do so nor will he be the last however he has since gone on to seek to correct those mistakes, he has fought against the White Fang on several occasions and has provided usable information on their activities, I will allow you to question my student and you will bear these facts in mind when you speak to him"  
"I see that I was right in convincing the council to allow you to remain as Headmaster" Ironwood said with a tense smile on his face "Your dedication to your students is admirable, I just hope it will not be at the expense of the rest of us" the General turned on his heel to leave, Ozpin halting him with some final words  
"Oh and General, your displays of power may impress the general public however as you yourself have noted Mister Slate is a Faunus raised in Lower Atlas, they will only antagonise him which I can assure you would be counterproductive" Ironwood grimaced as he conceded that Ozpin had a point and he as yet had nothing to use as leverage  
"I understand. Thankfully I have a few students I believe know him one of them is currently aboard my ship, I'll have her approach him when he returns to Vale"

Gangrel, Blake and Luna sat around one of the tables in the café that Luna and Felix had ran prior to his death Luna hadn't reopened the business yet and had confided to Blake that she was unsure if she would do so. The Vaccuo sun had finally set and the three Faunus waited silently for Fagin to arrive the tension between them palpable, it was not entirely out of the realm of possibility that the Rat Faunus would simply have the building fire bombed or shot up rather than attend the meeting, they were old friends however and Gangrel hoped that counted for something. Eventually the sound of car pulling onto the street and stopping outside could be heard, the front door had been left unlocked and moments later Fagin Grey entered flanked by two bodyguards carrying shotguns under their jackets  
"They wait outside" Gangrel said simply  
"This isn't Vale jackass, Mister Grey calls the shots here" one of the bodyguards spat, the Bear-Faunus simply rolled his eyes  
"This is the best hired help you could find Fagin? Tell him what's going to happen if I have to get out of this chair" Fagin merely smirked  
"Wait outside boys, make sure nobody tries to steal the car"  
"Are you sure boss?" the bodyguard was rewarded with a backhanded slap  
"Question me again and see what happens" the two body guards slunk out of the café as the door closed behind them Fagin removed his jacket and placed it over the back of his seat before making himself comfortable  
"Y'know something Gang" he started "I'm starting to get real fucking sick of your attitude real fucking quick, I've got orders straight from the top to shoot you and Blake on sight. I decide to hear you out for old times sake and you keep running your mouth off to my crew, I don't know what they teach you in that Hunter school but you're not as untouchable as you like to think you are"  
"Fagin calm down" Blake said softly, he narrowed his eyes as he turned to her  
"I'm having a hard time staying calm when I'm sat at table with a pair of traitors" he turned back to Gangrel "Especially when I hear one of them is fucking a Schnee" the Bear-Faunus' knuckles could be heard popping at that comment but he forced himself to stay calm as he spoke  
"I came here to make you a business proposition" all eyes were on Gangrel at that point, Fagin pulled a cigar from his pocket and held it between his teeth while he searched for a lighter motioning for Gangrel to continue  
"Vaccuo is a dumping ground for every White Fang has been that can't show their face around their own turf any more, you never wanted to run this place"  
"You make an interesting point and yet I'm still edging closer towards slapping the shit out of you" Fagin interrupted  
"Adam has gone off the deep end allying himself with people that are trying to take over the world and hoping they'll give him a piece of it afterwards, you were never a revolutionary Fagin you're just a money grabbing crook. That's why I'm making this offer, the White Fang in Vale are crippled and I know Adam will be asking you for anyone you can spare; do what you can to limit his resources and movements and when this is over I'm going to give you Vales' underworld" Blake looked utterly outraged  
"Gang what the fuck are you doing?" she hissed  
"It's called business" Fagin chuckled "You make an interesting offer Gang, but I'm still wondering what makes you think I'd turn my back on Adam?"  
"Adams' turned his back on us" Blake said simply, Gangrel placed a small collection of photographs on the table face down the rat took them and looked through them, years of crime and violence had desensitised him to such things but emotion still flickered across his face  
"What the fuck is this?" he demanded, his voice low and dangerous  
"That's what he had some of his business partners people do to Tukson, the rest are from the breach" Fagin continued to scan the images, clearly disturbed  
"He told me the breach was an accident, a smuggling system he set up went wrong and the Grimm got loose"  
"He lied to you" Blake said simply "I was on that train, he fitted it with bombs and ploughed it straight into the heart of the Kingdom, with our people still on-board"  
"My people" Fagin corrected "Not yours, either of yours. You made your choices" Fagin looked at the last photograph, eyes widening in alarm then narrowing in anger  
"This the photo you told me to never let Luna see Gang? What the fuck are you thinking showing me shit like this?"  
"What photo? Let me see" Luna demanded snatching it from Fagin, hand flying to her mouth as she realised what the image portrayed, the photo was an image taken from the Bull-Head Team GRAP and CFVY had flown to the breach, the image showed Felix after Adams' Semblance had hit him, his body on the floor in pieces, arms removed above the elbow where the attack had cleaved through his chest  
"Grimm didn't do that" she whispered as tears filled her eyes  
"No" Gangrel said simply "Adam did" Fagin leaned forwards eyes glinting malevolently  
"Are you telling me that son of a bitch murdered one of our people, not just a grunt in a mask but one of _us_ " solemn nods from Blake and Gangrel answered him  
"That son of a bitch!" he raged "I let him not breaking Harry out of the slammer go, I let him not hunting that Mistrali whore Pitch down after what she did to Kai go! Now I'm done, you hunt that fucker down and you make sure he dies slow, you open him up and pull him apart before you let the fucker die you hear me Gang?"  
"I already hacked one of his arms off" the Bear-Faunus remarked  
"So you'll help us?" Blake asked  
"I'll do what I can!" Fagin spat as tried to get his temper under control "He's been asking me to send some recruits his way, Vaccuo isn't under control the way Atlas is I'm going to have to start something with one of the other crews here and use that as an excuse to say I can't send him anyone, I've got old Gut under control though so I can have anything or anyone Adam ships here dealt with"  
"Who or what is old Gut?" Blake asked  
"Captain Gut Wukong" Fagin clarified "Head of border patrol around the bay, corrupt as they come but I've got something on him"  
"What is it?" Gangrel asked, not liking the sound of the situation  
"The whole Wukong family are a bunch of thieves, his boy especially. I let Sun Wukong pick pockets in my turf for a percentage, little fucker didn't kick up for three months then shipped out to Mistral to be a hunter, Captain Gut owes me favours as long as the blonde little shit he raised is still breathing"  
"We've met Sun Wukong, I'll tell him you said hello" Gangrel grinned  
"So onto long term business" Fagin sighed "I'm not moving against Adam directly, I'm not a Hunter like you I don't have the Aura, or resources for that kind of shit. I'll run interference and hook you up with whatever you need that I can get, in return you're giving me Vale so tell me; what's Vale looking like these days" Gangrel leaned forwards  
"The only people left with any pull are the White Fang and the Black Bear Syndicate, you don't mind working with humans when there's a profit and you understand the rules of the game; Junior runs the syndicate but he'll be willing to play ball with anyone who helps get rid of Adam and his operations are strictly Vale based. You show up in Vale with Vaccuo border patrol in your pocket and you'll have him eating out of the palm of your hand, silent takeover and a cross Kingdom turf overnight" a cruel smile played across the Rat Faunus' face  
"I like the way you think Gang, this Hunter shit is a waste of your talents you should work for me and make some real money" he looked at Luna who was still staring silently at the photographs of the breach  
"Gang Blake I'll get you your train tickets, I need to talk to Luna about arrangements"  
"Arrangements?" Gang asked  
"Train tickets?" Blake asked, Fagin rolled his eyes  
"Insurance job on the house Adam bought Luna and Felix, what's going to happen with this place, financial stability….Felix was based in Vaccuo, that makes his family my responsibility" the rats' eyes held a haunted expression for a moment before he turned to Blake "And yes train tickets, I told Gang earlier you get the fuck out of my turf and I don't wanna see either of you here around here again. Nothing but bad news"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay the funeral was tricky to write since we don't know anything really about religion on Remnant and also I'm not religious, I wanted to write a speech that didn't sound too preachy if that makes sense.  
Cremation is preferred to burial because you 'return to Dust' and also, in Lower Atlas there probably isn't a lot of space available to bury people when parts of the Kingdom are already underground.  
The German/Old Atlesian the priest said was 'Wir kehren zuruck zu staub und licht' or 'We return to dust and light'  
Ironwood is casually racist.  
Fagin Grey is a different kind of White Fang to Adam, he's less revolutionary leader more Faunus Mafia, hence the Mafia style sit down between them.  
Also, Fagin isn't supposed to be likeable  
Yes 'Captain Gut Wukong' is Suns' father and a reference to Peter Dinklage's character in Ice Age Four.  
Gangrel just turned one of Adams' top ranking officers against him, Fagin runs Vaccuo, Gangrel offered him control of Vale once Adam is dealt with

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, I hope the funeral wasn't too much feels for you (Okay I'm lying I feed on the feels of my audience)  
Velvet has indeed grown as a character and will continue to do so.  
As for Adam, well the White Fang is a little broken in Vale at this point and he never actually met any of Velvets' family besides her brother.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	37. 37: I Missed You

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 37: I Missed You**

Gangrel stretched as he stepped off of the train attempting to work out a crick in his shoulder caused by sleeping in a seat too small for his massive stature, turning around he took in the cross Kingdom train for a moment, heavily armoured with gun emplacements on the roof of each car and carriages dedicated completely to artillery pieces at each end, eventually Blake made her way onto the platform blinking in the midday sun, the trip from Vaccuo to Vale took over twelve hours by land and the feline Faunus had bags under her bleary eyes due to her inability to sleep while travelling  
"It's good to be home" she noted with a yawn Gangrel nodded in agreement  
"Speaking of home I'll meet you back at Beacon I'm gonna go see my Dad he'll be at work, go get some sleep Blake don't jump on Yang as soon as you get through the door"  
"Gang shut up I do not 'jump on' people" Blake huffed  
"Yeah sure" Gangrel smirked "And you weren't texting her all night the whole time we were in Vaccuo"  
"I have no idea what Weiss sees in you" Blake grumbled earning herself a snort and a rude hand gesture from the Bear-Faunus before the two of them parted ways, Gangrel noticing the chill in the fall air as he made his way through the city streets and being thankful to be out of the oppressive heat of southern Kingdom eventually reaching his fathers gas station he saw Bjorn Slate in the forecourt hunched over working on one of the pumps  
"Hey dad!" he called, hearing the voice the older bear rose to his feet and wiped his hands with dirty rag before the two of them shared a brief hug  
"Wasn't expecting to see you" he noted  
"Yeah well classes don't start again for a few more days but I came back from Vaccuo a little early" Gangrel explained  
"What did you get yourself into this time?" his father groaned  
"Nothing" Gangrel shrugged, seeing his fathers disbelieving look he rolled his eyes "Okay fine, knocked a kid out within five minutes of being in Vaccuo and had a sit down with the head of the Faunus Mafia, they bought me and Blake train tickets and told us not to go back there. Happy?"  
"Happy? No, used to it? Yeah pretty much" Bjorn chuckled "The Faunus Mafia, that's a new one though"  
"Remember Fagin from Atlas?" Gangrel asked  
"One of the kids from the care home, the one I said was nasty piece of work the first time I met him?"  
"Yeah that one"  
"Oums' sake Gang you pick some real winners, out of all those kids from Atlas I only really liked Kai, he seemed to have a good head on his shoulders Felix and Luna were okay I suppose, I told you Adam was trouble, I told you Felix was a scum bag, Harry was an idiot and Blake needed to stop following Adam around before she got herself hurt"  
"You done?" Gangrel growled "Kai's dead, Felix is dead I've spent the last few days trying figure out what the fuck to say to Luna, I know Harry's an idiot he got himself caught for some stupid shit, Blake is helping me try and stop Adam and Fagin is going to help"  
"What did you have to promise him for that?" Bjorn asked pinching the bridge of his nose  
"Adam doesn't get handed over to the authorities, he dies. Fagin wants control of whatever is left of the White Fang in Vale when this is over as well"  
"Have you taken a knock on the head son? You want to give that kind of power to someone like Fagin Grey?" Gangrel merely shrugged at the question  
"Fagin is in it for the money, he's scummy but he's practical. Crime isn't going to disappear in our part of town just because Adam gets taken out of the equation would you rather have another maniac replace him? There won't be another attack like the breach if he's the one calling the shots"  
"Fair point" Bjorn conceded with a sigh "I don't like any of this but it's a fair point and since you came here without bringing that girlfriend of yours with you even though I still want to meet her properly you can help me out with these pumps for a while before you head back to Beacon"  
"No problem, let me just drop my bag inside" Gangrel smiled before heading inside the gas station oblivious to a pair of mismatched eyes that watched him with manic glee before vanishing.

Blake entered the dormitory to find the room empty but could hear the sound of the shower running  
"I'm back" she called out as she dropped her bag by her bed and removed her boots and coat-tailed vest, noticing a book with a familiar cover on Yangs' bunk as she did so  
"I'll be out in a sec" Yangs' voice called back from the bathroom, the sound of the shower stopping immediately, Blake reached up and removed her bow as was becoming a common practice for her when in the dormitory; seconds later Yang emerged from the bathroom clad in nothing but a towel wet hair plastered across her face and back smiling brightly as she strode across the room and wrapped her arms around Blake in a crushing hug  
"You're wet" Blake noted as she wrapped her arms around Yangs' waist  
"Yeah I am" the blonde replied with a wink, earning a bemused sigh from the feline before pulling her into a kiss  
"Well I see you've been reading Ninjas Of Love" Blake replied with a smile as the two broke apart  
"I have" Yang grinned kissing Blakes' lips again "You text me every night while you were away telling me you were thinking of me while you read your copy, I had to read it for myself"  
"What do you think?" Blake asked, Yang cupped her lovers face with her hands  
"I think it's been too long since I told you I love you in person" with that their lips met again, the kiss quickly growing more passionate as lips parted and tongues met, Yangs' towel falling to the floor as Blakes' hands roamed across her body seemingly needing to feel as much of the Blondes' skin as possible, Yangs reached up and gently teased Blakes' Faunus ears eliciting a deep throated groan of pleasure the Feline gripped Yang tighter as her knees almost gave way under her from the sensation Blake broke them apart momentarily to remove her shirt the second the garment fell to the floor Yang was on her again pinning her against the post of the bunk bed hands expertly working her Faunus attributes while she planted a trail of kisses along her neck and collarbone listening to her partners panting breath and gasps of pleasure; Blake ran a hand through Yangs' golden locks while the other found its' way between her partners legs her first touch causing Yangs' breath to hitch before the blonde responded by gently biting a sensitive spot on the Faunus' neck  
"Fuck, Yang I love you" she moaned as the blonde bucked her hips against her hand while moving from her neck to her lips, their ragged breaths mingling as they kissed Yangs' hands fumbling with the clasp of Blakes' bra as she struggled to focus on anything other than the way her lovers fingers teasing her clit felt, breaking apart for a moment Blake discarded her bra and struggled to catch her breath when she made to continue the blonde stopped her, staring at her face intently as she noticed the bags under her eyes for the first time  
"Blake you're exhausted" she said softly "When did you last sleep?" the Faunus thought to herself  
"It's actually been a couple days" she admitted Yang frowned before taking her hand and guiding her down to the Blondes' bunk  
"You really don't want to carry on?" Blake asked with a sly grin as rested her head on Yangs' breasts, wrapping an arm around her waist  
"I want you to get some sleep, we can pick up where we left off later" she replied as she pulled Blake closer  
"If the others are out of the way" Blake amended, Yang giving a quiet groan having evidently forgotten about the other two members of Team RWBY  
"I love you Yang" Blake whispered  
"Love you too Blake" she replied kissing the top of Blakes Head, the Faunus leaned up  
"And the next time we're alone together like this" she proceeded to whisper in her lovers ear her promises and graphic descriptions making Yang Xiao Long blush.

Gangrel had made his way back to the dorm without seeing anyone he knew and found Team GRAPs' dormitory deserted when he arrived depositing his duffel bag he moved over to the stand his team kept their equipment on, his own armour and swords being the only items currently adorning it he inspected them closely, he trusted his team not to damage or tamper with them but he was still particular about who he let handle his gear, satisfied that all was in order he removed his shirt and headed towards the bathroom before being stopped by a knock on the door  
"It's open" he called out, the door opened to reveal Weiss Schnee wearing a very annoyed expression  
"Hey babe" he grinned "I missed you"  
"So much you didn't tell me you'd be back today" the heiress huffed  
"I wanted to surprise you….and get a shower first, I paid my Dad a visit and ended up helping him with some maintenance work"  
"We've barely spoken in days" Weiss griped as she closed the door behind her making her way across the room  
"I know, I'm sorry; I've just been dealing with stuff"  
"You know you could have called me and got it off your chest" Weiss admonished him gently, her expression softening  
"If I did I've started breaking down crying again and somebody needed to keep it together" Gangrel murmured "Luna was a mess"  
"Understandably" Weiss noted  
"Yeah" Gangrel agreed "Blake did what she could but I can't honestly say if she's going to be okay in the long run I was expecting to have to make a lot the arrangements but Fagin stepped in and handled it"  
"Fagin?"  
"Fagin Grey, from the orphanage" Gangrel clarified "Take every racist stereotype about Faunus being degenerate violent criminals who'll steal anything that isn't bolted down and put them all into one person, that's Fagin Grey; he's also Adams' right hand in Vaccuo"  
"Did he see you?" Weiss gasped "Are you okay?"  
"That's why we had to leave early" the Bear-Faunus shrugged sitting down on his bunk, Weiss making herself comfortable on his lap "He wanted us out of there so we're not his problem, but now he knows Adam killed Felix"  
"How did he take that?"  
"He's willing to help us get rid of Adam to an extent, he's going to limit Adams' ability to smuggle people and resources in and out of Vaccuo; which considering the White Fang in Vale is reeling, we never had much pull in Mistral and mobilising from Lower Atlas is always tricky actually severely limits him"  
"Why would mobilising from Lower Atlas be a problem?" Weiss asked  
"No way to do it by land, the amount of money needed to bribe officials to smuggle that many people out by sea is ridiculous, too much security around air-ships, Atlesian military police love coming down hard on Faunus for any reason they can think up on the spot so we always need a certain level of redundancy just to keep things running, plus the amount of security from Atlas currently in Vale; it's just not practical"  
"Sounds like you've thought this through" Weiss said with a slightly teasing edge to her voice  
"Yeah well, me and Adam had a few drunk conversations back in the day about how we'd go about storming Upper Atlas if we had the people for it, we both agreed it'd be near impossible"  
"The Atlas council would just close the blast doors at the divide and stop sending Hunters down to deal with the Grimm" Weiss said simply, Gangrel smirked  
"They would and then they'd realise that they'd left all of their Dust down there with us basically giving us the Kingdom, besides those blast doors aren't indestructible; my swords and armour are made from a melted down one" Weiss did a double take at that  
"Where did you get something that can melt a….No more importantly where did you get the…." she trailed off before sighing "I don't want to know the answer to that question do I?"  
"Probably not" Gangrel chuckled before planting a light kiss on her lips which she eagerly returned before pushing him backwards onto his bed and positioning herself over him  
"Now back to my original point" she said grinning "I've barely heard from you while you were aware and I've missed you, you dolt" leaning down she kissed him again, his hands finding her hips as their lips parted and Weiss's fingers curled in his hair  
"If this is the welcome home I get" the Bear Faunus panted as they broke apart "Maybe I should-"  
"Do not finish that thought" Weiss warned before kissing him again, Gangrel helping her remove her jacket before gently caressing the soft skin of her thighs causing her to gasp at the contact, the Faunus repositioned them so that he had more freedom of movement his eyes silently asking permission as his hand drifted under her skirt, Weiss wrapped her arms around his shoulders and took his bottom lip between her teeth as Gangrels began to tease her through her underwear, her arousal already apparent he began kissing her neck as he continued, eventually moving her underwear aside and gently sliding a single digit into her, Weiss's gasps and moans of pleasure grew fervent as he built up a steady rhythm  
"Gangrel, Gangrel I'm getting close!" she managed to pant out before pulling his lips to hers and kissing him urgently as her free hand gripped the sheets, the moment ended prematurely as Weiss's scroll rang, Gangrel burying his face in the pillow with a groan of something akin to despair  
"This cannot be happening" Weiss hissed, her tone both mortified and furious as she searched for the offending device in the pocket of her discarded jacket frowning in confusion as she saw the caller  
"It's Artemis"  
"What the fuck?" Gangrel mouthed as she answered, trying to make sense from the heiress's side of the conversation  
"Hey….Yeah I'm with Gangrel now….No it's okay what's wrong….She's what?….Oh for the love of, I'll be up there in a minute" collapsing the scroll she turned to Gangrel  
"I swear I am going to murder Ruby"

Ruby stood on the roof of Beacon Crescent Rose in hand staring up at the Atlesian flagship that from it's current position above the academy blocked out the midday sun her expression resolute as she prepared herself for what she knew she needed to do, exhaling slowly as she dropped to one knee and steadied her weapon against the surface of the roof and checked yet again that the magazine she had loaded was indeed Gravity Dust, finding that everything else was in order she focused on her Semblance activating it slowly the contours of her body blurring and her signature Rose Petals hovering in the air around her, finger tightening around the trigger of her weapon as she prepared to fire, as she pulled the trigger a golden blur collided with her kicking the shaft of the weapon to the side sending the shot into the horizon and a pair of hands roughly grabbed her shoulders, Ruby grinned and attempted to use her new found ability to phase through solid matter to escape before being stunned when she found herself unable, releasing her Semblance Ruby brought her self to a standstill and turned to face the person who had interrupted  
"What the hell are you doing?" Rover demanded as he released his own Semblance his face stern  
"I was just trying to..." she trailed off looking at her boots  
"You were about to try and jump onto an Atlesian warship!" the canine raged  
"I'd have been fine, the gravity round would have got me up their my Semblance would have got me through the shields and the hull"  
"And then Ironwood himself would have shot you himself for potentially starting a war, have you lost your mind?"  
"I was just trying to um…. Well I-"  
"Trying to what? And make it good because Artemis saw you powering up from the main gates she's already calling Weiss"  
"You can't!" Ruby cried "You can't tell Weiss, her and Yang already tried to talk me out of-" the resounding crack of Gangrels' teleportation sounded as the Bear-Faunus appeared on the roof, depositing Weiss before steadying himself as shook off the effects of carrying a passenger with him, Ruby may have been innocent in some respects but she knew enough to understand that both of them looked a little dishevelled and Weiss wasn't wearing her jacket, that coupled with the heiress's current expression told her that they had been interrupted at a bad time and that she was in a _lot_ of trouble  
"Ruby Rose you boneheaded, ignorant, stubborn, reckless, insubordinate-"  
"Technically it's not insubordination if I'm the leader" Ruby countered with a bright smile  
"SILENCE YOU CRETIN!" Weiss shrieked "Your sister and I expressly forbid you from trying to get onto that ship"  
"But Weiss" Ruby started  
"What's this about?" Gangrel snarled "Just so I know how to explain throwing you off the roof to your sister"  
"Ironwood has kept Penny on the ship the whole time lessons have been cancelled, even after everything she did in the breach. It's not fair and it's not right!" Gangrel gave her a blank stare while he processed what the diminutive girl had just told him  
"So you're going to try and jump onto the Friedenswatcher, the personal command ship of General Ironwood and flagship of the Atlesian fleet to 'rescue' your girlfriend who's not a captive but a student of the Atlas Academy and directly under Ironwoods' command?"  
"Well when you say it like that" Ruby mumbled  
"Fuck it, go for it" Gangrel laughed  
"What?" Weiss demanded the Bear-Faunus shrugged  
"Either it'll work or it won't and this is one of those fuck ups you can only make once, besides I'd love to see just how well this thing holds up to an attack like that"  
"It would hold up remarkably well" a new voice answered "The Friedenswatcher actually has several force-fields layered over each other oscillating at different frequencies, being able to penetrate one wouldn't ensure you made it to the hull, the weapons systems are designed to destroy the largest known Grimm from long range and it has one of the most advanced sensory arrays ever designed, which is how I found you" everyone turned to see the speaker and no sooner had they realised that it was Penny Polendina than Ruby shot at her, arms wrapping around her shoulders and legs around her waist it was a testament to the mechanical girls strength and balance that she stayed on here feet only staggering back a single step  
"I missed you! I missed you! I missed you! I missed you!" Ruby punctuated her words with a series of kisses, colour rising in Pennys' face as she kissed Ruby back  
"I missed you too"  
"Okay you're blushing" Gangrel interrupted raising an eyebrow "Not that it isn't cute but _how_ are you doing that?" Penny gave a nervous shrug  
"It's a holdover from part of an adaptive camouflage system I was originally intended to have"  
"You have a stealth mode?" Ruby asked wide eyed  
"Not currently, I've been looking into what I'd need to do to reinstall it" Ruby gave a wordless squeal before kissing the ginger again  
"Oh for the love of Oum" Weiss whispered rolling her eyes  
"It's cute and you know it" Rover smirked as Penny finally set the scythe wielder down  
"Gangrel" Penny turned to him "I was told to accompany you to Professor Ozpins' office where General Ironwood is waiting for you; when he was alerted to an energy build up on the roof he told me to investigate as he had a suspicion you'd be involved somehow" Gangrel growled in irritation  
"Right I'll go see what he wants, you wait here"  
"But I was instructed to-"  
"I'll Ironwood where you are" Gangrel cut her off "Spend some time with Ruby, she'll only try this dumb shit again if you don't"  
"Thank you Gangrel" Penny beamed "That would be sensational"

 **Authors Notes:**

So, not a great deal to cover here. Just some fluff and smut before the Volume four premier.  
A little almost sibling like banter between Gangrel and Blake and some more Gangrel and Bjorn, also there's only so many people that could have been watching him.  
More Bumblebee, they go from smut to fluff and vice-versa in seconds, it's why I love them also I can totally see Yang buying a copy of Ninjas of Love just to see why Blake likes it so much.  
That Weiss and Gangrel scene ( _Still calling it Polar Bear_ ) ultimate cock-block from Ruby.  
Yes Ruby was going to storm the Flagship just to get to spend some time with Penny, because she's Ruby Rose; that is the only reason needed.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, I must endeavour to pack more feels in then, but I commend your bravery marathoning all three volumes, that's how I originally watched RWBY meeting Pyrrha and Penny and then seeing what happened all in the same day….those wounds are still fresh. Yeah Ironwood is racist, he's not blatant with it like the thugs in the first chapter, he's more of that 'upper class' racism, you know the kind of people I'm talking about. Watching Adams' network collapse around him is gratifying to watch but just remember the more people abandon him the crazier he gets, the crazier he gets the more dangerous he is. I have plans for how Adam meets his end but I'll never tell you them

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	38. 38: Uneasy Alliance

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 38: Uneasy Alliance**

Gangrel didn't wait to be told to sit and made himself comfortable in the chair across from Ironwood, the General sat rigid as he stared at the Faunus from across Ozpins' desk there were several moments of tense silence between them punctuated by the sound of ticking as the gears of Beacon tower rotated, eventually the general rose to his feet and began pacing with his hands clasped behind his back addressing Gangrel  
"No doubt you have seen that my ship has been moved to its new position above the academy, you may or may not have surmised that I have been given a position of more authority in Vale, I am now in charge of all security measures pertaining to the Vytal Tournament; with that in mind I'm sure you can guess the reason I've called for this meeting you're an intelligent man after all Mister Slate"  
"You think I'm still in the Fang" Gangrel snorted "That and what's the point in power if you've not got anyone to abuse it on, am I right?"  
"I believe that you have knowledge of the workings of a terrorist organisation and choose not to do your duty as a citizen and co-operate" Ironwood said stiffly, ignoring the attack on his character  
"I told Ozpin what I know"  
"You told the headmaster that you expected an attack at some point during the tournament" the General gave him an accusatory glare  
"I had that information from the head of the White Fang himself" Gangrel snarled "And then Ozpin decided to send a team of first years right into their base the second he figured out where it was, I might have been able to tell you both how that would play out if you'd mentioned it to me first"  
"You think yourself so capable that a military commander and your own headmaster would come to you for advice?" Ironwood jeered  
"Yeah I do because when I take out a White Fang base I do it quietly and I don't leave a hole in the middle of the city centre" seeing Ironwood's disbelieving expression Gangrel smirked "I was the White Fang officer on the Bull-Head Penny shot down at the docks, I'm the one who left Roman Torchwick for the authorities"  
"Well at least you admit to your involvement with such scum, you must be responsible for a lot of good peoples' misery to have made it that far up the food-chain" Ironwood spat "For a moment I debated appealing to your loyalty as an Atlesian, clearly you have none"  
"Why would I have" the Faunus sneered "Atlas never gave a fuck about us" Ironwood rounded on him  
"What is it you people think you're entitled to in Atlas?"  
"Are you being fucking serious right now?" Gangrel snarled "Atlas is the only kingdom where human rights and Faunus rights are two different pieces of legislation, the SDC pays lobbyists so the government keep our wages low and make sure we get no representation, when we can't get by legally and start turning to crime you send the military police to treat us like an invading army. Fucks like you have got the cheek to ask why half the Faunus in Lower Atlas are affiliated with the White Fang when you make them necessary" the General was stunned into silence by the tirade, eventually he found his voice again  
"And the ends justify the means do they Mister Slate?"  
"To the people still in the Fang, yeah obviously they do" the Faunus growled "We tried protests and discussions, it's easy to ignore people when you have a vested interest in keeping things the way they are; it's a lot harder to ignore a punch in the mouth"  
"And what of your relationship with Miss Schnee?" the General asked, Gangrel rose from his chair furious  
"You really wanna try that angle with me?"  
"Calm down" Ironwood said somewhat smugly "I'm merely pointing out that your relationship with her is public knowledge, her family are already favoured targets of the White Fang and if you have as the Headmaster assures me developed a moral compass then her safety cannot be assured" Gangrel snarled  
"We're done here. Weiss is capable of looking after herself and I take care of the people important to me myself, I've always had to" with that he turned to leave making it a few steps  
"Mister Slate….Gangrel" the General called after him, at his use of his first name the Faunus stopped and looked over his shoulder giving Ironwood a questioning look  
"Ozpin warned me against trying to strong arm you into co-operation, I should have paid more attention to him" he sighed "Perhaps we can come to an accord, we both want to see the White Fang dealt with for our own reasons"  
"Make your offer I'm running out of patience"  
"Very well" Ironwood nodded "I have a Specialist Operative who will be arriving in Vale in a matter of days and I can personally assure you that she holds no bigoted opinions against your kind, it will be their duty to take a proactive role in locating the White Fang while I personally attend to the security of the festival, I'm offering you a position you will report to this Operative exclusively so that we may co-ordinate our efforts-"  
"You want to bring in someone who doesn't know Vale and have them use me as an attack dog" Gangrel interrupted getting the gist of the offer "Here's the thing General, I want to stop a maniac you just want to remove the White Fang without dealing with the issues that created them; you don't want a solution you want peace and quiet. No thanks but I'll let you know if I feel like selling my soul" Gangrel left the office growling in irritation, his scroll vibrating in his pocket as he made his way towards the elevator opening the device and seeing the caller he answered  
"Hello….Calm down, tell me what happened?….Where are you?….I'm on my way"

Bjorn Slate stood in the organised chaos that was the storeroom of his Gas Station, notepad in hand as he scribbled messy notes regarding goods that needed to be restocked and rough calculations of costs, his attention was caught by the sound of the front door of the Gas Station opening  
"Be with you in a minute" he called out, taking a few more notes and setting the notepad down on a shelf resigning himself to the fact he'd probably forget where he'd left it by the time he'd dealt with the customer he shuffled through into the store and was greeted by a tiny slip of a girl, barely touching five feet tall dressed in a white jacket with pink detailing over a black corset and brown pants with white knee-high boots sat on the counter feet swinging happily, Bjorn couldn't see anything of her head due to the ornate parasol resting over her right shoulder, the old Faunus had seen enough hunter's weapons since Gangrel started attending Beacon to be almost sure this minuscule girl was at least training to be one, looking out the window he was slightly confused to see there were no cars currently parked on the forecourt  
"Excuse me miss, I'm assuming by the parasol you're a Huntress?" Bjorn suppressed a snort at how stupid that sounded when he said it out loud "Just letting you know that gas is the only fuel we've got, we don't keep any of those Dust based fuels or accelerant in stock, have you tried Dust 'til Dawn?" the girl slid off of the counter and turned to face him Bjorn was struck by just how fluid her movements were, he'd had his own Aura unlocked for over thirty years but had never been trained as a Hunter, learning everything he knew about combat and self defence on the job, he did however know skill when he saw it, seeing the girls' face for the first time he saw that half of her hair was presumably dyed a bright pink and that her eyes were mismatched, one hazel the other the same pink as her hair, or perhaps the hair was coloured to match the eyes Bjorn thought to himself, the girl was yet to speak her attention currently taken by her Scroll that she was rapidly typing into  
"If you're looking for a map I can give you directions?" the girl finally looked up at him, smiling sweetly though the wide grin set the Faunus' nerves on edge for reasons he couldn't put into words  
"Miss?" her only answer was to slide him her scroll, picking the device up Bjorn saw that she'd typed him a message  
" _Don't worry I'm not a weirdo I just can't talk you wouldn't happen to be related to Gangrel Slate would you?"  
_ "Ah I see" Bjorn said with a smile "Yeah Gangs' my boy, he's at Beacon right now though" the girls' smile grew even brighter as she typed another message  
" _Thank you it's just that he left something important of his lying around"  
_ "Okay well classes aren't actually in session for a day or so if you don't have his number I can call him now and tell him to pick it up" the girl's smile took on a sinister edge as she typed out the next message, when Bjorn took the scroll from her again he struggled to hide his shock when he saw that her eyes had turned a ghostly white  
" _It looks like he left his Dad unattended he left his Schnee unattended as well. When you get to hell tell 'em Neo sent ya, toodles XD"  
_ "What the-" Bjorn found his exclamation cut off as Neo leapt up and grabbed the back of his head before smashing it against the counter with enough force to crack the surface, the Faunus staggered back wiping away the blood that trickled from his eyebrow before his Aura flared into life and halted the flow  
"That boy of mine has got me beating up little girls, we'll be having words after this" he sneered before leaping over the counter and throwing a wild haymaker which Neo effortlessly sidestepped leaving the two of them back to back before using to the wall to spring herself into a back-flip over Bjorn, her new parasol _The Disturbed Garfunkel_ collapsing as she brought the shaft down on the back of her opponents' neck, landing in front of him and driving her knee into his face, Bjorn was forced to his knees by the blow, snarling with fury he brought both of his arms inside of her guard knocking them to the sides as he lunged upwards, back of his head connecting with Neo's chin with a satisfying crack, the girl knocked his left jab away with her collapsed parasol her response to his follow up right hook was to fling herself forwards and discard her weapon, rolling over his broad back and throwing a high kick with her left foot as soon as she landed on his other side as his head jerked back she managed to position her foot behind his head, kicking out with her right foot she then forced the Faunus to the ground face down before wrapping both legs around his shoulder and forcing his elbow backwards, Bjorn let out a roar of pain as his arm snapped  
"THAT ALL YOU GOT?" he demanded as he rolled himself over throwing Neo off of him, the manic girl landed in a handstand before righting herself and retrieving her weapon, before turning back to Bjorn who was breathing heavily as he struggled to his feet  
"Come on then you little monster" he spat as his Aura twisted his bones back into place, the arm still hung limp and useless by his side, Neo grinned evilly as she twirled her parasol lazily around her finger before winking as she stopped the weapon mid arc and aimed it at the Faunus Bjorn leapt to the side instinctively, Neo's shot sailing through the space he had previously occupied before shattering the window of the gas station and impacting against one of the pumps, the resulting explosion tore through the front of the store, leaving Bjorn pinned with his legs crushed under a collapsed aisle of shelves as the flames began to engulf the building, as he tried to wriggle himself free a pair of white boots came into view followed by their wearer as Neo crouched down her eyes having returned to their natural colours, the insane girl planted her scroll on the floor in front of him before blowing a kiss and waving as she left, reaching forwards Bjorn took the scroll and read her last message  
" _Well this was all kinds of exciting! If you weren't about to be dead you might just be a DILF. Neo, kisses XD"_ letting out a string of inventive curses the Faunus finally pulled himself free, hearing sirens approaching he forewent calling an ambulance and dialled the only person whose contact details he could remember by heart, Gangrel.

Gangrel stormed through the corridors of the hospital after being given a room number and directions from a nurse in A&E who bore a striking resemblance to Velvet he had made his way towards the destination as fast as possible without barging into any patients currently on crutches, eventually finding the private room his father was being treated in he found the door open and two officers in the doorway, slowing down and creeping behind them he listened into the conversation as he neared  
"Mister Slate, I'm going to be frank your story sounds like utter horse-shit" one of them sighed  
"A tiny little hunter girl beat you up with an umbrella and the blew your gas station up, come on you can do better than that" the other added sniggering  
"Aye I could do better than that" his fathers irritated voice shot back "Why would I make up such a ridiculous story?"  
"Because Dust outsells gasoline by orders of magnitude and Faunus were involved in the breach" the first officer answered  
"Are you accusing me-"  
"Yeah I am" the officer interrupted "I'm saying this was probably an insurance job so you can fuck off to Vaccuo like all the other Faunus criminals" Gangrel had heard enough slapping a hand on the shoulder of each officer almost buckling their knees, turning to see Gangrel both officers stepped back, the second officer, the sniggering one spoke up  
"Sweet Oum you're a big fucker aren't ya….In fact, hey Ash I've seen this guy in the reports about the breach" the first officer, apparently named Ash looked Gangrel up and down  
"Yeah he looks like one of the Hunters who responded, good work kid you do Vale proud" Gangrels' face morphed into a savage grin  
"Yeah I was one of the first hunters at the breach, I was the senior hunter and acting commander on scene until Beacons' professors arrived. That's my dad you've just been talking shit to. Apologise" the second officer gulped audibly before turning to Bjorn  
"So sorry Mister Slate, we'll conduct a thorough investigation and keep you informed" he managed to squeak out before taking Ash by the shoulder and dragging him out of the room Gangrel glowering at them as they left  
"I can fight my own battles son" Bjorn sighed with a shake of the head as Gangrel closed the door, the younger Faunus snorted and indicated to his fathers injuries  
"Apparently you can't"  
"Walked right into that one didn't I" Bjorn smirked  
"How bad is it?"  
"Little monster broke my arm and cracked my skull, half an aisle landed on my legs so they're a mess. Nothing Aura can't fix"  
"Who the fuck did it?" Gangrel snarled  
"I've told you about that mouth of yours. Less swearing." his father warned "Some tiny little mute with a fancy umbrella" Gangrel paled  
"She wouldn't happen to have had weird eyes and two tone hair as well?"  
"Aye that's her, what is she a crazy ex?" Bjorn laughed  
"Her name's Neo, she attacked Weiss at the breach" Gangrels' tone was laced with venom and hate  
"What on Remnant did you do _this_ time boy?" his father groaned  
"She used to be Roman Torchwicks….I don't know enforcer, bodyguard, apprentice, fuck buddy whatever, point is she knows I helped bag Rome and since he worked for the White Fangs' business partner she's stepped up"  
"Well damn, White Fang using a human crazy to kill a Faunus, things really have changed"  
"Believe it or not that was one of the last conversations I had with Adam" Gangrel growled "Speaking of, I'm going to fix this"  
"Gang this isn't something you can solve by beating it up, I don't want to put it all on your shoulders son but I'm going to have a hard time paying the rent when the gas station's a smoking wreck"  
"I've got something in the pipeline that might help"  
"What are you going to ask your girlfriend for money 'cos she seems nice but-"  
"Damn it Dad I'll fix this!" Gangrel barked "It's not Schnee money, I'm not going to take a hit on the White Fang just yet. I have the germ of an idea" Bjorn let out a hacking laugh  
"Son, you're a germ"

Team RWBY and Penny were huddled in front of the television wrapped in a pile of blankets, Weiss had given up on being angry with Ruby for interrupting her _moment_ with Gangrel after being exposed to sheer unrelenting cuteness that was Ruby and Penny together, having returned to the dorm they found Blake and Yang asleep and cuddling together in varying degrees of undress, Ruby had covered the mechanical girls eyes with her hands while Weiss had thrown a pillow at them to wake them up and told them to put some clothes on, after a little bickering the decision had been made to have a movie night, which led to their current position. Weiss was sure she was the only one actually watching the vintage monster B-Movie that she would never admit she actually appreciated just for how awful it was, she and Winter had watched films like this when they were younger and given them what her sister had called ' _The Mystery Science Theatre Three Thousand_ ' treatment. Looking to her right she saw Blake had nodded off again and could be faintly heard purring as she nuzzled into Yang, the blonde stroked her lovers hair and shot Weiss a broad smile when the two made eye contact the heiress returned the smile and rolled her eyes at the pair; to her left were Penny and Ruby who had both started out thoroughly engaged with the film, currently however Penny was holding the smaller girl close to her their fingers intertwined and Ruby was seemingly making an effort at kissing every individual freckle on the gingers' cheek, all five girls jolted at the sound of thunderous knocking on their dormitory door  
"Let me fucking sleep for Oums' sake" Blake grumbled as the noise stirred her, Yang tried and failed to hide her laughter at that  
"It's open!" Weiss called as she paused the film, the door opened revealing a very irate looking Gangrel, Weiss took one look at him and rushed to her feet  
"Gangrel what's wrong?" she asked urgently as she took her hands in his  
"My Dad was attacked, I've just got back from the hospital"  
"Oh my Oum is he okay?" Blake asked as the information pierced through her sleepiness, she'd only met Bjorn a handful of times but she knew how much he meant to his son  
"He'll be fine, broken bones but Aura will fix it. The gas station's gone though"  
"What happened?" Weiss asked gently, the furious expression on his face told her there was more to the story  
"It was Neo" he snarled "Romans' pet psycho, she's obviously going after people I care about"  
"Well she tried and failed both attempts so far" Weiss said, her expression determined, Gangrel smirked his thumb gently caressing her scarred cheek  
"Yeah she did" he sighed "You took her legs out, Dad thinks he might have cracked her jaw anyone on Team GRAP should be able to handle her as long as she doesn't get the drop on 'em. She still needs to be dealt with though"  
"So what are we doing then?" Yang asked stretching as she stood up "Hopefully kicking some ass"  
"That's the eventual plan" Gangrel smirked, "Got a few bits of information gathering to do first, it's about time we saw some results from Junior"  
"Awesome, we'll both go" Yang grinned "In fact Blake, Weiss you come too we'll make a night of it"  
"I'm not hanging around Junior any longer than I have to" Gangrel said simply  
"We'll come" Ruby chimed in her expression hopeful  
"No you won't" Yang told her sternly, Gangrels' attention turned to the girl whose lap Ruby was currently sat on  
"Penny, can you contact Ironwood?"  
"Affirmative" she answered brightly  
"Good" the Bear-Faunus" growled "Call him and tell him I've thought about his offer. Tell him that I want protective custody for my Dad, as long as he keeps him safe I'm willing to sell my soul"

 **Authors Notes:**

So before we get into things, Vol.4 is out now, I watched the first episode mentally making notes about which things will and won't be appearing in this story, you can probably guess some of them but I'm not going to say too much here.

So to summarise:  
Ironwood is still a racist dick, but it makes for a chance to drop some exposition about how Atlas works and why the White Fang dislike the SDC specifically, it gives them more concrete motivations.  
It also explains why Gangrel considers working alongside them to be 'selling his soul'  
Yeah Neo is what I'd like to call a 'High Functioning Yandere' Roman was Senpai and now everyone associated with Gangrel can catch these tiny little hands.  
Also, damn she's sassy.  
Her new weapon (Her old parasol got crushed in the breach remember) is a parasol/sword/death-ray combo called ' _The Disturbed Garfunkel'….'cos 'Sound of Silence' get it?  
_ Yeah Vale Police are still racist, haven't really touched on that since the early chapters but it's their. The difference between Vale and Atlas is that in Atlas it's written into the law.  
Yes Gangrel interrupting movie night can be seen as a measure of revenge for Ruby cock blocking.  
Also, Winter and Weiss watch 'Mystery Science Theatre 3000' the thought came into my head as I was writing the scene and now it's Head-Canon, I also firmly believe that Weiss secretly loves all things _Cheese_ , bad films 90s music, you name it.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter; the amount of almost fucking baffles even me, I'm not just doing it to tease either. I have plans for when I want each couples first time to be (Which sounds creepy when I type it) I'm glad so many people seem to like Weiss x Gangrel.  
I love Nuts & Dolts and White Rose, the thing is I feel like Weiss just serves to compliment how adorable Ruby is, she's the straight man (Which is doubly ironic when she's neither)

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	39. 39: Retaliate

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 39: Retaliate**

"I know that look Velvet" Coco admonished  
"How?" the Faunus asked through clenched teeth  
"I didn't just spring out of the ground this fabulous y'know I've had many years of sneaking around trying to do things I shouldn't; now spill" the fashionista lowered her new pair of sunglasses and gave her team-mate a stern glare  
"Yes mother" Velvet huffed  
"Your little brother calls me Mami as well" came the immediate response  
"For Oums' sake Coco!" Velvet cried "Flax is thirteen years old please stop making jokes like that about my little brother"  
"But you're so cute when you're flustered" Coco said with a wicked grin "Now spill"  
"Fine. Gangrel just messaged me saying his Dad was attacked last night it's connected to the White Fang, he wants to know if I still have a key for Adam's place"  
"And do you?" Coco asked arching an eyebrow  
"Yeah, I never exactly got chance to go and pick my stuff up and hand my key back to him"  
"Really now" she grinned "Well then grab a bag and tell Gangrel to wait for us"  
"Coco no" Velvet started, Coco held up a hand to silence her  
"Velvet listen, I had to sit there in your debriefing after the breach and listen to you talk about some sicko who cut one of his own people in half put a gun to your head-"  
"Gangrel cut the arm that was holding that gun off"  
"Good for him" Coco seethed "And I'll be asking Gangrel what the ever loving fuck he was thinking introducing you to someone like that before we get there and if that sick son of a bitch Adam is at home I'm going to cut off his other arm, then his legs and then his balls"  
"I don't think you understand just how capable he is Coco" the Faunus said nervously as her ears drooped forwards "Me, Yang and Gangrel could barely match him and he just gets more dangerous the longer the fight goes on" the leader of Team CFVY merely shrugged as she placed her beret on her head and fed ammunition into the handbag that contained Satani Arbor  
"Yeah well, I'm not planning on having a sword fight with him" she growled "I'm just going to unload my very large weapon in his face"  
"Did you have to make it sound dirty?" Velvet dead-panned, Coco did a double take looking at the Faunus in stunned silence for a moment before bursting out laughing  
"I love that sense of humour of yours it always catches me off guard, come on lets go"  
"Coco you can't just run into Adams' apartment and open fire!" Velvet seethed in exasperation  
"Why the hell not?"  
"He lives in an apartment, civilian casualties" Coco drooped forward letting out a groan as her head banging in the wall, Velvet sighed and shook her head at her leaders' antics  
"Come on I'll let Gang know I couldn't talk you out of tagging along"

"Are you sure about this?" Weiss asked a she wrapped her arms around Gangrels' shoulders, she sat on her bunk while he was on the floor resting against the bed, having spent the night in Team RWBYs' dorm at Weiss' insistence the heiress had refused to let her boyfriend leave in such a stressed state knowing that he was liable to do something rash  
"As sure as I'm gonna get" the Bear-Faunus sighed as checked the time "Ironwood should be here soon, two conversations with that fucker….Should be fun" sarcasm dripped from his words  
"Don't get why he couldn't let Penny stay in our dorm for the night" Ruby griped from overhead, Penny having been sent back to the Atlesian flagship after contacting the General  
"Because he doesn't want you corrupting her" Yang smirked  
"Yang" Ruby whined  
"Well moisture in her inner workings may cause damage" the blonde grinned, cackling at her sisters blush  
"I haven't, we haven't" Ruby sputtered as she hid under her blankets  
"Really?" Yang asked as her grin broadened "Maybe you should increase your RAM speed"  
"Yang you uncouth and perverted brute stop tormenting your sister" Weiss said as she tried to hide her own blush at the thinly veiled obscenities pouring from her team-mates' mouth  
"Sweet fucking Oum she's worse than Squish, which reminds me where is he? I didn't see him at all yesterday" Yang shrugged as she got out of the bunk she and Blake had been sharing, the Faunus girl finally looking up from her book  
"Yang can you pass me my bow before you get in the shower"  
"You're wearing it in the dorm again?"  
"Just while General Ironwood is here" she answered  
"Fuck that" Gangrel growled "He's not making you uncomfortable in your own dorm, I'll talk with him in the corridor" before any the conversation could go any further somebody knocked on the door  
"That'll be him" Gangrel sighed as he rose to his feet, Weiss joining him and meeting his questioning look with a small smile and a kiss on his cheek before moving past him and answering the door, revealing the General  
"Good morning Miss Schnee, I was told that I would be able to find Gangrel Slate here" Gangrel came into view behind the heiress, Ironwood noted the way she squeezed his hand as if for reassurance  
"So let's talk business then" Gangrel growled as he stepped out into the corridor, Weiss joining him  
"Not that I doubt your intentions Miss Schnee-"  
"Call me Weiss"  
"Okay, Weiss but this conversation is a private matter between Gangrel and I"  
"Firstly I'm still Mister Slate to you, we're not friends" Gangrel snarled bristling at the familiarity "Secondly the same person who attacked my Dad yesterday fought Weiss when Team RWBY tried to stop the breach from happening, she's already involved"  
"Weiss, can you confirm that this 'Neo' individual is an affiliate of the White Fang?" she nodded in response to Ironwoods' question  
"She was on the train from their base in Mountain Glenn, she singled me out in retaliation for Gangrel helping apprehend Roman Torchwick"  
"I see" Ironwood said simply before turning back to the Faunus "You're father has accepted the offer of protective custody in Atlas, although it is worth noting that he gave several _very_ colourful objections before finally making that decision"  
"Good for him" Gangrel said with a feral grin "You keep up your end of the deal I'll handle mine"  
"You have a plan to track down this Neo character?" Ironwood asked  
"Waste of time" Gangrel answered with a snort "You won't see her until she wants to be seen, half the criminal underworld of Vale thinks she's an urban legend that Roman made up himself"  
"So what do you intend to do?"  
"When will the Operative I'm working with get here" Ironwood paused for a moment  
"Thursday, the day before the start of the Tournament" Gangrel nodded, it was currently Saturday  
"Right, classes start up again Monday and I'm getting some practice in for the tournament tomorrow, what I'm going to do is go shake things up a little and give it until Friday before I go talk to some people I know; we'll see if I can scare the White Fang into making mistakes"  
"Your overconfidence never ceases to amaze me" Ironwood dead-panned  
"We had this conversation yesterday" Gangrel growled "You learned about the White Fang through intelligence reports and witness statements, I know them personally, if you'd have come to me and said you thought they might be in Mountain Glenn I would have told you to look underground first because their leader is from Lower Atlas, it's a half ruined industrial city with Grimm lurking around, they set up there because it feels like home"  
"You're right" Ironwood said simply "I don't know how the minds of these people work and I have very little desire to, this is what I offered you a position for. I will leave it in your…." he trailed off looking at Gangrels' paw like hands "Well I say Hands, nevertheless good day Miss Schnee" watching him leave Weiss's eyes narrowed before she turned to Gangrel  
"He really is a prick"  
"Don't let Yang here you talking like that, she'll have some sort of pun about me corrupting you for it" the heiress rolled her eyes before standing on her tiptoes to kiss him on the lips  
"So what did you mean when you said you were going to shake things up?" she asked him  
"Adam won't have gone back to his apartment since the breach he was too badly injured, but he won't have had chance to sell any of the apartments yet….He tends to buy out every apartment on his floor under fake names to give himself some privacy" Gangrel explained  
"So you're going to break in?" Weiss surmised, her trepidation evident  
"I'm going to get a key to the place from Velvet then I'm going to take Squish there and let him break in, I'll just be there for some support on the off chance something goes wrong"  
"Want me to come?" she asked  
"I want you as far away from Adam as physically possible babe"  
"Stay safe" she said softly as she kissed him again.

Squish rose from the pile of blankets he was currently sleeping in grumbling incoherently as he reached up onto the desk to grab his scroll which was currently ringing, the sleeping form next to him stirring slightly, seeing who the caller was he answered  
"Yo Gang what's up?" he asked through a yawn "You back in town?"  
"I was back yesterday, where are you?"  
"One of the classrooms, slept there last night" Squish could almost hear his partner connecting the dots in his mind  
"You're fucking in an empty classroom?"  
"Hardly going to do it in a crowded one am I" the reptilian said with a toothy grin "What's up anyway?"  
"Long story short Romans' little psycho blew up my Dads' gas station yesterday, Atlas have offered him protection as long as I help them deal with the White Fang, bright side is they're going to be hands off and let us deal with it our own way"  
"Shit man, is your Dad okay?" Squish liked Bjorn he had slept on the sofa at the Slates' apartment after almost every major argument with his mother since the age of twelve  
"Yeah man, he got pretty beat up but he's tough" came Gangrels' strained reply "We won't find Neo without help from Oum himself, so we're going to go to Adams' place and send a message"  
"Just to see who flinches" Squish finished "Sounds like a plan, never did like Adam anyway. See you soon" with that he collapsed his scroll and turned to the person next to him in the pile of blankets that were intended to be used for survivors of Grimm attacks, Neon stretched out in a very cat like manner as she woke up, auburn hair cascading over her shoulders and giving Perdu an exquisite view of her figure  
"Like what you see smiley?" she asked him with a wink before causally yanking him back down to the ground and straddling him, this was the way their budding relationship seemed to go; passionate almost violent sex that left her entire neck and chest covered in hickies while her nails drew blood from his back, followed by hours spent laughing as they enjoyed each others' company  
"You know how much I like it" he grinned "But seriously you call me smiley everyone else calls me Squish, why does nobody use my real name?"  
"Because after I'd had a couple drinks at the dance I slurred and called you Purr-do and you wouldn't shut up about it" she gave him a mocking pout "So I've been thinking, classes start up again on Monday we won't be able to keep spending the night together like this, what are we gonna do?" Squish shrugged at the question  
"We'll think of something, can always get a hotel"  
"I mean more long term" Neon grinned "The tournament starts next week and after it ends I go back to Atlas, where do we go from there?" the reptilian pulled her down and planted a kiss on her lips before answering  
"You want to keep seeing me?"  
"Yeah, duh" she answered with a playful flick to the end of his nose  
"Well I can probably get enough money together to come and spend the summer in Atlas, next year is Team GRAPs' last year at Beacon, after that I'll try and take as many jobs as I can in Atlas until you graduate and see where things go from there" Neon rewarded his answer with a passionate kiss  
"Really? You'd really move to Atlas for me? Oh my Oum Perdu you're so damn sweet, when I graduate I'm not going into the Atlas Hunter Corps or Spec Ops, I'm probably going to go Freelancer so we could travel together and be our own little team"  
"Just us?" Squish asked  
"Well who else did you have in mind?" Neon asked  
"I haven't gone any sort of mission without Gangrel since we were both twelve"  
"Don't worry I'll look after you" she grinned  
"Smart ass" he smirked "But still a great ass either way, we've got a few years to think about who's going to be on our little team after we both graduate"  
"So where are you going now, surely we've got a little time?" Squish groaned at Neons' question  
"Baby as much as I would love to stay here and spend all morning making your back arch up Gangs' Dad was attacked yesterday, duty calls" with that the Lizard-Faunus began looking for his clothes.

Adam stared at his reflection in the full length mirror, he was in one of the few remaining White Fang safe houses in Vale, the authorities had cracked down on his faction relentlessly in the aftermath of what the media was calling 'The Breach'. The final component for his cybernetic eye had finally been delivered and the modifications to his new arm had been completed, the left sleeve of his suit jacket cut off at the elbow to highlight the prosthetic; his false eye was now entirely red, the same vibrant shade as the iris of his original eye, his right horn hadn't grown back fully and was currently roughly two thirds the length of the left, his cybernetic arm was a thing of beauty in his opinion the skeletal frame covered by dark cords simulating muscle and sinew and glinting silver armour plates the fingers tipped sharpened claws and a high calibre machine gun fitted under his forearm. With a flick of his wrist the machine gun collapsed in on itself before reincorporating with the rest of the arm, fitting snugly under the armour plates as he reached for his new mask, as he pressed it to his face a pressure sensor activated inside it, a band expanding from the faceplate to envelop his head and the voice modulator he had asked for coming online turning his breaths into ragged haunting sounds as he surveyed himself again, the new mask covered his entire face, showing just enough of his eyes for the glowing blood red to be clearly visible, a crown of sharpened metallic horns sprouted from the brow and the lower half was covered with angled armour plates. Adam Taurus looked like the monster the world insisted he was, he was ready to embrace it.  
"Do take that ridiculous thing off" Cinder drawled as she entered the room, Roman's pet monster trailing behind her "The arm the eye and the facial scars prove that you've bled for your cause, the new mask looks like you've developed a case of hero worship for Raven Branwen"  
"Do not test my patience Cinder" Adam seethed, his new mask distorting the words to a mechanical yet feral growl "You assured me you could keep this one on a leash" Neo responded by giving him a broad smile and wave before returning to her scroll  
"You have lost a lot of your financial stability following the breach, Neo found Gangrel Slates' father and responded in kind, you should thank her" the mastermind cooed  
"Which is a mistake that will come back to haunt us both, rest assured that Gangrel will only be more determined now"  
"Then maybe" Cinder said delicately "You should have actually shot him when he was at your mercy instead of just assuming he'd bleed out, if you had you'd still have your arm" Adams' irritation grew and he could actually feel his Semblance causing his remaining eye to glow, something that was becoming more and more prevalent  
"What of your plans?" he demanded  
"We will still be moving ahead with them, what of your people from Vaccuo" Adam gave an annoyed grunt that his mask turned into a rumbling snarl  
"They will be able to provide less than anticipated, we will have assets from Vaccuo but border patrol are taking a more serious approach to their duties following the breach and some of the rival organisations in the Kingdom are using the opportunity to try and take control, my right hand in Vaccuo needs to keep some of his best people there in order to maintain control" Cinder gave him a disappointed look at the response  
"Know this Adam, I could take this Kingdom without your help and at this point I am allowing you to hunt for the people that have betrayed you during our attack as a courtesy, after this you will return to Atlas to prepare for the next stage of our plans and you _will not_ fail me again; are we clear?" Adam forced himself to remain calm, unable to refute her claims that he had failed to deliver  
"Yes Cinder" he said with a small nod  
"Good" she drawled "And contact Cheshire, Roman Torchwick will prove useful in what is to come" with that she turned on her heel and left, Neo smirking as she threw her scroll to the Faunus, Adam snarled in fury as he read the message  
" _If you can't rely on your people then Cinder can't rely on you. Call me a crazy little monster as much as you want I get results and I can't wait until she lets me kill you lol kisses XD"  
_

Gangrel, Squish, Velvet and Coco made their way towards Adams' apartment  
"I still want to know why you got Velvet involved in this bullshit Gang" Coco demanded  
"And for the last fucking time Coco" he seethed "I didn't know he'd gone crazy, I just heard he had a messy breakup. He was an old friend having a rough time Thumper looked like she needed people around her, seemed like a good idea at the time"  
"And why do you always call her Thumper?"  
"That's a story for another time, preferably very far in the future" Velvet said quickly "Besides we're here"  
"So how are we doing this?" Squish asked as he withdrew a pair of leather gloves from his pocket  
"Well the plan was to get the keys and send you in first then wreck the place"  
"Why wreck the place?" Velvet asked "He'll know that we've been here"  
"Exactly" Gangrel smirked "Finding anything here is a long shot anyway, the main objective is to spook him so he's more likely to slip up. Hitting him where he lives should get a reaction from him"  
"So let's go then" Coco said setting her jaw. The four of them were silent as they made their way to the top floor of the building, as they reached Adams' apartment Gangrel turned to Velvet  
"Did you ever see any neighbours around?"  
"No" she said cocking her head as she realised how odd that was  
"Thought not, he'll have the whole floor"  
"So we've got to search the whole place?" Coco asked  
"Nah" Gangrel smiled "Adams' always been paranoid about people touching his stuff didn't like sharing even as a kid, anything valuable will be in his place" he motioned for Coco to take a position beside the door before kicking it from its' hinges and teleporting into the room swords drawn as Squishs' form rippled out of view as he triggered his Semblance before rushing into the room  
"Clear!" Gangrel called out, Coco deployed her weapon just to be safe as she entered Velvet following her  
"Well damn, I'll admit the bastard had some taste" she commented looking around, before casually putting her fist through a flat screen television mounted on the wall  
"Was that really necessary?" Velvet asked  
"I thought we were wrecking the place" Coco said with a grin  
"Yeah but we could have sold that" Gangrel sighed "Why is it these rich kids never think ahead" he grumbled  
"Okay I'm calling dibs on the champagne he had in the fridge, there's some Brandy in here if you want it Gang?" Squish called from the kitchen  
"Yeah sure why not" the Bear-Faunus called back before laughing at Coco and Velvets' dumbstruck expressions "Squish stashes drug money in his freezer, police never check there for some reason, so now whenever he hits a place he checks the kitchen first"  
"You people are all fucking crazy, it's kinda fun though" Coco smirked  
"Okay I'm going to get my stuff out of Adams' room" Velvet told them, entering the bedroom and opening the closet quickly pulling her clothes into the duffel bag she had brought, stopping when she saw a familiar black and white outfit; she slowly took it from the closet and held it out in front of her  
"You actually wore that?" Velvet whipped round, she hadn't heard Velvet enter "I know you told me you were in the White Fang but fuck seeing that makes it hit home"  
"I-I really messed up didn't I?" Velvet muttered her head sinking  
"Yeah but we both did" Coco sighed walking across the room and examining the mask of Velvets' White Fang uniform "That you ever thought this was the best option means that I failed, I failed you so fucking badly"  
"It's over and done with now" Velvet mumbled as she threw the outfit on the floor  
"No it's not" Coco growled out, her eyes fixed on the mask, its' stitched together appearance clearly intended to evoke Velvets' emblem, stamping on the mask on cracking its' surface "He hurt you, it's not over until the fucker pays for it!"  
"Find anything in there?" Gangrel called out  
"Nothing important!" Velvet called back  
"Well we're done here, nothing relating to the White Fang everything is probably in his office but there's a few thousand lien in cash we can split" Velvet and Coco made their way into the living room again, the fashionista readying her weapon  
"So there's nobody on this floor to worry about then?" she asked  
"No but that's still going to let everyone in the building know we're here" Squish said with the defeated sigh that was reserved for times he had to do jobs alongside novice criminals  
"Fuck It" Gangrel smirked "Squish head out and take what we're grabbing, we'll split it back at Beacon"  
"Yes fearless leader" the reptilian smirked before vanishing  
"Coco since you're eager, do the honours"  
"Gladly" with that single word she unleashed a seemingly endless storm of high calibre bullets, turning in a wide arc, the shots ripping through the interior of the apartment with ease until the barrel of the weapon ceased to rotate as it expended the last of its' ammunition  
"Not that I'm complaining, but that might just be overkill" Gangrel noted, Coco lowered her glasses and gave him a bloodthirsty stare  
"He fucked with my team, my favourite store was totalled in the breach and I haven't gotten laid since the summer….Fuck this guy"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so this story has crossed the 150k words mark and seven thousand hits, I'll take that as a sign that I'm doing something right.

To summarise:  
The Coco and Velvet scenes were fun to write, I'm not planning on going the 'Cross Hares' route with this but then again I wasn't planning Nuts & Dolts or Polar Bear either, so we'll see.  
Yangs' puns and innuendos are getting worse, I am unrepentant.  
I now can't write Ironwood without making him racist, he's not going to call Gangrel a fleabag to his face, but the attitude is there.  
Also the logic about why Adam set up base in Mountain Glenn makes sense to me and will come into play later in the story.  
Neon and Squish, they've been sleeping in abandoned classrooms using 'borrowed' blankets since neither of them can get their dorm to themselves, I thought their scene was cute.  
Cinder and Neo are done with Adams' bullshit (Ha 'Bull' shit) at this point.  
The reason Gangrel decided to hit Adams' apartment rather than his office was firstly that he knew it would be an easier target and secondly that hitting someone where they live like that is the kind of attack that forces them to react.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, I'm glad you like Bjorn so much but unfortunately he probably won't be appearing for at least the rest of this volume.  
Yes that's a little racist.  
And yes it's Winter, that's that surprise spoiled. To quote Hellsing Abridged _"_ _Wow just kill all ze fun, put ze fun in camps why don't you"  
_ As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	40. 40: Family Matters

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 40: Family Matters**

"You know Pyrrha's sorry right" The blonde teen said nervously, Gangrel looked up at him and removed an ice pack from below his left eye revealing a gash running along his cheek and a mess of purple and yellowish bruises  
"She said, repeatedly" the Bear-Faunus ground out, Squish doubled over with silent laughter opposite him Nora and Yang could be seen in similar fits of hysterics nearby, while Weiss tried and failed to hide her own smile. It was Thursday the final day before the first round of the Vytal Tournament began and Teams' RWBY and JNPR had decided to get in some last minute practice after class, eventually roping in Team GRAP, while Rover tried to explain the reasons that using super speed to achieve lift off didn't mean one could actually fly to Ruby Gangrel and Pyrrha had ended up sparring, the ensuing match was one that would go down in Beacons' history as one of the most hard fought and down right brutal in the academies history, ending when the prizefighter had swung her shield into the space she expected Gangrel to teleport into, the blow connecting with enough force to not only knock his Aura into the red but fully deplete it and he suspected crack his cheekbone  
"I'm sorry!" Pyrrha called over again as if on cue, hands still covering her face in a mixture of shock and embarrassment, the three teams had made their way outside as some of the guests arriving for the tournament were apparently using Beacons' personal Air-ship docking bay and also because the Bear-Faunus needed some fresh air as he felt a little ill after that last knock to the head  
"Calm down red, I've taken worse….I just don't really want to go into the first round with a black eye"  
"What do you think of the opponents you've got?" Jaune asked, the Bear-Faunus simply shrugged  
"We're going to walk all over them" he said simply  
"And then moon walk back over them just to make sure they stay down" Squish cackled, causing Artemis to roll her eyes while Rover gave Gangrel a nervous look  
"Hey Ruby, who are Team RWBY up against in the first round?"  
"Team SSSN from Haven"  
"Really now" Gangrel growled  
"Neptune didn't know we were dating Gangrel" Weiss sighed with a roll of her eyes "And besides he already apologised"  
"I know" he replied "But they're still a bunch of idiots, Blake do me a favour and pass on a message to Sun Wukong for me"  
"Will do" she smirked from her place on Yangs' lap without looking up from her copy of 'The Man With Two Souls'  
"What's the message?" Ruby asked Gangrel snorted  
"You are too pure for this world kid, nice shirt by the way" Ruby blushed, she was not wearing her usual combat gear, she trained a pair of sweatpants and a T-shirt, usually one of the ones Yang gave her as a joke, this one featuring a woman kneeling before a giant robot with the words 'Pray to Mecha' below  
"Yang bought me it" Ruby mumbled  
"I thought her girlfriend would appreciate it" Yang smirked  
"Hey Jaune!" Nora cut through all conversation with her high pitched voice "You said you weren't expecting any of your family to make it to the tournament"  
"I'm not" he said with a casual shrug  
"Well I see three blondes getting off of that Bull-Head" Jaune turned to where the hyperactive girl had indicated and paled  
"Oh no, oh no it can't be"  
"What's up?" Gangrel asked  
"That's my Dad….and two of my sisters" he began to tremble as the trio of blondes drew near a, tall burly man in the centre walking with a slight limp his straw coloured hair streaked with grey, blue eyes that held none of the happiness that could usually be found in his sons' face, his stern face covered in a litany of small scars, Craven Arc was an intimidating figure. Behind him and to his right was a tall lithe woman in polished white armour that was plainly the inspiration for Jaunes' own, golden yellow hair flowing down her back, opposite her was a younger girl roughly five foot five, blonde hair in twin tails, sword and shield slung over her back  
"Vicky!" Gangrel called to the tall woman who gave him a faint smile when she saw him before giving the wound on his face a pointed glare as she neared  
"I would say you've gotten sloppy but you never could block" Victoria Arc said with a small shake of the head  
"Hey sis" Jaune said nervously, Victoria ruffled his hair  
"Hey little bro I see you haven't died yet, I'm somewhat impressed" she then turned back to Gangrel "So, who's your new friend?" the Bear Faunus, pulled Weiss a little closer  
"Weiss Schnee, my girlfriend"  
"You poor girl, how do you cope with him" she laughed before someone cleared their throat behind her, turning around Victoria Arc saw Pyrrha Nikos  
"You're Victoria Arc, the 'Goddess of Victory'" the Mistrali said mouth agape "I used to watch your tournament matches when I was a child" The eldest Arc child smirked at the use of the name she had acquired during her years in the arena  
"And you are Pyrrha Nikos, the 'Invincible Girl' that's somehow ended up dating my little brother, come on show me around, we'll make our way to a training room….We have to spar" the two of them left, Pyrrha looking as though Christmas had come early  
"Hey Citrus" Jaune said brightly turning to his younger sister in an attempt to delay the inevitable "These are the rest of my team, Ren and-"  
"NORA!" the ginger introduced herself enthusiastically  
"As well as Team RWBY another first year team and Team GRAP some older students I train with" Jaune continued  
"Awesome" his younger sister said brightly "I'm coming to Beacon next year, would you be able to help me train then? I've worked the bugs out of Dragonslayer. Watch" with that the sword and shield slung across the girls' back began to break apart and reform, turning itself into an armoured breastplate and jet pack, the blade of the sword splitting and forming wings, Citrus then kicked off hovering several feet in the air before landing and collapsing the weapon  
"The thrusters turn into heavy duty flame-throwers as well"  
"THAT'S SO COOL" Ruby burst out unable to contain herself "You can definitely train with us next year"  
"If I may impose" Craven cut in "Would you be willing to keep an eye on Citrus and ensure she doesn't get lost, my son and I need to catch up; don't we Jaune"  
"Y-yes sir" Craven made towards Beacon, Jaune following behind him  
"Not to be rude, but what was that about?" Ren asked, Citrus winced  
"Crocea Mors is the Arc family sword, with Jaune being the only son it would have been handed down to him eventually, thing is he kind of stole it when he came to Beacon, Dad is gonna kick his ass"  
"Can't say I blame him" Ruby said, getting shocked glances from those present "What, you don't touch a Hunters' weapon, how would any of you react if someone stole yours?" she asked, Weiss' attention however was drawn elsewhere, specifically to a heavily modified _'Kralle'_ class corsair approaching the docking bays  
"Ruby, Gangrel and I are going to have to leave you for a while" the heiress said as wide smile split her face  
"We are?" Gangrel asked  
"How come?" Ruby asked  
"Because I know that ship" Weiss beamed.

"We've landed safely at Beacon ma'am" the pilot said tonelessly  
"I felt the ship shudder as we approached" the captain said, her eyes narrowing "Are all systems functioning correctly  
"Aye captain they are" another member of the bridge crew responded "We'll double check while you're on the ground but we were flying with the shields down, probably just a bird getting sucked into the engine"  
"Understood" the captain said simply as she readied her cutlass  
"Are you sure it's wise to head down alone captain?" an Atlesian solider stood behind her asked  
"We are not expecting any trouble are we?" she said simply  
"No ma'am but this agent you're meeting, he's well….he's one of those isn't he" Winter turned to face the soldier, expression icy as she stood nose to nose with the man backing him against the wall  
"You're one of the new members of the crew are you not?"  
"Y-yes ma'am, this is my first mission aboard the Schweigen"  
"It will be your last" she said coldly "First mate you have the bridge, find as many menial and degrading tasks to occupy the simpletons time as you can, I do not want to see his face until we return to Atlas"  
"Aye captain Schnee" came the response as Winter made her way off of the ship.

Weiss squeezed Gangrels' hand struggling to contain her excitement  
"You're going to love my sister Gangrel, honestly forget everything you think you know about the Schnee family"  
"I already had to do that when I met you babe" he grinned, she gave him a playful nudge  
"Dolt"  
"So why does your sister have a warship?"  
"She's a special operative…." she trailed off  
"You don't think she's the person I'm being assigned to?" Gangrel asked nervously  
"Ironwood wouldn't do that, surely not" Weiss sounded as if she were trying to convince herself, the pair of them turned their attention back to the ship as the hiss of the ramp lowering caught their attention; a lone individual striding towards them  
"That's her" Weiss gasped, a loud squawk pierced the air as large bird took flight from the hull of the ship landing between Winter and Weiss, with a flash of Aura the bird vanished and was replaced by a man with spiky black hair that was beginning to grey dark clothes and a tattered red cloak from this angle Weiss couldn't see anything of the mans' face but she could see the large blade slung over his back  
"Winter Schnee, the Ice Queen of Atlas" the newcomer gave a mocking bow as he spoke  
"Qrow the wandering idiot" Winter bit back "And I think there should be a captain in there somewhere, you are without a doubt the worst Hunter I've ever heard of"  
"But you have heard of me" Qrow smirked  
"They're going fight" Weiss whispered mortified, becoming aware of the crowd that was beginning to form  
"Only if that's their kind of foreplay" Squish snickered making his presence known "Because they are definitely fucking"  
"And you Atlas Military types think you're so special don't you" Qrow slurred  
"I'm a Special Operative, it's in the name" Winter retorted smirking  
"See Gang, that's why you need to stop drinking" Squish said with a shake of the head "Don't be like this guy"  
"Hey!" they turned to see that Ruby had joined them "That's my uncle, KICK HER ASS UNCLE QROW!" the younger girl called  
"Teach him some respect Winter!" Weiss cheered  
"It looks like the kids want a show" Qrow noted "So we'll keep this tussle family friendly for a change"  
"I will remove the tongue from your foul mouth!" Winter raged as she drew her sword, a Glyph cast at her feet propelling her forwards at blinding speed, Qrow deftly sidestepped the attack dodging and weaving around several follow up slashes before giving Winter another mocking bow her downward strike clanging against his own blade which he then drew, the two of them circling each other with predatory glares before both of them shot forwards, the clearing in the centre of the docking bay becoming a makeshift arena as the pair duelled, Qrow using the larger surface of his weapon to hold Winter at bay as she flipped from Glyph to Glyph finding new angles of attack before dropping to the floor and sweeping low, Weiss could have swore that she saw her sister wink before throwing a handful of Ice Dust at her opponent, the moisture in the air freezing encasing him in ice from the shoulders down, Qrow merely smirked  
"Not bad" he then shifted into his bird form before landing in front of Winter and reverting, the gears of his sword whirring into life as Winter ejected her dagger from the pommel of her own sword  
"Strange of you to use ice though, this is usually where things heat up"  
"I will kill you where you stand Branwen"  
"OPERATIVE SCHNEE!" Winter snapped to attention and sheathed her weapons, Qrow merely smirking as he slung his own blade over his shoulder  
"What is the meaning of this?" Ironwood demanded as he parted the crowd around him, Ruby saw who was following the general and called to her  
"Penny Over here!"  
"I was merely showcasing proper technique to my sister" Winter said stiffly, Weiss's jaw dropped at the barefaced lie, Qrow chuckled  
"I think her sister is on the same team as my nieces, pretty sure its' one of them that just called to your student"  
"I see" Ironwood glowered "Schnee you know your duties, Qrow we can postpone our meeting both of you spend some time with your families"  
"General if I may-" Penny started  
"Yes Polendina, you may" the general answered knowing what the question would be before turning and marching off, the crowd beginning to dissipate as they saw that the fight was not going to continue  
"UNCLE QROW!" Ruby squealed as she pounced "It's so good to see you! Did you miss me?"  
"Hmm" he seemed to consider for a moment "Nope….But who are your friends" he nodded to the students around her  
"Weiss, Winters' sister is my partner, Blake is Yangs partner the older students are Team GRAP they help train us and this" she said brightly pulling Penny close "Is my girlfriend"  
"Salutations Mister Qrow"  
"Well it seems I have some catching up with my family to do, Winter I'll show you how to actually land hits some other time" with that Qrow left one arm around each of his nieces, their respective girlfriends following  
"The sheer nerve of the lecherous old-"  
"Weiss" Winter warned "Let it go"  
"Operative Schnee" Gangrel greeted her with a small nod of the head, bracing himself  
"Agent Slate" she responded, the pair seeming to size each other up for a moment  
"Winter please drop the professional act, we just saw you have what I'm not sure was a fight or your own twisted brand of flirtation" Weiss complained  
"Well someone seems to have brought you out of your shell" Winter noted "Come on you and your boyfriend can come aboard, we need to talk business then I'll decide if I'm going to use the stealth capabilities of the Schweigen to drop him in the middle of Grimm infested nowhere"  
"Your ship has stealth capabilities?" Weiss asked  
"I'm Spec-Ops, what do you think"

Emerald entered her Dorm to see Mercury on his scroll  
"Yeah anyway I've got to go, talk soon" he murmured as he caught sight of her  
"You just missed the craziest fight ever, Qrow Branwen, Qrow mother-fucking Branwen one of the nuttiest Hunters' ever just showed up threw down with an Atlesian Specialist, it was awesome, it was kinda scary….And it was kinda hot" she breathed  
"Legendary Hunters and Spec-Ops turning up, fucking hell I was right to make that call" Mercury sighed  
"Who were you talking to?"  
"Matthias Black, Mercury Blacks' older brother and a retired hit-man….My uncle Matt he's got a few safe houses scattered around in case we need to run"  
"Okay firstly are we not touching the fact his name is Matte Black?" Emerald laughed "Secondly are you still thinking of running?" she sighed wrapping her arms around his shoulders and pressing their foreheads together  
"Not without you" he whispered softly "I'm just keeping our options open, I've got a very bad feeling about this job, word from some of the White Fang grunts is that the apartment that was shot up over the weekend, that was Adams"  
"So? Taurus isn't our problem"  
"No but the people who did it will be, Adam answers to Cinder the same way we do and we both know that some of his enemies are in Beacon right now"  
"You need to have some faith Merc" Emerald told him kissing his forehead  
"I leave that to you, I'll stick to having back up plans" he gave her a concerned look "Just promise me if this looks like it's going south that you'll come with me. We can get out disappear for a while"  
"I promise I'll think about it"

Jaune faced his father in Team JNPRs dorm  
"Well I see you haven't lost the family sword after you stole it, thank Oum for small mercies"  
"Dad I-" Jaune started  
"YOU STOLE THAT SWORD AND RAN AWAY FROM HOME YOU FOOL!" Craven Arc roared "And if you think for a moment I believe you were allowed here on your own talents you must think me a very stupid man" Jaune squared his shoulders and met his fathers' harsh glare  
"You're right I faked my way in because you didn't put enough time and effort into training me, if you'd given me the help I asked for I would have been able to do it"  
"I have eight children boy, Victoria and Antonia excelled in their lives without needing to be coddled, Citrus has already passed the same entrance exams that you had to cheat, the twins have been accepted into Bulb Prep and Signal, they have their pick of schools next year"  
"You never unlocked my Aura!" Jaune shouted  
"I never expected you to have much use for it" Jaune fumed silently  
"Well boy" his father growled "You clearly have something to say, be a man for once and say it" Jaune simply took Crocea Mors from his waist and threw the weapon on the ground  
"I don't need or want the Arc name" he spat "I may have cheated my way here, but I made it through initiation with nothing but my team-mates, I was made leader of Team JNPR by my own efforts and when I lead my team to victory you will sit and watch in that crowd and remember every time told me I was a waste of your time, then you're going to get out of Beacon and I never want to see you again" Craven stepped into his sons' face Jaune remained steadfast, the older man eventually bursting out laughing  
"Well I'm impressed boy, you've grown a heart and a spine during your time here. I want you to know that if you were not my only son I would wring your neck for what you just said to me"  
"Don't let that stop you"  
"Well I'll be damned you've got some fire in you now boy" his father laughed "I suppose it's to do with that Mistrali, your sister told me you'd managed to shack up with a real Hunter; you'll have a hard time fighting your way to victory with no sword won't you?" Craven stepped back and retrieved Crocea Mors and thrust it back into Jaunes' hands  
"You'll always be an Arc boy" his father continued "Glad to see you've finally toughened up and started acting like one"

"TOTAL AHNILATION" the voice called out from the screen as Ruby dropped her controller in shock  
"And by the way, don't ever call me old again" Qrow said with a grin, Penny giggled behind her hand at the smaller girls' utterly dumbstruck expression  
"So are you gonna get in trouble with Ozpin for that fight?" Yang asked "I doubt either he or the General are going to buy the excuse you gave them"  
"Me and Oz go way back it's cool" Qrow shrugged "Are you going to get in trouble that the fact that only three of the beds in this dorm look like they get slept in?" Yang sputtered as she failed to form a reply, Blake looked from the blonde to the old Hunter stunned, nobody ever managed to make Yang blush  
"You can't talk" Ruby grinned "Dad said he made out with everyone on his team"  
"OH MY OUM WHAT THE FU-" Yang started  
"Okay that happened once and only once" Qrow said holding a hand up "Tai wanted to experiment and I tried it out as a favour to a friend, not my thing at all"  
"So you-" Yang started only for Qrow to cut her off again  
"Nothing against people who are attracted to the same sex, you and Ruby both seem happy with your girlfriends and I can't imagine why they wouldn't be happy with you. Tai and Raven were on and off at the time and we might be twins but there are some things I will not share with my sister" he enjoyed looking around the dorm and taking in the various stunned and slightly mortified expressions on the girls faces  
"Oh my Oum" Yang whispered to Ruby "Our parents were so messed up"  
"I'll have you know Team STRQ were the coolest damn team to ever graduate Beacon" Qrow retorted as he withdrew a picture from his wallet and took a swig of his flask  
"Uncle Qrow" Yang whispered fixated on the photo "That's my mum in the red" Qrow made to replace the picture as he heard her voice tremble  
"Yeah" he sighed, Yang catching his hand  
"Ruby take a look at this picture, ignore the face look the weapon and the armour"  
"I can't be" Ruby gasped  
"It is" Penny said  
"What?" Blake and Qrow asked together  
"That's the same person who created a portal and kicked Adam through it at the breach….My mum is working with the White Fang" Yang felt Blake move beside her and wrap an arm around her waist  
"She's not in the White Fang" Qrow sighed  
"But she's alive….And you knew, this whole time you knew?"  
"I knew" Qrow admitted "But Yang I need you to understand that Raven isn't the same person she was, not even close to it"  
"Do you know where she is?"  
"No" Qrow sighed "I have no idea where she vanishes to, those portals aren't her Semblance she's my twin we share the same ability. Just know that it would be better if you don't look for her, forget what you saw and mourn the woman she was"  
"She's my mum!"  
"And she was my sister!" Qrow snarled harsher than Yang or Ruby had ever heard him before "I'm sorry Yang but if you ever find Raven you'll spend the rest of your life wishing you hadn't. I know I do"  
"So….Can we move on to a slightly less creepy topic?" Ruby asked nervously  
"Sure" Qrow said straightening up "I've got plenty more unsuitable stories about your dad to tell you, you can tell me how you met these lovely ladies on your arms and then tell me how you plan on kicking ass in the tournament" Ruby and Yang failed to notice that Qrow slipped his flask into the blondes pocket as he moved.

"So let me make sure I understand this" Winter said pinching the bridge of her nose "You attacked the leader of the White Fangs' personal living space just to see what kind of reaction you'd get, tomorrow under the guise of going for celebratory drinks you're going to make business propositions to a mob boss who you have personally crossed on several occasions because a friend of yours made an arrangement with them, then you're going to tell him that you have managed to flip the head of the White Fang in Vaccuo and that he intends to move to Vale in an attempt to foster co-operation between them"  
"When you say it like that it sounds questionable" Weiss admitted  
"It'll work" Gangrel said confidently "There's plenty of people in the White Fang that just want a better life for themselves and their family, the don't necessarily agree with the current approach"  
"So you plan to turn them into a regular criminal organisation?"  
"Exactly there's always going to a criminal underworld, I'd rather have to contend with that than a bunch of fanatics"  
"Agreed" Winter nodded "Your plan is workable….Or it would be if you told me what you're holding back" Gangrel growled in irritation before seeing Weiss nod  
"We can trust her" the heiress said quietly  
"Fine" Gangrel huffed "The White Fangs' business partner has two agents inside Beacon posing as students from Haven"  
"Names?"  
"Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai" Weiss answered  
"And why have they not been handled"  
"No proof" Gangrel shrugged "I have seen the Black in the office with the head of the White Fang but it'll just be my word against his, besides he was the one who killed Logan Tukson if anyone _handles_ the fucker it'll be me"  
"Then why haven't you?"  
"Honestly I haven't had the opportunity"  
"Very well" Winter nodded "I'll do some digging and see what I can find, wait until I let you know to make your move"  
"No problem, I'd rather be prepared"  
"Now onto more serious matters" Winter said, striding around the table they were seated at, Gangrel instinctively rose from his seat only to be punched in the throat  
"WINTER!"  
"That" the older Schnee said coldly "Is for getting my sister involved in this" she then held her hand out which Gangrel shook before Winter pulled him into a hug  
"And this is for being there for her, Oum knows it'll be difficult" Gangrel tried to form a response but failed as he struggled to breathe after Winters' insanely powerful punch  
"That was thoroughly uncalled for" Weiss fumed  
"Well I can't exactly punch our Father, as much as I'd love to sometimes"  
"What has Father said or done?" Weiss braced herself for the worst  
"He tried to contact you after that article, you ignored his calls"  
"I was on a mission"  
"And since then?" Winter asked "Beacon was closed and you stayed here rather than go home and face him"  
"Okay fine I didn't want to deal with him, can you blame me?" Weiss demanded  
"Not in the slightest" her sister sighed "But here's the thing I actually can, because I make my own money. He told me to tell you that as of tomorrow your access to all Schnee funds and resources has been frozen until you and I quote ' _Act in a manner befitting your heritage and stop consorting with the worst kinds of filth_ "  
"What a lovely man" Gangrel snarled "My boots would love to meet his teeth sometime" Winter shot him a glare  
"The man is a sexist, racist, bigoted old bully….But he's the only father I have; never threaten him in front of me again, other than that you're doing okay though"  
"No trips to the badlands for me then?"  
"Not yet" Winter smirked  
"He's cut me off" Weiss whispered "What do I do, how am I supposed to keep stocked up on Dust for Myrtenaster or my Glyphs"  
"I've got a few grand saved" Gangrel shrugged "It should keep you above water for a while"  
"He really is sweet" Winter chuckled to her sister before withdrawing a credit card "Take this"  
"What is it?" Weiss asked  
"I can set you up a relatively small monthly allowance and grant you access to SDC resources through my own accounts, do not get caught and do not bleed me dry Weiss. The Military covers most of expenses but I would like to have some money left to show for my work"  
"Thank you so much Winter" Weiss gasped pulling her into a tight hug  
"Father might not like your choices but he can't argue with results, the people around you seem to be good for you. Just make sure to put a show on in the tournament tomorrow" Weiss gave her a bright smile  
"Aye Captain Schnee"

 **Authors Notes:**

Nothing to mention so let's summarise:  
Did I overdo it with Pyrrha apologising? The idea of her clocking Gangrel as he tried to teleport was too good to pass up.  
Team RWBY V Team SSSN confirmed for the first round in a departure from canon, Round One is going to take up three chapters and I have something special planned for the RWBY/SSSN match.  
" _Pray to Mecha"_ shirt for Ruby, need I say more.  
Jaunes' sisters are pretty cool, I mentioned there weapons back in Vol.1 just watering some of the seeds I've been planting, also a reminder that his oldest sister trained Team GRAP the way they train Team RWBY.  
His Dad is a dick who plays favourites with his kids simple as that; might explain why Jaune is the way he is.  
German as Atlesian because I haven't done it for a while, Winters' ship is called the Schweigen (Silence) and was described as a Kralle (Talon) class.  
Winter takes no shit from anyone and yes the sexual tension between her and Qrow is extreme….also yes I quoted Pirates of the Caribbean.  
Mercury is having cold feet and now Winter knows about him and Emerald as well.  
 _EVERYTHING_ about the scene with Qrow in the dorm.  
Ominous warnings about Raven are ominous.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter:  
Squish and Neon work because they're the same kind of crazy  
Adam isn't just getting edgier he's getting crazier remember that his Semblance is based off of his emotional state, the more angry or desperate he gets easier it becomes to use. Adam Taurus is weaponised crazy….I do have an idea for a scene later on in the story that's creepier than speaking in haiku by a long shot though  
I'm not sure if I'm going to ship Velvet with anyone for the duration of the story, I imagine she has some of the same issues that Blake did at first.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	41. 41: Start The Show

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 41: Start The Show**

Lessons had ended early that Friday, all Hunter teams competing on the first day of the tournament had been flown to the stadium ahead of the crowds for a final repetition of the rules of the tournament and regulation drug test, Velvet sat in the team her changing room her team had been allocated prior to the match Coco was sat next to her fidgeting nervously with her beret while checking over her weapon while Fox and Yatsuhashi changed in the opposite side of the room a row of lockers hiding them from view, the tense silence eventually broken by the sound of a scroll vibrating the Faunus answered the video call  
"Hey honey" her father said with a broad grin as he came into view  
"Hey Dad" she breathed out forcing a weak grin onto her face  
"Is that Velvet" the voice of her little brother could be heard in the background, soon after he came into view  
"Hey Flax, Cocos' here as well"  
"H-hey Coco, erm g-good luck….Not that you'll need it right" the younger Faunus stammered oblivious to his fathers' wry smile  
"We'll take as much luck as we can get" Velvet said  
"Rubbish" her father laughed "You're more than capable, go out there and do your best. I'm just sorry we couldn't get tickets, we'll be watching from home"  
"It's okay Dad"  
"Go get 'em" he said beaming proudly Velvet collapsed the scroll before throwing it in her locker turning to Coco  
"I was expecting Flax to have a smart-ass pep talk for me I suppose he couldn't think straight after he thought about you getting changed" she smirked at her team leader "I needed that though"  
"Yeah it helped, my parents are in the crowd somewhere but I haven't spoken to them yet" Coco sighed as she rose from the bench and began pacing  
"Coco" Velvet hissed sternly "Relax, we've faced tougher than anything these guys can throw at us" the Faunus rose to her feet and wrapped an arm around her shoulders  
"I know" Coco said with a grin "I just can't shake these nerves, I really don't want to fuck this up" she returned the hug pulling the Faunus closer, Velvet barely had time to register how close their faces were before Cocos' lips met hers, she placed a hand on Cocos' hip to steady herself which she took as an invitation to continue her hands cupping Velvets' cheeks before the Faunus eventually pulled away, her expression shocked  
"Coco what are you doing?" she whispered  
"Sorry" the fashionista mumbled unable to meet her eyes "I totally misread that didn't I"  
"You just….You just kissed me, out of nowhere"  
"Sorry" Coco repeated "I've just been thinking about you a lot with everything that's happened lately….especially those great legs of yours" she added with a small chuckle  
"Coco, I've never thought about you that way" Velvet said dumbstruck  
"Oh, right….It's okay" Velvet cut her off by pulling her into another hug  
"Hey, I didn't say I'm opposed to the idea it just shocked me, like a hell of a lot. We'll talk about this when we're finished" the sound of a throat clearing behind them caused them both to whirl round to see Fox facing away from them as if averting his eyes despite his blindness  
"We know you can't see us Fox, besides we're dressed" Coco pointed out softly  
"I know" he shrugged "I wasn't born blind though and it's habit. It's time to go so as much as what I think I just walked in on makes me smile we don't need anxious Coco with a crush, we need our Team Leader" Coco grinned and made for the entrance to the arena patting Fox on the shoulder as she passed him, Yatsuhashi and Velvet falling in behind her  
"No problem tough mother-fucker Coco it is, Team CFVY let's go kick some ass"

Professor Port looked down at the arena from the commentators box Sky-Reach Stadium already packed to capacity he stroked his moustache and a broad smile crept across his face as he took in the cacophony below as the autumn sun set in the sky and the floodlights lit the airborne Colosseum, the sound of a door behind him alerted him to the sound of his co-host arriving  
"Well Barty I can't speak for you but I for one am positively itching to get this under way"  
"Quite" Oobleck nodded as he made his way next to his old friend "All the academies seem to have brought their 'A game' I believe is what the kids are calling it"  
"But none more so than our students eh?" Port elbowed him the ribs jokingly "This first bout is one I am personally eager to see"  
"As am I" Oobleck agreed taking a swig of his coffee "I had the pleasure of meeting Miss Atlan over the summer, an archaeological site I visited over the summer was close to her village, she assisted some of the local hunters in clearing the area"  
"Pah!" Port exclaimed "That's hardly adequate training for a tussle with the local team though is it, I will personally vouch for Team CFVY in fact I'm willing to make a little wager on it if you're willing"  
"I would never bet against a team I've helped teach myself"  
"CAW!" Port and Oobleck both turned to see a large bird pecking at the window of the box after a moment of confusion Port let out a bellowing laugh before opening the window allowing the bird in  
"Peter you crazy old bastard!" Qrow exclaimed as he reverted to his own body Port pulling pulling him into a bear hug  
"Qrow you insufferable drunkard!" he retorted slapping him on the back  
"It's been too long old friend" Oobleck greeted him  
"Yeah it has" Qrow chuckled slurring slightly "I see you're back to drinking coffee, I'd give you some of the good stuff but I've...misplaced my flask"  
"Qrow Branwen without a drink! And with that Boarbatusks' everywhere grew wings" Port interjected before handing him a bottle of whiskey  
"Peter is it wise to let him drink?"  
"Is it wise to try and stop him?"  
"I can hear you both" Qrow chuckled  
"So perhaps I can interest you in the wager that Barty wouldn't take?" Port asked waggling his eyebrows  
"I'm listening"  
"Team CFVY from Beacon have served beyond the front lines alongside myself, Peter here implied that the team from Mistral may be a match for them"  
"That's hardly even a contest is it" Qrow said with a shake of the head "I'll make a better offer, I'll wager my best bottle of vintage on Team RWBY against all comers"  
"I've served with those girls" Oobleck said with a grin, Port chuckled  
"You're _best_ you say?"  
"Gentlemen" Oobleck sighed "Let's begin"

"LADIES AND GENTLEMEN!" Velvet grinned as the familiar voice of Professor Port boomed throughout the stadium "Welcome! To the fortieth biennial Vytal Tournament! Welcome to Vale! Welcome to Sky-Reach and welcome to the greatest show on remnant!" the uproar that followed his words was deafening, glancing around she could see signs being waved supporting the two teams currently stood in the arena, several Vale natives that knew of Team CFVYs involvement in defending the kingdom had started the slogan _"Breach 'Em!"  
_ "Let's clarify the rules for those unfamiliar with how us Hunters do things shall we" Ooblecks' voice rang out "Matches end when every representative of a team has had their Aura drop into the red or has been removed from the arena. The first round of the tournament is a full team match, the winning team will select two members to continue on to the next round"  
"Or gets beaten so bad they start crying and get laughed out of the stadium" a slurring drunken voice sounded getting a chorus of laughs from the Audience, not quite covering the sound of the microphone being wrestled from someone's grasp  
"So without further ado" Oobleck continued "Port would you care to introduce our first competitors"  
"Travelling all the way from Mistral, representing the Haven Academy we have the second years; Nadir Shiko, Reese Chloris, Bolin Hori and their leader Arslan Atlan, give a warm Vale welcome to Team ABRN!" cheers and applause filled the stadium, Arslan could be seen giving a small smile from the opposite end of the concrete circle in the centre of the arena as Reese Chloris made a show of bowing and blowing kisses to the crowd, several of people in the front row held up signs proclaiming their undying love for the skater girl as the noise died down Port continued  
"And make some noise for Vales' very own Yatsuhashi Daichi, Velvet Scarlatina, Fox Alistair and their leader Coco Adel, Beacon Academy second years Team CFVY!" the crowd went wild wordless screams and cheers eventually giving way to a single unified chant  
"Coffee! Coffee! Coffee!"  
"Your audience adores you" Reese Chloris called over to them "Are you not going to play up to them?"  
"Oh don't worry we'll put a show on" Coco chuckled  
"Now that's fighting talk, I like this one!" the skater laughed  
"Fight well" Arslan said with a smile and a nod as the arena began to take shape around them  
"And on Team ABRNs side of the field we have open meadows" Oobleck called out "Followed by sand dunes on Team CFVYs"  
"No terrain makes this fun" Coco said with a grin  
"Let's get this party started!" the drunk voice cheered into the microphone  
"Indeed" Port huffed "Three, two, one, begin!" Arslan moved almost too fast to see Velvet instinctively leaping to the side as the dagger flew past her head before being retracted on its' rope vanishing into the Mistrali fighters' sleeve as she assumed a stance  
"Fox Velvet take her out!" Coco ordered seeing Reese and Nadir move to flank them she called to Yatsuhashi "Deal with the one with the sword" the giant nodded crouching and placing his palm to the ground as he drew his sword the concussive force of his Semblance propelling him forwards their swords meeting with a deafening clang in a single move Coco unleashed a spinning kick to Bolin's jaw sending him back and deployed her weapon opening fire at Reese who had leapt on to her hover board, shots causing the protective dome of the shield to ripple as the skater stayed just ahead of the barrage.

Velvet hit the floor with a thud, the butterfly kick she had aimed at her opponents face being avoided and her feet swept from under her as she landed, Arslan followed this up with a heel kick to Fox's chest sending him staggering back  
"That Arslan just made two Beacon students look like punks, I'm begrudgingly impressed" the drunk voice announced to a slew of jeers and boos from the locals in the crowd  
"He's not wrong" Fox hissed pulling himself to his feet, focusing once again and tuning out the sound of the crowd and focusing on Arslan's heat signature before rushing in and slashing at her cheek with his right blade she responding by leaping onto the offending weapon to throw him off balance somersaulting back off and planting both feet between his shoulder blades delivering a brutal palm strike to a newly recovered Velvet's chin as she rose to her feet.

Coco realised quickly she'd been outmanoeuvred, Reese and Bolin remained on opposite sides of her the skater taking shots at her from a distance having converted her board to its' twin pistol state every time she returned fire Bolin used it as a chance to close the distance, his staff had already broken her new designer sunglasses, something she assured herself he would pay for as she ducked under his latest attack before bringing the barrel of Satani Arbor up into his gut sending him back clutching his side before she could level the mini-Gun at him pain erupted in her shoulder as Reese struck again, quickly glancing around the arena she saw that Yatsuhashi and Nadir were evenly matched Velvet and Fox were loosing a hand to hand fight with Arslan  
"Velvet!" she called over narrowly dodging another attack from Bolin "Time to show off what you can do! Fox I need a hand over here"

Yatsuhashi twisted to the side the slash from Nadir he had just parried being a ruse, his opponents' sword collapsed and became an assault rifle which was immediately discharged, sparks flew as the shots ricocheted off of his armour forcing the giant back against the edge of the arena  
"It's been interesting" Nadir said with a grin  
"It certainly has" he shot back matching his opponents' smile and he triggered his Semblance, the shock wave from his palm flinging forwards toward Nadir whom he proceeded knee squarely in the chest Nadir returned _'_ _Hydro_ _ynastes Gigas'_ to its' sword form a fraction of a second too late Yatsuhashi connected with a firm strike to the face sending the Mistrali spinning before his legs were taken from under him, the gentle giant then proceeded to sink Liequan into the ground and stand over Nadir before unleashing his Semblance in full force, the shock-wave sending waves of sand from the point of impact  
"NOW THAT'S MORE LIKE IT!" The drunk commentator cheered "That Big Guy has got some tricks up his sleeve that's what bein-" the rant being cut short as Oobleck wrested control of the microphone  
"Nadir Shiko is knocked into the red by Yatsuhashi Daichi and it seems Fox Alistair is changing approaches"

"Your leader said you had some surprises" Arslan noted as she and velvet circled each other  
"Come and find out" Velvet said smiling sweetly as she prepared her weapon Arslan charged her leaping into the air with a flying kick which the Faunus rolled under creating a copy of Yatsuhashis' sword as she did so and swung wildly as she returned to her feet catching Arslan by surprise  
her second strike however was anticipated, Arslan using her rope-dagger to ensnare the Faunus' wrist, Velvet grinned as the replica of Liequan faded from view to be replaced by copies of Foxs' blades Hunger and Thirst, grabbing the rope around her right arm and severing it with her left blade Velvet went on the offensive  
"SWEET OUM THAT IS THE COOLEST WEAPON I'VE EVER SEEN!" the drunken voice gushed  
"That was definitely surprising" Arslan growled as she caught both the blades attached to Velvets' wrists midway through a downward slash "But not unbeatable" the Faunus merely winked before causing the blades to vanish, Arslan staggered forwards as her balance was shifted Velvet brought her knee up to meet her opponents face sending her reeling back when Arslan recovered she was staring into the barrels of a translucent blue mini-gun.

Fox rushed Bolin from behind as soon as he heard Coco call for assistance leaping and crouching mid-air, his blades hooking over his victims' staff as he performed a two footed drop kick, the staff was pulled backwards connecting with its' owners throat as the pair of them collapsed on the floor  
"Now that was just nasty, I like it!" Fox silently wondered who the drunk announcer was as he sprung back to his feet as his opponent did the same not bothering with words and lunging at Fox who deftly leapt over the attack delivering a downward slash as he did so, Bolin rolled off of the blow swinging his staff low to the ground Fox cartwheeled as he landed avoiding the attack  
"Arslan Atlan is knocked into the red by Velvet Scarlatina"  
"What the fuck?" Bolin spat glancing over his shoulder at the scoreboard, a mistake Fox capitalised on lunging forwards and tackling him to the ground before unleashing a ferocious maelstrom of punches at his opponents face

"And Bolin Hori is beautifully beaten senseless and knocked into the red by Fox Alistair" The slurring announcer cackled "Only one of Team ABRN left now but she looks like she's got some spirit" Coco watched Reese's expression morph from mocking to confused to stunned then determined as she saw all four members of Team CFVY advance on her in a semicircle  
"I'll tell ya what" Coco said with a grin "Pick one of us and we can settle it up one on one, at least go with your pride intact" Reese gave them a devilish smile and wink before rejoining her pistols and running towards the edge of the arena, leaping from the edge she landed on her board and used the gravity dust contained within to surf alongside the inside surface of the protective shield around the arena from an inverted position above her opponents she then returned 'Dyrdek Hawk' to it's pistol mode and rained shots down on Team CFVY, until Yatsuhashi caught her with a blast of his Semblance which threw her clean across the arena  
"And Yatsuhashi beats Reese Chloris by ring out meaning that the match goes to Team CFVY" Port called out "Ladies and gentlemen that is how you set the bar high, I commend both teams and wish the rest of our competitors the best of luck in following up that performance"  
"I can't believe we just won like that" Coco breathed as she slung an arm around Fox and Velvet's shoulders  
"Why not?" Fox asked with a snigger "You told us to kick some ass, consider it kicked" Team CFVY made their way out of the arena to the sound of thousands of people chanting their name while Reese Chloris tried her best to whip them into an even greater frenzy telling them to 'scream like they mean it' before being dragged away by the rest of her own team

Mercury let out a low whistle as he watched Team CFVY take the first victory of the tournament  
"I would not want to go up against them" he said idly Emerald removing her head from his shoulder  
"Really?" she asked with a grin "I'd love to fight them"  
"What on Remnant would make you want to go against someone who copy any weapon they see?" he asked baffled  
"The thought of how hot it would get me" she smirked as her hand trailed up his thigh  
"Emerald please don't do this to me now" seeing her mocking pout he leaned down and kissed her "You know our match is in a few hours, we'll kick the others out tonight though"  
"Looking forward to it" she said with a smirk and a wink, Mercury was momentarily distracted by someone with White hair and piercing blue eye staring at him intently holding the unknown persons' gaze for a moment her turned his attention back to Emerald  
"Hey I skipped lunch I don't feel like breaking heads on an empty stomach want me to get you anything from the stands?"  
"Cotton candy and every wallet you can grab" his partner said "Go on it's JNPR versus BRNZ next we both know how that'll end so you're not missing anything….I still can't believe I rescued you from Nikos"  
"Keep teasing Em I'll start teasing back" Mercury shot over his shoulder as he left  
"Is that a promise babe?" she called after him he chuckled at the flirting all the way out of the stadium before heading down a corridor marked 'staff only' and waiting eventually he stopped hearing another set of footsteps  
"Thought I caught you staring" he said turning around slowly "Sorry but I am in a committed relation-" he was caught off by a punch in the gut from someone who could move faster than he could track collapsing to the floor he caught sight of something white and glowing vanish through watery eyes before being flung against a wall and feeling a needle press into him; the effects taking hold almost instantly the last thing Mercury saw was a white uniform with marking displaying military ranking.

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
So, the locker room scene was a thing, I'm still not sure if this story will actually end up featuring Cross-Hares in the end I had to acknowledge it though as one of the great many people that ship them so hard it hurts.  
I'm saying that the Vytal festival is every two years, it's the fortieth tournament and eighty years after the great war, it works and explains why Team CFVY or GRAP didn't compete last year.  
Letting Qrow join the announcers may just be the single greatest change to canon I've made.  
#Breach 'Em signs in the crowd, you know you wish you thought of it.  
Team ABRN are second years in this because I stated back in Chapter 01 that the visiting schools only tend to send their most promising students.  
Reese Chloris is charisma incarnate, she is best girl and I will fight you all.  
Nadirs' weapon the sword/automatic rifle is named _Hydro_ _ynastes Gigas'_ after the false water Cobra, Reese board/Pistols are called _The Dyrdek Hawk_ after Rob Dyrdek and Tony Hawk  
I imagine fighting Fox in close quarters is like fighting Neo on bath salts, he's fast he fights dirty and he's grabby.  
As for Mercury, come on it's not really a cliff hanger is it.  
As for the rest of the matches I might show what happens in JNPR versus BRNZ, a few other matches will get mentioned in passing but CFVY RWBY AND GRAPs' matches are the ones I want to focus on I have plans for the remaining two.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	42. 42: Intermission

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 42: Intermission**

"All the way from Vaccuo, first year students of the Shade academy we have May Zedong, Nolan Porfirio, Roy Stallion and their leader Brawnz Ni make some noise for Team BRNZ!" Professor Ports' voice boomed throughout the floating Colosseum, Brawnz and May having particularly vocal fans in the crowd the leader gleefully playing up to the crowd while May blushed and pulled her beanie hat a little lower over her face  
"Nothing compared to the welcome that you'll get of course" Roy called over to Team JNPR, Pyrrha in particular  
"And now" the professor called out "Their opponents, a team who should need no introduction first year students of the Beacon academy of Vale we have Lie Ren, Nora Valkyrie, Pyrrha Nikos and their leader Jaune Arc" the cheers reached a fever pitch at Pyrrhas name Jaune chuckling as his own name could barely be heard over the sound of Pyrrhas' fan base  
"That poor Arc kid must feel a little emasculated right now!" the third announcer laughed, drunkenly slurring his words  
"Sorry" Pyrrha whispered as she squeezed his hand  
"Don't be be" Jaune shrugged "You earned your reputation and your fans….besides we're still gonna win"  
"Damn right we are!" Nora laughed as she cracked her knuckles while bouncing on the balls of her feet; the stadium began to form itself behind the teams  
"On team BRNZ side of the field we have a forest" Oobleck announced  
"Perfect" May said with a small grin  
"And on the Team JNPR side of the field we have mountains. Three, two, one, begin!" Jaune barely had time to react as Brawnz and Roy both targeted him simultaneously, Jaune brought his shield up to deflect the saw blades Roy had fired at him, Brawnz leaping into the air and using the surface of the shield to vault towards Ren deploying his claws as he landed, Ren sidestepped and drew the Storm-flowers, the two of them circling each other as they sized each other up; Jaune was impressed by the co-ordination of the attack and decided to respond with one of his own when pain erupted in his shoulder and he was flung back  
"Well there's no points for being honourable so camping is a perfectly valid strategy" the drunk announcer drawled as Jaune picked himself back up and saw that Nora was facing off against Nolan who was avoiding her hammer blows remarkably well, Ren and Brawnz locked in combat and Roy was doing his best to match blows with Pyrrha scanning the tree line he finally caught sight of a flash of red, May's jacket  
"Pyrrha, Arkos Artillery!" he called rushing forwards, she silently nodded as deflected another attack from Roy's saw blades before disengaging and ducking behind Jaune, removing Akuo from her arm before converting Milo to its' rifle from and kneeling in a firing position on the shield which her Semblance then allowed to hover in mid-air, Jaunes' shield took the brunt of Roy and May's attacks while Pyrrha returned fire over his shoulder as the pair advanced slowly forcing Roy back towards the tree-line.

Ren grinned as he heard the slurring maniac who had taken up residence in the announcers box shout something about Jaune and Pyrrha being his new go to example for teamwork as he leaned back allowing a spinning back kick from Brawnz to sail over his head, his opponent sacrificed form and momentum in favour of surprise to throw a knee strike under Ren's guard with the same leg  
"This is more fun when there's some trash talk" the tanned hunter noted as he ducked and rolled under two slashes that Ren threw in response before the two of them began to circle each other again  
"Then you probably should have duelled with my partner instead" he said with a small smile  
"What, hammer girl?" Nolan said aghast "Hell no, there are some kinds of crazy that I am just not willing to deal with, I bet she's fun in the sheets though right? She looks like she can go for hours" Ren's smile vanished as he removed the safeties from his weapons  
"That" he hissed "Was the worst possible mistake you could have made"

Nolan frantically rolled aside to avoid the latest attack from the crazed ginger, her hammer impacted against the ground where he had previously been discharging several explosive rounds and leaving pink smoke billowing from the crater it created, scrabbling to his feet he saw Nora advancing on him once again twirling Magnhild in one hand as if it weighed nothing a look pure of childlike glee plastered across her face  
"What the fuck is wrong with you?" he gasped as he readied his weapon, electricity arcing across its' surface  
"I had coffee and pancakes this morning" Nora explained to him before charging again as Nolan leapt to the side the drunken announcer could be heard stealing the microphone once again  
"OH FOR OUM'S SAKE ARE YOU A HUNTER OR A WACK-A-GRIMM, I'M FROM VALE AND EVEN I'M STARTING TO FEEL SORRY FOR YOU!" snarling in frustration he charged forwards and attempted to tackle his opponent, stunned when Nora simply threw her weapon to the floor and held her ground trying to use the situation to his advantage he swung his baton managing to land a blow firmly between her shoulder blades before discharging the stored electricity; it did not have the desired effect  
"Oh fuck yes right there I love it!" Nora exclaimed with a startlingly erotic groan  
"And it looks like Porfirio has fallen prey to her Semblance!" Oobleck exclaimed, Nolan didn't have chance to figure out what the announcer meant before he was hoisted into the air one handed Nora's grip tightening around his throat, desperately he swung his baton at the side of her head several times before he realised his mistake, every time the weapon connected the electricity seemed to dance across her skin and her turquoise eyes seemed to glow a little brighter  
"Oh fu-" he was cut off by Nora delivering a brutal head-butt to the bridge of his nose as she released him from her grasp, following up with a supercharged haymaker that sent her victim bouncing across the stadium floor as she reached for Magnhild, converting the weapon to its' grenade launcher form and firing  
"Nolan Porfirio is knocked into the red by Nora Valkyrie"  
"I'm queen of the castle!" she exclaimed in a singsong voice before shifting her weapon back to hammer mode and going to see what Ren was up to.

Jaune was weathering the barrage of hits from Roy and May while Pyrrha unloaded into Roy, the sniper kept moving from tree to tree making her harder to target but he wasn't sure how much longer his Aura would hold out  
"Pyrrha we can take Roy out from here but I'm open to suggestions for dealing with the sniper"  
"The next time Roy fires his saws let one of them through"  
"What?"  
"Do you trust me Jaune?" Pyrrha asked  
"With my life" he answered instantly  
"Now!" she exclaimed seeing the blades fly towards them, the first being deflected by her partners shield the second skimming his hair as he crouched low, Pyrrha leapt from her own shield, hands' wreathed in the darkness of her Semblance as she caught the projectile and magnetized it before hurling it into the trees sawing straight through May Zedong's current position forcing her to leap to the ground as the tree trunk was severed  
"Incoming!" Jaune called as he raised his shield, Roy had gone on the attack, the Vaccuan student managed to leap and run up the surface of Jaunes' shield somersaulting over him before delivering a devastating kick to the back of the head  
"OKAY THAT'S ONE OF MY MOVES, WHO TAUGHT HIM THAT?" the drunk voice slurred angrily, Roy barely had time to scoff indignantly before being forced onto the defensive by Pyrrha, her shield discarded and sword in hand she unleashed a furious series of slashes to his face and chest before extending Milo out into its' spear form in a manoeuvre that would have pierced the lungs of anyone without Aura sending her opponent crashing to the floor  
"And Roy Stallion is knocked into the red by Pyrrha Nikos" Oobleck announced  
"That was awesome!" Jaune laughed as he staggered to his feet rubbing the back of his head before a shot rang out blasting him back to the ground clutching his temple  
"BOOM HEADSHOT!" the drunk announcer cackled  
"Indeed" Port sighed sounding as though he was trying not to laugh at his companions antics "Jaune Arc is knocked into the red by May Zedong"  
"Equivalent exchange" Roy snickered from the floor as Pyrrha ran towards her shield for cover.

"It was just a joke man, Oum don't you like jokes or something?" Nolan cried nervously while ducking behind another rock formation as Ren opened yet fire again, since his comments about his opponents partner Nolan had been reduced to taking cover and trying to wait it out, Ren had to run out of ammunition eventually  
"What, got nothing to add? One line of banter in the whole match? Nolan called out, hearing nothing from the stoic Hunter taking the lack of gunfire to mean that Ren was finally spent he leapt out from his hiding place only to receive a heel kick to the jaw which Ren followed through by crouching low and landing a solid punch on his opponents knee buckling his leg and taking him to the ground  
"One thing to add" his voice was low and menacing "Ever talk about Nora like that again, I break your legs" Nolan snarled and raked his claws across Ren's face sending him staggering back as he leapt back to his feet, seeing Ren rubbing his eyes temporarily blinded he charged forwards and leapt into the air to deliver a finishing blow  
"NORA SMASH!" in mid-air there was nowhere to go as Nora charged him and swung her hammer sending him sailing across the arena, the drunk announcer cackled wordlessly for several moments before the microphone was wrestled from his grip  
"And Brawnz Ni is knocked into the red and out of the arena by Nora Valkyrie" Professor Oobleck said with the hint of a smirk in his voice  
"But May Zedong has Pyrrha Nikos seemingly pinned" Port added.

May had returned to the trees nobody in their right mind took the fight to Pyrrha Nikos and expected to win, but now she was the last member of her team on the field and she could see the other two remaining members of Team JNPR moving to assist the prizefighter, frowning she lined up a shot and fired at the one with the pistols catching him squarely in the chest the impact sending him to the ground but not out of the fight as she turned her attention back to Nikos, peering through the scope she saw Pyrrha call something out to the girl with the hammer reading her lips she could make out the words 'Love and War' but had no idea what that meant; until she saw Nora flip her hammer backwards as she neared Pyrrha who leapt into the air, right as the back of the hammer-head made contact with the prizefighter's feet Nora discharged the explosives in the head sending a vengeful Pyrrha rocketing into the trees, May barely had chance to react before she was kicked in the face.

Adam waited as the scroll rang, eventually the video call was answered  
"Sweet fucking Oum what happened to your face?"  
"Not your concern Cheshire" he growled out "Where's Roman"  
"Most of the inmates are watching the tournament, most of the guards as well; he says he wants to watch the people that put him in here so he doesn't get caught out next time, as if he'll get another chance" the Tiger-Faunus snorted  
"How are preparations proceeding?" the Bull-Faunus asked only to be greeted by an evil grin  
"We've got the guards routine, shift changes and protocols for responding to emergencies completely worked out. We've got the access codes for lock-up where they keep the prisoners belongings, including weapons. All we need now is a way to get these damn collars off" Adam nodded slowly before answering  
"You've done well Cheshire, very well. What of Roman's freighter? We managed to retrieve the Dust from it via Bull-Head but we don't know where he currently has it anchored"  
"He co-operated" Cheshire sighed "It took a lot of patience, racist abuse and innuendos I would rather have cut his tongue out for but I know where it is, when you give the signal every White Fang member is this prison is getting sprung, it'll be good to be home"  
"You'll know the signal when you see it, we're giving you the biggest distraction Vale will ever see" Adam chuckled darkly "But you won't be going home"  
"What!"  
"I want you to take the freighter and bring our people to Lower Atlas, I'm returning home for a while after this mission and I want someone capable working alongside me"  
"You think Roman is just going to let us hop on his boat?" Cheshire asked incredulously  
"I think that Roman Torchwick is only relevant in Vale and Vale is about to become irrelevant, you were only instructed to keep him out of harms way while he was in prison….I trust you understand my meaning" Cheshire's smile took on an even more menacing edge  
"Thank you commander Taurus" she laughed "You have no idea how badly I wanted to hear that"

Mercury groggily rose his head as he regained consciousness, immediately aware of the fact that all of his limbs were shackled to the chair he was in and that he had an Aura dampening collar around his neck  
"I think he's waking up" a feminine voice behind him noted dispassionately  
"Let's make sure" a gravelly and vaguely familiar voice chuckled before something pressed against his side and he found his body convulsing with spasms of pain  
"Was that strictly necessary?" the first speaker asked as she came into view, seating herself opposite him across the desk that Mercury now noticed was in front of him, white hair blue eyes and an Atlesian military uniform, the woman who knocked him out  
"No but you can't give me a Military Police issue taser and not expect me to use it, I've only ever been on the receiving end before" the second voice smirked, the owner of the voice coming into view  
"Slate" Mercury noted feigning boredom, the Bear-Faunus merely laughed  
"He's trying to do the whole 'this doesn't bother me' routine, let me light him up again" seeing Mercury's eyes widen a fraction Gangrel laughed "Yeah I've been grabbed before I know the drill"  
"You're not the only one" he sneered "So which one of you is supposed to be the good cop" the Bear-Faunus gave a resounding laugh at that before rising from his seat, striding back around the desk and punching Mercury several times in the face  
"There are no good cops in Atlas" he chuckled as he surveyed his handiwork, blood trickled from Mercury's nose lips and left eyebrow  
"Can we please get to the point here" the woman, a Specialist Mercury deduced from the marking on her uniform asked "You are Mercury Black, son and suspected murderer of formerly wanted mercenary and killer for hire Marcus Black, examination of the paperwork you presented to Haven academy has proven it to be fake, I could already have you locked away for a very long time Mister Black"  
"Then do it" Mercury said bluntly only to receive another punch in the face from Gangrel  
"You gonna keep letting this son of a bitch hit me?"  
"It was one of the things he insisted on" the specialist answered with a small shrug "He seems convinced that you and a Miss Sustrai were involved in the death of one Logan Tukson"  
"How about we drop this whole circus act and you tell me what you want so I can tell you to go fuck yourself" Gangrel raised his fist again  
"Wait" the specialist said firmly "We want your co-operation Mercury, considering that we already know you work for the White Fangs' current business partner and that you were already planning on running it's not really too much to ask in return for certain considerations  
"What the fu-" Mercury started only for the specialist to cut him off  
"We know that you contacted your uncle Matthias to arrange a safe house" she said holding up his scroll "Suffice to say that the safe house is no longer a viable option for you and your uncle is no longer a free man. Now it seems that you've had your fill of whatever this conspiracy is, somewhat of a recurring theme among participants at this point, all I am asking for is the name of the business partner and any details you can provide"  
"I'm a hired gun, you think I know anything important?" Mercury laughed  
"Well if you don't you're no use to her, I can use you as a punch bag while she grabs Emerald" Gangrel growled causing Mercury to strain against his shackles to no avail  
"You don't fucking touch her!" he shouted, blood pounding in his ears as he struggled to get free  
"Then start talking" Gangrel growled  
"I assume" the specialist said slowly "That the cybernetic legs that don't appear anywhere on your falsified records were to play some part in this" Mercury stopped struggling forcing himself to try and think about the situation logically  
"What if they were?"  
"I'm just throwing ideas out there, they're obviously important to you or you wouldn't keep them secret" he took a deep breath considering his options  
"What 'considerations' are you willing to make if I talk?" his captor looked thoughtful for a momentarily  
"Protective custody for you and Miss Sustrai"  
"Fuck yourself" Mercury spat "I don't think you understand how big of a threat you're facing here, there is nowhere on Remnant that's safe if a government knows where I am"  
"Gangrel, leave" the specialist asked softly, with an annoyed growl the Bear-Faunus threw one last punch at Mercury's face before stalking out of the room  
"So what would it take to get usable information out of you?" Mercury remained silent for a while before finally answering  
"Fake our deaths"  
"What?"  
"You heard me" he grunted "When the shit hits the fan, which trust me it will and the most you'll be able to do is damage limitation I want mine and Emeralds' names listed in the casualties"  
"Not impossible to do, but I'm yet to be convinced it's worth my time" his captor said simply, Mercury seethed  
"Fine fuck it I'll give you something to work with, my part of the plan was to make into the finals and kill my opponent, I was told it would probably be Nikos or one of the older students" the specialist looked stunned before she forced her expression back to a neutral mask  
"To what end?"  
"The whole of Remnant will be watching, the breach was never meant to happen. The plan was to cause it at the same time as I killed my opponent, the mass hysteria would attract Grimm from the outside while you have them coming up from the breach"  
"Causing the defences on the walls to be overrun as the Hunters pulled back into the city, the destruction of the sentry guns would lead to airborne Grimm being able to flock in Vale in force and bog down our fleet" the specialist surmised  
"Pretty much" he nodded  
"And what of Miss Sustrai?"  
"I don't know her role, she doesn't know mine and if you touch her my co-operation ends I'll give the person paying enough warning to change the plans and face the consequences of talking"  
"Very well, I'm willing to agree to your terms. You will go and prepare for your match, you will be being monitored and we will discuss our new arrangement moving forwards after"  
"I expect paying my normal rate for this as well" Mercury growled his captor shook her head  
"You can have two masters but not two pay cheques Mister Black. Before you leave I want the name of the person you're working for"  
"Cinder Fall, she calls herself the avatar of the darkness and the true maiden"

 **Authors Notes:**

So let's summarise  
There are three cardinal rules when dealing with Team JNPR and Team BRNZ broke all of them  
1) Don't touch Jaune in front of Pyrrha  
2) Don't touch Ren in front of Nora  
3) Don't insult Nora in front of Ren  
The whole match was a pleasure for me to write.  
The "Equivalent exchange" line was a Full Metal Alchemist reference because 'Roy Stallion' and 'Roy Mustang' are too damn similar for it too not be intentional.  
More drunk Qrow announcing.  
May Zedong is adorable, I will fight you over this. (Drake187 talking to you here)  
Cheshire Motley, the Tiger Faunus who led the attack on Weiss in Vol.1 and was assigned to be Romans' bodyguard in prison in Vol.2, she's still around and her and Adam have a plan.  
Yeah Mercury started squealing, he's a hired gun not a true believer like Emerald.

Thanks to Drake187 and Air Force Muffin for reviewing the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	43. 43: Make A Scene

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 43: Make A Scene**

"Aren't these the guys that abandoned their post so they could try and join the fight during the breach?" Ruby asked under her breath as Team RWBY marched into the arena to the sound of thunderous applause, their opponents Team SSSN approaching from the opposing side, their leader the monkey Faunus with the open shirt making a spectacle of himself performing several unnecessary back-flips while his blue haired partner shook his head in disdain before catching sight of Weiss  
"Hey snow angel" he said with a wink, the only response he received was a frosty glare  
"Well hello gorgeous" Sun said with a nod towards Blake who gave a small smirk  
"Well blondes are my type" she then squeezed Yangs' hand "But you're not"  
"Well mind if I wat-" his partner silenced him with an elbow to the ribs  
"Ignore him for he knows what he says"  
"He's still getting his ass kicked" Yang said with a feral smile as the applause began to die down  
"And for our next match all the way from Vaccuo, first year students of the Shade Academy we have Neptune Vasilias, Sage Ayana, Scarlet David and their leader Sun Wukong, make some noise for Team SSSN!" cheers erupted throughout the stands at Professor Ports' words, the whole Vaccuan team having devout and vocal followers  
"And their opponents-" Port was cut off as the microphone was wrestled from his grasp  
"We knew this was coming" Yang sighed as Ruby blushed looking as if she wanted the ground to swallow her  
"Their opponents, who will be kicking their collective asses so badly that they leave here with the taste of their own pelvis in their mouths is a team of Beacon first years containing two of my nieces, we have Yang 'The Firecracker' Xiao Long, the only person tough and or crazy enough to be her girlfriend Blake Belladonna, my second favourite member of her ridiculously rich family Weiss Schnee and their leader the child prodigy who used to use my scythe as rattle when she was a baby, Ruby Rose now cheer like you mean it for Team RWBY  
"I cannot believe that dusty old crow just did that to us" Yang said with a mortified shake of the head  
"Firecracker?" Blake asked with a bemused grin  
"You. Heard. Nothing." she shot back, Ruby snickered slightly as the stadium began to form around the teams  
"On the Team SSSN side of the field we have glaciers" Oobleck announced having retrieved the microphone, although he didn't seem to be too bothered by Qrow's antics "And on the Team RWBY side of the field we have a lava field, this promises to be exciting. Three, two, one, begin!"

Emerald had left the stands despite the fact Mercury had yet to return, she had sent him a text message telling him that her and the other two members of their team whose names she still struggled to remember were heading into the changing room and was beginning to worry, Team MELO were facing Team REDD after the current match concluded forcing herself to ignore the nervous thoughts forming in the back of her mind she checked and rechecked the artful dodgers, the mechanisms were in working order, she had more than adequate ammunition and the blades had been sharpened and polished the night before she began to idly twirl one of the weapons while tapping her foot agitatedly when she heard footsteps  
"Finally….What the fuck happened?" her voice dropped to a whisper as she leapt to her feet at the sight of Mercury's bruised and bloody face  
"Hey Em" he said with a smirk and a wink as he handed her a large helping of cotton candy on a stick "The things I do for love" Emerald laughed despite herself as she took a bite of the cotton candy  
"So are you going to tell me what happened?" she asked looking at him expectantly  
"I got punched in the face" he said as if it were obvious  
"I can see that" Emerald ground out "And if you don't stop being a smart-ass it'll happen again"  
"I was against using our real names for this job from the start, I ran into someone related to one of my Dads' jobs, there's enough of a resemblance that they recognised me thankfully it wasn't out in the court-" Mercury found himself cut off by a slap connecting with his face  
"Don't lie to me Merc!" Emeralds' voice was a furious whisper "Don't throw words like love around if you're not even going to trust me"  
"Em it's fine I have it under control"  
"Then tell me what happened!" the hired gun ran his hands through his hair, his conflicting emotions playing out across his face  
"Em if I get out are you coming with me?"  
"What?" she asked taken aback by the question before seeing the look on his face "Y-yeah, yeah I'm coming with you" she didn't sound convincing to herself but Mercury seemed willing to take her words at face value  
"I might have been made, which means this whole thing could be about to go up in smoke and my uncle isn't an option any more"  
"Might have?" she asked tentatively  
"The Atlas Specialist that showed up, she's asking questions….While having me punched in the face"  
"We need to tell Cinder"  
"Are you insane?" Mercury asked, his expression turning fearful "You know what she'd do, I did not sign up for this just to get left face down in a ditch somewhere"  
"I could try and explain things to her"  
"And you'd end up in the ditch right next to me. I've got the situation handled Em, I just need you to trust me" Emerald sighed and nodded  
"Okay fine" his hands found their way to her hips and he pulled her close  
"I don't think the match will last long enough for-" she found herself cut off by a soft kiss on the lips  
"Em if this goes completely wrong and anything happens to me I want you to know that I really do love you….Even if you are all the wrong kinds of crazy" she gave him a playful punch on the shoulder before resting her head on his chest  
"Love you too, even if you're a total jackass" she sighed "Now let's go win this fight, Oum knows the two scrubs we share a dorm with won't be able to do it"

Weiss blocked parried and countered with breathtaking speed as she gradually pushed Scarlet David back towards the glaciers that had formed behind his team, his pistol had already been knocked from his hand and kicked over the side of the arena  
"I'll grant you this much, your technique is flawless but it doesn't excuse your team-mates overconfidence or attitudes" Weiss noted as she managed to deflect a series of slashes, his expression remained neutral but he gave a small nod of acknowledgement as their blades continued to clash against each other  
"They be a pair 'o dogs, yer family may be dishonourable wretches but they should still know better than to insult a lady" Weiss's eyes narrowed at the insult to her family, as he made to slash under her guard she leapt into the air and triggered her Semblance angling the glyph slightly so that she could vault from it and deliver a kick to Scarlet's unprotected face sending him staggering back as she landed and readied herself for the next attack  
"Should have pressed the advantage there Schnee!" Ruby's uncle reprimanded her having once again taken control of the microphone  
"Scurvy wench!" Scarlet spat, hand covering his eye, Weiss realised the heel of her stiletto would have blinded him were it not for his Aura "Ye want to fight with Semblances do ya? Okay come then!" Weiss watched stunned as he passed his cutlass to his left hand, the weapon seemed to blur and fill the space between his hands as it copied itself, Scarlet proceeded to use his Semblance to clone the blade a second time, catching the third sword between his teeth, the weapon didn't seem to inhibit his ability to speak  
"This is my three sword style!" he roared as he charged.

Yang ducked under a wide slash from Sage's oversized sword she'd learned over the course of fight was called _'Buster'_ countering with three rapid left jabs to his ribs, sidestepping his follow up attack and delivering a brutal right hook to his jaw, discharging her gauntlet as the blow landed  
"FALCON PUNCH!" Qrow cackled  
"You know, I think you might be misdirecting some of this aggression" Sage noted as the pair of them circled each other preparing for the next exchange of blows  
"You're not a shrink, you just need to shrink big guy" Yang growled, disappointed that that was the best she could come up with at that moment, the swordsman merely sighed before lunging and thrusting his blade forwards as he released his grip on the weapon sending it sailing across the arena to sink into the rock of the lava field the attack clearly intended to skewer, Yang sidestepped and retaliated with a pair of punches which were promptly caught, Sage grabbing her by the wrists before kicking her hard in the chest  
"OKAY WHAT IN OUM'S NAME IS GOING ON THAT'S ANOTHER ONE OF MY MOVES, AM I JUST PART OF THE CURRICULUM NOW?" Qrow demanded, Yang rose to her feet, head lowered  
"You fought well, but it won't be enough" Sage stated simply, Yang's face became a twisted smile as she advanced on him, raising her head to display her burning red irises as her hair began to shimmer and glow  
"You fool, this isn't even my final form"

Sun Wukong, Blake realised as he once again used his own Semblance to cover his blind spots and counter the ruse of her shadow-clones, was insanely annoying to fight; her latest shadow-clone faded away as his light-clone vanished  
"You know you'd look a lot better without that bow, don't hide what you are" Blake's eyes narrowed  
"You'd look a lot better strung up by your own tail getting used as a punch bag" she spat as she rushed forward sending a shadow-clone to sweep his legs as she leapt into the air aiming her knee at his face; his response was to step back leaving a pair of light-clones in his wake, each of them countering an attack before vanishing she drew Gambol Shroud and opened fire, a light-clone stepped out from his body and took the shots for him before vanishing  
"Feisty" Sun laughed with a smirk and a wink as his entire body began to take on a glowing golden hue  
"Got some tricks other than dodging up your sleeve?" Blake asked, the Monkey Faunus infuriated her and it was hard to maintain sportsman like conduct when dealing with him, Sun rushed at her and launched a series of punches while triggering his Semblance over a dozen pairs of glowing fists impacted against her  
"This is the Hokuto Hyakuretsa-Ken technique, you are already dead Ah-tatatatatata!" Blake was thrown backwards shattering a boulder and landing unceremoniously on the floor as Sun advanced on her drawing his weapon.

Ruby saw Blake go down and made to assist her before finding her legs swept from under her by Neptune  
"DAMN IT RUBY PAY ATTENTION!" Qrow admonished, she sprung back to her feet triggering her Semblance to narrowly avoid the discharge of his weapon, the crackling and arcing electricity impacting with a glacier behind her, a second later Neptune had vanished the steam from the melted glacier seeming to coalesce as his body re-formed his weapon _Urbain Le Verrier_ in it's trident form, Crescent Rose was instantly brought up to counter the attack  
"You can teleport wherever there's water" Ruby realised "So you melted the glacier to use the steam and water vapour….That's pretty clever"  
"I like to think of myself as an intellectual" Neptune replied with a grin "Not many people catch on that fast" with no warning he vanished into mist again, Ruby triggered her Semblance as she shifted Crescent Rose to its' sniper rifle form, seeing the water vapour beginning to take shape to her right she rolled out of the way and opened fire as soon as Neptune became solid enough to hit, his response was a downward thrust of his trident, Ruby focusing herself and allowing the weapon to pass straight through her as she used her phasing ability  
"OKAY RUBY WHO TAUGHT YOU THAT BECAUSE YOU'RE DAD IS GOING TO THROW A FIT" Qrow cheered  
"Your speed lets' you become intangible for a limited time" Neptune noted with an impressed expression "That's pretty clever" Ruby gave him a broad smile  
"You thought you had the coolest Semblance here; It was me Dio!" Neptune barely had chance to look confused before the scythe wielder was on him again.

Weiss was pushing herself to the limit, making sparing use of her time dilation glyphs to avoid some of the blows she couldn't counter from the multitude of swords Scarlet could wield, she managed to disarm him several times to no avail, he was able to replace the weapon instantly. An idea came to Weiss in what she could only describe as a stroke of brilliance, she continued to evade and outmanoeuvre her opponent until she had him with his back towards a large glacier before going on the offensive, Scarlet blocked her downward slash with the sword clamped between his teeth and proceeded to slash with the pair of blades in his hands; Weiss leapt into the air and created a glyph in front of his chest, pinning his arms in place and giving her a surface to flip off of as she launched another glyph, this one flying overhead rotating like a buzz saw as it carved through the glacier at an angle, sending the top half crashing down onto her opponent  
"DESTRUCTO DISK FROM SCHNEE, NOT QUITE ENOUGH TO WIN THE FIGHT BUT SHE KNOWS HOW TO PUT A SHOW ON" Ruby's uncle laughed, Scarlet burst forth from the ice his Aura visible as he charged his Semblance the smell of burning metal filled the air and the slender teen began to utter what sounded like an incantation, clearly he was preparing to pull out all the stops  
"I am the bone of my sword steel is my body fire is my blood, I have created over a thousand blades. Unknown to death, nor known to life, have withstood pain to create many weapons yet those hands will never hold anything. So as I pray….UNLIMITED BLADE WORKS!" Weiss crouched low and took cover behind the strongest glyph she could create as a maelstrom of assorted bladed weapons bombarded her burying themselves in the ice around her.  
"Well damn, Pirate boy can put a show on as well!" Qrow breathed sounding genuinely impressed.

Yang and Sage traded blows, the blonde brawler not relenting for long enough for the larger Hunter to retrieve his sword, Sage had surprised her with an impressively versatile fighting style, mixing aspects of several martial arts together, but was still unable to match the raw power in each of Yang's hits, hence he found himself reeling back from another left jab only to be floored by a right cross  
"Yang Xiao Long seems to have Sage Ayana on the ropes" Professor Port noted  
"A brutal but nonetheless effective approach" Oobleck added  
"That's my girl! Knock 'em dead firecracker!" Qrow cheered, Sage jumped back to his feet and Yang instantly went on the offensive her left hook being caught in the larger Hunter's hand  
"Got any other tricks?"  
"No tricks" Yang smiled as she readied her right hand "Consecutive normal punches"

Blake forced herself back to her feet and readied Gambol Shroud, being forced to deflect shots from Sun's weapons  
"And Sage Ayana is knocked into the red by Yang Xiao Long" Professor Oobleck's voice informed them, Sun instinctively looked over his shoulder to find his team-mate, a mistake that Blake intended to capitalise on. Charging forwards she continued to deflect shots with her blade before sending a shadow-clone charging forwards as she sheathed her sword and stayed low to the ground; as the clone dissipated under the volley of shots tearing through it Blake neared Sun and sprung upwards, knocking his guns from his hands and catching them upside-down as she landed a solid kick on his chest which sent him staggering back towards the edge of the arena, before he could ready his Semblance to take the next assault Blake raised the weapons still upside-down and squeezed the triggers with her pinkie fingers, multiple rounds impacting against his Aura was enough to knock the blonde Faunus over the edge of the arena  
"And Sun Wukong is removed from the arena by Blake Belladonna"

Ruby saw that Weiss was still pinned under the seemingly infinite supply of blades that Scarlet could generate, but Neptune had thus far managed to run interference on any attempt she made to assist her partner, the blue haired Hunter taking huge amounts of Aura damage in the process but seemingly unperturbed by the fact, hearing that Blake and Yang had dealt with their opponents changed things however  
"Yang, Blake! Cover me I need to help Weiss!" the Faunus was the first to respond using shadow-clones to attack Neptune from multiple angles, his response was to activate his Semblance and vanish into the mist once again  
"Got a plan?" Blake asked as Yang arrived  
"Something I saw in an anime, I just need you to keep Neptune off of me while I charge up" Ruby said with a nervous grin  
"Are you insane?" Yang yelled as Neptune reappeared forcing her to defend  
"Normally I'd side with Yang" Blake chimed in as she fired at Neptune only to hit nothing but air "But we don't have any other plans and Weiss can't keep defending like that"  
"Okay" Ruby breathed as she braced herself and began to focus her Semblance, her body blurring and rose petals hovering in the air around her "Ka! Me! Ha! Me!…."

Weiss could see her protective glyphs beginning to flicker and crack under the barrage they were being subjected to and feel the ache setting into her bones from maintaining them for this long, whereas Scarlet's legs were shaking and his breathing was ragged, the fight had become a test of endurance between them but she was not sure if it was one she could win  
"HA!" she barely had chance to register the scream before a crimson blur rocketed into Scarlet, ending his attack as he was hurled from his feet the protective dome shield of the arena rippling and actually sparking in some places from the impact  
"Scarlet David is removed from the ring by Ruby Rose, who also removes herself in the process" Professor Port announced sounding stunned, Weiss dropped her glyph and struggled to her feet readying Myrtenaster in the process as a movement to her side caught her attention, she instinctively parried knocking away the trident that had been aimed at her, Neptune having seemingly appeared from nowhere and in a moment of quick thinking Weiss utilised one of her sister's more underhanded tricks, creating a small glyph in the palm of her hand as she ejected the remaining fire dust from Myrtenaster's cylinder directly onto Neptune and igniting it with a snap of her fingers, the resultant explosion ending the match.

By the time Team RWBY had been discharged by the stadium's on-call medical staff, Yang being the only member of the team to escape the match without injuries or serious Aura strain the last match of the day was well under way, Team MELO had apparently won convincingly, Mercury and Emerald doing most of the work, Team FNKI had beaten Team NDGO the highlight of the match being every member of the all female team slapping Flynt Coal around the face as they left the arena only for him to be slapped by a very angry May Zedong as he retreated back to his locker; his playboy persona had seemingly inevitably caught up with him.  
"Still sorry I missed your match" Ruby sulked, one hand pressing a bag of frozen peas given to her by Qrow to her head, the other hand holding Penny's own, the mechanical girl merely smiled  
"It's okay Ruby, I'm sorry Team CPIA's opponents couldn't make it last longer, Team RWBY and SSSN put on a sensational performance" the smaller girl blushed under the praise earning herself a kiss on the cheek from her girlfriend which only served to make her face flush even deeper  
"Please don't complain the whole way through this match" Weiss sighed, she understood where her partner was coming from but the strain of the match left her with very little patience  
"Weiss is right" Blake yawned, her head resting on Yang's shoulder "Gangrel asked us all to be here, he said it's for Rover's benefit"  
"Do you think he's gonna pull something cool off?" Ruby asked  
"Nah" Yang grinned "Can't teach an old dog new tricks" it was a testament to how bad the pun was that even Penny groaned.

Gangrel fought with a manic smile on his face, the match had been almost routine; Team GRAP were facing Team AXYD, pronounced Acid, a team of second years from Vaccuo the two halves of the stadium having formed a tundra and a ruined city, the combination of snow and steel giving the Atlesian Bear-Faunus a distinct home field advantage, two members of the opposing team already being removed, Demeter Fields by a concerted effort between Artemis and Rover, the feline pinning her down with sniper fire until Rover rushed them at top speed, simply throwing them from the arena; the second, Yale Loch removed by Squish when he lured him into a ruined building and choked him out while invisible before emptying Breaker into his prone form.  
"You know you're not as big and bad as the third year students make you out to be" Gangrel's current opponent, Apricot Stone, noted as she ducked under a slash from the Bear-Faunus before responding her wrist mounted blades doing little against his armour  
"Please, I could have stomped you into the floor easily" Gangrel said with a laugh before stepping back and sheathing Iorek and Iofur "I'm just being sporting, it's the last match of the day and the crowd want a show" his opponent matched his savage grin  
"Then let's give them one" she punctuated her words with an impressively acrobatic kick aimed at his face, Gangrel triggered his Semblance for the fist time in the match reappearing behind her and delivering a brutal haymaker to the back of her head that ate through the last of her Aura and sending her sprawling face first into the snow  
"Apricot Stone is knocked into the red by Gangrel Slate, leaving only Xavier Steel to represent Team AXYD" Gangrel leaned down to help his opponent to her feet  
"And this is an interesting display of showmanship from Slate….And Callow" Oobleck noted as Squish came into view, having been lurking around the edge of the arena prepared to take pot-shots if needed  
"Are you not helping your team-mates?" Apricot asked confused  
"Nah, wouldn't interrupt this for anything" Gangrel smiled "We're giving the crowd a show remember, just sit back and enjoy it" the three Hunters not actively engaged in combat watched the remaining Xavier Steel take to the air in his armoured suit, replete with jet thrusters and missile launchers and launch a salvo at Artemis's position one missile was going to make a direct hit on the feline until a golden streak shot up the vertical wall of the ruined building and leaping towards the missile, Rover redirecting the projectile by hand using the moment that her opponent spent stunned at the Canines actions Artemis aimed and fired again hitting something vital to the jet pack's inner workings and sending Xavier Steel spiralling out of control  
"Xavier Steel is removed from the arena by Artemis Blush, meaning that the last match of the first day of the Vytal Tournament goes to Team GRAP!" Professor Port announced  
"Come on let's hit the showers" Artemis called to her team-mates as she made her way towards the edge of the arena only to be halted by a golden blur, Rover stopping in front of her  
"Artemis" he said nervously as he removed his mask  
"Rover what are you doing?" she gave him a curious look that slowly morphed to one of sheer joy of the canine Faunus dropped to one knee  
"Something that I've been waiting to find the right moment for" he started as he reached into his pocket and produced the small box he had shown Gangrel after the breach, opening it to reveal a diamond ring "Artemis Blush, we've been partners for the last two years I love you more than I can find the words to say I can't imagine what my life would be like without you any more and I have no intention of ever finding out, will you marry me?" the entirety of the audience was silent seemingly waiting with bated breath, Artemis wiped the tears that had been slowly streaming down her face and pulled him to his feet and into an embrace  
"Yes! Of course I'll marry you!" and with those words the crowd erupted into the biggest applause of the night.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay before we start, I watched Vol.4 Episode 02 before writing this, Whitely Schnee gives me the creeps, I get nothing but bad vibes from that kid; as I said on Tumblr he looks like the sort of person who would steal something out of your house and then help you look for it after.

To summarise:  
I don't want to right Sun as an Ass-Hat but at the same time he and Neptune are both flirts and it is pre-match trash talk.  
Qrow introducing Team RWBY had to happen, surely you already knew this.  
Merc and Em, I ship them so hard; also Mercury isn't a coward he's pragmatic, part of being a hired gun is knowing which jobs aren't worth the money and when it's time to cut your losses.  
The Flynt Coal mention was inspired by Drake187 making a joke about RBWY turning into a Harem Anime the second Flynt showed up, hence every time he's been on screen in this fic it's been with a different female minor character.  
The RWBY v SSSN match is my love letter to anime, I did mention in Vol.2 that Blake and Ruby watch anime there were references to: One Piece, F-Zero, Dragon Ball Z, Fist of the North-Star, Jo-Jo's Bizarre Adventure, Fate Stay/Night, One Punch Man, Soul Eater and Full Metal Alchemist. (Also Sage's sword is named Buster as a Final Fantasy reference)

The end of Team GRAP's fight, yes I had that planned since the end of Vol.2, furthermore I'm not crying, you're crying.

Thank you to Drake187 for reviewing the last chapter:  
Merc is on two people's side, his side and Emerald's side.  
I think the story you're thinking of might be "Over the Rainbow" by Valkurion Universe

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	44. 44: Dark Rooms

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 44: Dark Rooms**

"Oh my Oum!" Blake gasped, her eyes misty as she watched the scene below "He just asked her to marry him, in front of the whole stadium right after they were the ones to win the match for their team"  
"We did just see it" Ruby laughed between enthusiastic cheers, Rover had been a mentor to her since she came to Beacon and seeing what would probably be one the happiest days of his life was cause for celebration  
"I know" the Faunus wiped her eyes and gave a watery chuckle "But that is still one of the most romantic things I've ever seen" Yang wrapped an arm around her a bright smile on her face as soon as she made to speak Weiss held up a hand to stop her  
"Please Yang, Blake is a hopeless romantic don't ruin the moment for her with any cat or dog related puns" Yang's grin somehow widened  
"You always assume the worst" she sighed, winking at Blake "This purr-secution is re-pug-nant" it was a sign of how overjoyed Blake was for the older students that she laughed at her partners puns and pulled her into a tight embrace which Yang eagerly returned, as the blonde made to pull away Blake reached and pulled her into a searing kiss the Faunus' fingers curling in her golden locks as Yang cupped her face; the two broke apart for a moment their foreheads touching in  
"Wow" Yang breathed out "So I'm guessing you definitely cry at weddings?"  
"Yang" Blake grinned "I love you but you're an idiot sometimes, just kiss me" she gladly obliged her hands finding her way to her partners' hips as their lips parted  
"Guys" Ruby groaned Blake and Yang turned to see the younger hunter and Penny covering each others eyes while Weiss merely shook her head and laughed softly "Get a room"  
"Ruby you have a girlfriend yourself how does this still bother you?" Yang's irritated rant was cut short as Blake nuzzled into her neck before taking Yang's earlobe between her teeth and gently teasing, eliciting a small gasp  
"It's not a bad idea though" Blake whispered, her tone seductive "Take me home Yang" Blake took the blonde's hands in hers and made to leave, Yang quickly making sense of what was happening and leaving a very flustered Ruby in her wake as she followed Blake out of the stadium.

"GROUP HUG!" Squish called as he followed his team-mates into the dimly lit locker room of Sky-Reach Stadium, wrapping his arms around as close to Rover and Artemis's shoulders as he could reach while they embraced each other, Gangrel trailed in behind them limping slightly, Apricot Stone had landed a few good hits on him over the course of the match  
"Squish you're crazy but for the love of Oum don't ever change" Artemis laughed as she brushed the reptilian off  
"I'm proud of you y'know" Gangrel told his team as removed his armour, throwing the separate pieces in his duffel bag as he had long since stopped using the rocket lockers Beacon provided, seeing his team look at him he explained "I mean Missy you've always been the sane one of us, it still baffles me that you weren't picked to lead but we've all come so far remember in first year how you two were at each others' throats all the time" Rover laughed as he pulled his now fiancé closer  
"Yeah but I knew she was something special even then" Artemis wrapped her arms around his shoulders  
"You're sweet, but I'll admit I thought you were a cocky little jackass who flirted way too much the first time I met you" Gangrel and Squish roared with laughter the smaller Faunus managed to regain control and wheeze  
"Fuck, that Flynt guy is what Rover could have been if he hadn't met you Missy" this sent Gangrel who knew Flynt Coal better than the rest of his team even further into hysterics, Rover held his hands up in defeat  
"I was seventeen and I had an attitude it's why I got on so well with you two, we're all dicks" he motioned towards the other male members of his team "Oh and Flynt Coal wishes he had my technique"  
"Like I said we've come a long way" Gangrel managed to form words once again "I mean come on Perdu Callow is in a committed relationship and actually buckled down and got serious with studying….I don't think I've seen you eat flies recently either" Squish gave his old friend the finger  
"Gang you've come the furthest of any of us" Artemis said gently "In first year you were just a ball of constant aggression that Squish followed around cackling to himself, it's amazing to see the leader you've grown into"  
"I do not cackle" Squish gave a pointed glare at his team-mates who collectively rolled their eyes  
"Seriously though Gang" Rover grinned "When we met you were in the White Fang and pissed off at the fact you couldn't go on jobs for them every weekend while you were at Beacon; now you're dating Weiss Schnee of all people, good for you by the way. Thanks for helping make this happen….But when the time comes, good luck topping that" the canine patted his shoulder and chuckled  
"You knew?" Artemis asked incredulously  
"Of course I knew" Gangrel laughed "How else was Rover going to convince me to take all the hits for him" the feline Faunus pulled her fiancé and leader into a hug  
"We should go out and celebrate" Squish suggested eagerly "If two of our best friends getting hitched isn't a reason to tear Vales' club scene a new one I don't know what is"  
"I'm willing if she is" Rover smiled  
"Let's do it, we haven't had a good party in a while….And it gives me a chance to show off how lucky I am" she used one of Rover's more memorable lines with a sly smile  
"I'll catch up" Gangrel shrugged "I've got to talk to Junior, I've put it off long enough"  
"So we go to his place first then, it's open again right?" Artemis asked  
"Yeah but is it really the place you want to go to celebrate" she merely grinned at the Bear-Faunus  
"Well I hear they've got the best strawberry sunrise in Vale"

The Bull-Head flight from the floating Colosseum back to Beacon while objectively not a long trip felt to the two of them like an eternity Blake had kept Yang's hands in hers the whole journey refusing to let them wander as they kissed, when Yang tried to pin her against a wall in the hallways the Faunus shook her head and told her simply 'not here' by the time they reached the dorm she thought she could take no more. Yang entered the room behind her partner, the Faunus swiftly turning to face her placing one arm on either side of her trapping her as she inserted her key into the door and locked it  
"Blake" Yang started, cut off by her partners lips meeting hers, the blonde brawler responded by grabbing her rear, Blake took Yang's lower lip between her own as she removed her scarf; as the accessory fell to the floor Blake moved her lips to her lovers neck, planting kisses in every spot she knew was sensitive as she grabbed the blondes hips and slipped a leg between her thighs  
"Oh my-" words failed her as she let out a wordless moan of pleasure bucking her hips against Blake while quickly sliding out of her jacket and leaving it in a crumpled heap before cupping the Faunus' cheeks and kissing her passionately, her hands finding their way to her black bow which was soon removed, Yang eliciting a series of barely audible gasps in response to her working of the sensitive ears below before breaking the kiss long enough to remove her vest, she made to help Blake out of her own clothes but was stopped, Blake taking her hand and leading her to the bed, Yang tried to take the initative sitting her lover on the edge of the bunk and straddling her  
"Let me help you with those" she whispered, unbuttoning the black vest her partner wore again she was stopped Blake making her cry out in pleasure as she bit down on her neck while unhooking her bra  
"Yang" Blake breathed softly in her ear as she laid the blonde on the bed "I've wanted this for so long, let me touch you" her words made her lovers breath hitch Blake then proceeded to trail kisses down her neck and collarbone while caressing her exposed breasts before taking a nipple in her mouth and swirling her tongue around it  
"Blake!" the Faunus was spurred on by the sounds of her lover moaning her name "Blake don't stop" her own arousal was reaching a fever pitch as she unbuckled Yangs' belt and began kissing her way back up the taller girls' body reaching her lips at the exact moment her hand slid below her waistband silencing the cry of sheer ecstasy as she inserted a finger while simultaneously teasing her clit, Yang writhed in pleasure one hand gripping the sheets the other finding its' way to Blakes' Faunus ears trying to return the intense pleasure she was being subjected to, Blake gasped breaking their kiss  
"Blake, Blake look at me" Yang's breathing was ragged and her eyes half lidded when Blake met her gaze "I love you Blake" the words served to drive Blake over the edge, grabbing Yangs' breasts roughly as she kissed her neck and inserted a second finger speeding up from the steady rhythm she'd been maintaining; the effect was instant, Yang's back arched up and her hips raised  
"Blake, fuck yes, right the-" she couldn't finish her sentence before a scream of pleasure escaped her lips as she climaxed. Wrapping her legs around Blake's waist she pulled her close kissing her slowly as she struggled to catch her breath, her lover responded by taking her two fingers coated with Yang's juices and seductively sucking them in front of her  
"I need to hear you" Yang breathed out as she rolled them over, pinning Blake to the bed "I need to hear you moan my name" the Faunus ran her hands through the blonde's hair as Yang proceeded to pull her shorts down and kiss along the soft skin of her inner thigh, slowly making her way towards her lovers sex as she moved the lacy black underwear she was wearing to the side  
"Fuck you're so wet" Yang didn't wait for Blake to respond before beginning to lightly trace small circles around her clit with her tongue, the blonde revelled in the way her lovers body tensed and the breath that hitched at the contact and continued, building a steady rhythm before sliding a single digit into her  
"Oh my Oum" Blake gasped, Yang's free roamed the Faunus' body as she steadily increased her tempo, Blake's hand gripping the back of the blonde's head as her thighs began to tremble  
"Yang! Yang I'm gonna come!" she managed to pant out before her orgasm surged through her; Yang continuing to thrust into her as she repositioned herself on the bed to kiss her lips. As the waves of pleasure subsided the pair embraced each other, a tangled mess of limbs both of them slick with sweat  
"Yang I love you so much" Blake whispered against the blonde's lips feeling Yang's arms tighten around her in response  
"I love you too kitten" Yang punctuated the sentence with a gentle kiss "And I think we've still got some time before the others come back"

Professor Ozpin surveyed the individuals before him, three of them some of his most trusted allies, his deputy and the only person he would entrust Beacon to in his absence, Professor Goodwitch. His right hand in the wider world and one the finest examples of the calibre of hunters the academy could produce, despite his eccentricities, Qrow Branwen. His invaluable ally in the world of international politics and a trusted counsel despite their differences of opinion on many issues, General James Ironwood, the fourth person was an individual the general vouched for, his own right hand; Winter Schnee.  
"Now that we're all present let's begin" Ozpin said simply  
"This meeting should have happened immediately after you arrived Branwen" Goodwitch chided  
"I told him to spend some time with his family" Ironwood interjected "What good is protecting the world if you have to distance yourself from the people in it you care for the most" Goodwitch raised an eyebrow at the Generals defence of the perpetually drunk Huntsman, their rivalry was even more well known than the disdain she and Qrow had for each other  
"Be that as it may" she ground out through clenched teeth "This meeting could have been held while the tournament was under way, but instead Qrow chose to make a spectacle of himself"  
"We could start the meeting now but you'd rather complain" Qrow noted as he sipped a mug of Ozpins' coffee in an attempt to mitigate the effects of his earlier drinking "And I'll have you know there's already a petition to have me in the announcers box for the rest of the tournament"  
"Of course there is" Winter scoffed "I started it, it gives us a legitimate reason for your presence after the scene you caused yesterday"  
"I'm pretty sure you attacked me"  
"Qrow you were a stowaway on an Atlesian warship, if you were one of my men I'd have you shot" Ironwood's tone was one of sheer exasperation  
"Jimmy if I was one of your men I'd shoot myself" the Huntsman scoffed back "And I'm only a stowaway if I'm actually inside the ship; I was just resting my wings for a minute on the hull"  
"Gentleman, Ladies" Ozpin interrupted "Do you have anything to report"  
"Qrow, you first" General Ironwood motioned for the Hunter to speak "You went dark in the field, we assumed you were dead"  
"And you didn't think to tell my family?"  
"We've been wrong about you before" Goodwitch noted "I will not have Taiyang Xiao Long storm into Beacon in a rage again because you dropped your Scroll somewhere in the Badlands or left it on a bar and forgot about it"  
"Fair point" Qrow smirked remembering that both of those things had indeed happened "You sent me to get intel. I got it, our enemy is in Vale"  
"We know" Winter informed him  
"Oh you do?" Qrow growled "Well thank Oum I'm out there risking my life then, I'd hate to think I wasn't being appreciated"  
"You think the breach was an accident?" Winter mocked "Our enemies haven't been subtle in their approach"  
"And I would love to know whose idea it was to send my nieces into the thick of that" Qrow snarled "I'm pretty sure Tai feels the same way, anyone want to own up?"  
"I have already spoken with Taiyang" Ozpin answered "Do you have anything else of note to report?"  
"The person calling the shots in Vale isn't just another pawn Oz, it's one of the leaders the person directly responsible for Amber's condition" Qrow's voice turned dangerous at the last words  
"Winter is handling the situation" Ironwood informed him  
"I've recruited someone with an insight into Vale's criminal underworld who is working to destabilise our enemies assets starting with their main source of recruits, the White Fang; through them we've managed to learn that the person orchestrating things in Vale is one Cinder Fall, I've also begun work on turning one of her more trusted associates against her" Winter explained  
"Not just a pretty face" Qrow observed with an approving nod "That's something you could never get your head round Jimmy, sometimes you have to get your hands dirty and play by the enemies rules instead of showing up with your shiny new toys"  
"Our enemy means to sow fear; my fleet alleviates that fear the people look to the sky and feel safe" Ironwood retorted earning himself a derisive laugh  
"You have no idea the kind of things _she_ has Jimmy, your little ships won't make a difference, they didn't stop the breach" Winter looked confused at Qrow's words, it was evident from his tone they were no longer talking about Cinder  
"Nevertheless" Ozpin said calmly "In one respect the breach was a positive, as well as forcing our enemy to show their hand early it allowed some of the tension among the populace to dissipate, when the Atlesian fleet arrived in force many asked what it was they were expecting to fight; the breach serves as an answer to that question"

Coco and Velvet had returned to their dorm, Fox and Yatsuhashi having elected to enjoy the festival which would continue until the early hours of the morning the blind fighter having had an unmistakable swagger when they had last seen him. Coco simply told her team-mates she didn't feel like getting stupidly drunk and she knew that if she went out one drink would lead to several, Velvet for her part ached all over from fighting Arslan and just wanted to lie down. The two of them had ended up watching some cult classic action film that Velvet scoffed at the ridiculousness of  
"I'll have you know" Coco reprimanded her "That John Mango is an inspiration to me, that scene with the mini-gun gave me the original idea for Satani Arbor" Velvet looked at her, an incredulous expression on her face the two of them managed to keep eye contact for a few moments before bursting out laughing  
"Oh my Oum, only you could make a weapon based on this" Velvet managed to gasp about between laughs  
"Okay the film is fucking trash, but your weapon sounds like a sex toy" Coco countered  
"Jackass"  
"Great ass"  
"Wait what?" Velvet blushed at the compliment her mind immediately replaying the incident in the locker room  
"Sorry" Coco sighed "I know it's not going to happen"  
"I didn't say that" Velvet told her giving her leader a brief hug "It just surprised me is all"  
"Fuck it surprised me too" Coco mumbled "You were so quiet last year you just sort of blended into the background"  
"Fuck all the way off"  
"You did" Coco cried holding her hands up in protest "But then you came back this year taking no shit from anyone and actually owning how bad ass you are and I couldn't get you out of my head"  
"I'm not bad ass" Velvet blushed and looked away, Coco gave an irritated huff  
"Yes you are, I made my peace with what was going to happen to me when we went to the front lines I thought I was going to die and I accepted it, then you pulled me out of there, one of the scariest students in Beacon has a nickname for you, Qrow Branwen needed a new pair of pants after he saw your weapon, for fuck sake one of the most wanted people in Remnant is just _that guy you used to date_. You are a bad ass!"  
"Well when you put it like that…." Velvet muttered trailing off  
"So…." Coco took a breath and braced herself "Can I take you out sometime? I promise it won't be to my family's restaurant; at least not the first date" Velvet couldn't help laughing at the normally unflappable Coco Adel being nervous about asking her out on a date  
"You're really something special Coco"  
"But you're not interested" the fashionista sighed defeated  
"If you'll let me finish" Velvet admonished with a playful punch to her shoulder "But I don't want to date anyone right now, between the tournament and Adam I just need some time to myself but when everything is a little closer to normal if you're still interested we can give things a try….Just promise me one thing Coco, if we do date and it doesn't work out I don't want things to be weird between us after, I've gotten used to us being friends" Coco gave a barely perceptible nod of the head  
"Okay yeah I can work with that"  
"In the meantime" Velvet whispered as leaned forward catching Coco off guard as she planted a soft kiss on her lips "Are we going to finish watching this absolute garbage you roped me into"

 **Authors Notes:**

Nothing to say beforehand so let's summarise,  
Blake is a hopeless romantic also remember way back in Chapter 06, she literally squealed with joy when she saw Felix and Luna's wedding photos; she is totally the sort of person who cries at weddings.  
Yang puns, I haven't used them to full effect for a while.  
The little moment between Team GRAP felt needed but not out of place, I haven't really showed their team dynamic for a while.  
The smut scene, Drake187 said the amount of almost fucking in this story was almost impressive; I said I knew when each of the couples first times would be, I already had this planned. That being said I'm still not sure of my abilities when it comes to writing smut so I won't be over doing it.  
The meeting with Ozpin, in this story Winter is part of Ozpins' inner circle having been brought in by Ironwood, it helps to actually trust your most trusted agent with information pertaining to the job, also if Qrow uses Taiyang as a threat just how bad ass is Tai (The answer is VERY)  
John Mango is a John Rambo reference, it's as close as I could get with the colour naming rules.  
Also the Coco and Velvet scene, I used it to flesh out Coco a little bit because her kissing Velvet despite how much a lot of people love the Cross Hares ship did come out of left field in this story.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter: All I'm going to say is maybe, maybe not.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	45. 45: After Party

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 45: After Party**

Blake and Yang rested on Blake's bunk in their pyjamas cuddling, Ruby laid on her own bunk texting Penny as she had been called back to ship with the rest of the team after the conclusion of opening day of the tournament, it irritated Ruby to no end that the students representing the Atlas Academy were being housed in their air-ships rather than spare rooms at Beacon as was the case with students from Haven and Shade; Weiss was currently enjoying a long shower, Blake and Yang mercifully having finished their own shared shower before the other half of Team RWBY returned from the stadium  
"We should do something" Ruby suggested "We won and we did it with style why are we just sitting here when we could be celebrating"  
"Oh don't worry we celebrated already" her sister muttered under her breath, Ruby gave her a confused look before seeing Blake's blush and realising what she meant  
"Yang!" she cried "That's gross, I don't need to think about my big sister humping Blake every time I'm out"  
"She did not hump me, we made love" Blake sputtered furiously  
"I still don't want to think about it"  
"Give it a rest Ruby" Weiss sighed as she re-entered the room "They're happy, let them be happy. Yang doesn't tease you about Penny; well not much"  
"Thanks ice queen" Yang gave her a thumbs up  
"And with those last two words you destroyed any good will I'd built up towards you" the heiress dead-panned, the banter between the team being halted by a knock on the door, Weiss being the only person currently stood up opened it revealing three quarters of Team GRAP dressed as if they were ready to go out  
"Hey babe" Gangrel grinned before kissing her gently on the lips "I was going to ask if Team RWBY want to come into Vale with us, we've got two things to celebrate but it looks like you're calling it a night"  
"I'll come" Ruby piped up hopefully  
"No you won't" Yang chided as she hopped off of her bunk heading towards her wardrobe  
"I don't drink much" Weiss said with a shrug "I don't think I've actually touched alcohol since that party we had on the roof"  
"I'm trying to cut back myself" Gangrel shrugged "But today calls for a party and I still need to speak to Junior anyway"  
"You're not drinking in Junior's place" Blake warned him  
"I'm not getting drunk around him, I'm not stupid we're only planning on starting there"  
"I'll come just to make sure you stay out of trouble" Weiss said with a sly grin at the Bear-Faunus  
"Thank Oum for that" Artemis laughed "I don't feel like looking after him tonight and neither him or Squish should be left unattended"  
"Where is Squish anyway?" Yang asked  
"Meeting Neon" Rover answered  
"Oh cool" Yang grinned "She said she wanted to party some time"  
"Sweet Oum we're all going to die" Gangrel gasped in a stage whisper as Blake nimbly dropped down from the bunk  
"Okay yeah we'll come" she looked at Artemis's hand, more specifically the ring now sitting on her finger "Oum Rover is that a diamond or an iceberg, what have you got planned for the actual wedding ring" the canine gave a small grin and chuckled  
"I don't want to spoil any surprises"  
"Well we'll wait outside for you while you get changed" Artemis smiled  
"Let's end the night with a Yang!" the blonde cheered.

Junior lounged against the balcony of the his recently reopened club, thinking to himself that he should have held off on the grand opening until tonight to coincide with the first night of the Vytal tournament; below the revellers partied and his two nieces actually earned some of the ridiculous amount of money he regularly gave them for once by working at the bar when one of his crew entered the venue frantically casting his eyes around before seeing Junior and making his way towards him  
"Boss, we've got a problem outside" Junior gave a disgruntled sigh  
"If someone's thrown up clean it, if somebody doesn't have identification they can't come in and if anyone gets aggressive take them around back and take a pipe to their knees; it's not difficult to figure out"  
"Blondie's here" the grunt explained "But she turned up with a whole lot of Faunus, I'm sure at least two of them are White Fang" Junior's mouth worked silently for a few moments before he spoke again  
"Let them in, tell Blondie to come and see me" the mobster nodded and headed back towards the entrance, Junior didn't have long to wait before Yang Xiao Long entered; a dark haired Cat-Faunus on her arm six more people, five of them Faunus accompanying her, a well built young man with a husky like tail and a vaguely familiar short bald young man with scaly ridges along his face both of them joined by feline Faunus with dyed hair; the fifth Faunus made Junior's eyes narrow, a hulking man with a snout like face with his arm wrapped around a white haired girl who appeared to be human. The majority of the group made their way towards the bar while Yang Xiao Long, her obvious date and the giant Bear-Faunus making their way towards him  
"Blondie" he said with a small nod "I'm sure I told you not to abuse the privileges I gave you; bringing this son of a bitch here qualifies" he gestured towards to Gangrel  
"Fuck you too" the Faunus snarled, Yang moving between them  
"He's here with me we're not here to start a fight, thought you might like to say hello to the person who dealt with Roman for you" Junior gave a disbelieving glance  
"Him, really?"  
"I saw it happen" the feline interjected  
"And who are you?" Yang's eyes flashed dangerously at his tone  
"This is Blake my girlfriend and partner at Beacon" Junior suppressed a nervous gulp knowing all to well the consequences of offending Yang Xiao Long  
"Okay so what are you here for then, the last time you came here you were talking about kicking White Fang ass now you turn up with a few of them"  
"Ex Fang" Gangrel growled "I came to do business"  
"What the fuck could you possibly have to offer me?"  
"Joint control of Vale with no competition" Junior stared at Gangrel processing the blunt answer before laughing  
"You've always been a ballsy little fucker Gang I'll give you that, even when I had your teeth pulled"  
"What the fuck!" Yang exclaimed looking thoroughly disgusted at the information  
"When the Fang first started taking over" Gangrel explained "A few of Juniors crew caught me alone and knocked me out, I had my teeth pulled with pliers Faunus can grow them back. Using someone's own natural healing and Aura against them, who does that sound like"  
"You taught Adam Taurus how to torture my sister?" Yang spat making to grab Junior by the throat, gauntlets forming around her hands before being pulled back by Blake and Gangrel  
"Not intentionally" Gangrel explained to her "Adam just picked up ideas from what other organisations we took apart were doing. But we're getting off topic, Adam Taurus caused the breach he needs to be removed we're working on doing that, I have the person running the Vaccuo side of the White Fang willing to co-operate he's in it for the money like you are"  
"So you want me to work for him?" Junior demanded offended at the suggestion  
"He has Vaccuan coast guard in his pocket and runs all the smuggling, when he takes over Vale I'm offering you a chance to go cross-Kingdom"  
"And if I refuse?"  
"You get replaced as well" Junior looked about ready to punch Gangrel in the face at that  
"So are you in?" Yang asked "Replace the White Fang with someone who respects 'the rules of the game'"  
"What do you need?" the Mobster asked  
"Have your people ready to fight anything up to and including Grimm" Blake told him  
"Sweet fucking Oum" the crime boss muttered "Did you come here just to make my night hell"  
"Nope" Yang smiled "We came here to celebrate a friends engagement"  
"Fine, but you're paying for your own drinks"

Ruby sighed as she flicked through channels dejectedly finding nothing that held her attention, Nora had decided to go to the festival taking Ren along with her and she was pretty sure Jaune and Pyrrha didn't want to be disturbed, Penny hadn't replied to a message in a while leaving the young Huntress thoroughly annoyed until someone knocked on the door opening it she was met by Ciel Soleil and two other people she didn't recognise  
"Good evening Ruby" the leader of Team CPIA greeted her "My team were granted permission to explore Vale's night life after our victory today on the condition that the team stay together"  
"Oh" Ruby said simply "Sorry I don't know where Penny is she hasn't messaged me back for a while" Ciel grinned  
"That's no problem, Penny doesn't drink she also left her scroll in our dorm in case General Ironwood decides to track it, Penny herself however" her two team-mates stepped aside revealing the mechanical girl who rushed forwards and pulled Ruby into a hug  
"Is here" Ciel finished "We're staying in a hotel tonight, if the general asks you were with us" she said simply before closing the door leaving Ruby and Penny alone  
"Surprise!" Penny laughed as her hand wrapped around the smaller girls waist "So what do you want to do tonight  
"Hmm….This" Ruby looked thoughtful before gently kissing her "And this" another kiss, this one lingering a little longer  
"Sensational idea" Penny murmured before kissing her back, one of her hands finding their way to the back of Ruby's head as their lips parted and tongues met; the smaller girls' hand trailed downwards finding the small patch of skin between her dress and stockings  
"Your skin's so soft" Ruby whispered between kisses, Penny mewling softly a blush creeping across her face and chest Ruby catching sight of this triggered her Semblance, in a burst of petals they were on her bunk, Ruby pinning Penny's wrists down while kissing along her neck and jaw reducing the girl to whimpers pausing for a moment she removed the T-shirt she slept in Penny quickly removed her dress and began unbuttoning her blouse  
"H-how far do you want to go?" Ruby asked nervously mesmerised by the pale skin on display "I've never done this before" the freckled girl pulled Ruby down kissing her forehead before pulling the sheets over them both  
"This is more than satisfactory" she breathed while absent-mindedly tracing small circles on Ruby's skin, the physical contact and the fact that her girlfriend was currently in her bed clad in her underwear a pair of stockings and nothing else was clearly leaving Ruby flustered  
"You just want to cuddle all night?" she asked unable to hide how breathless Penny's gentle touches left her "You don't mind me falling asleep on you?"  
"Not at all, do you still have nightmares?" Ruby tried to hide her face at the question before the mechanical girl cupped her chin and made her meet her eyes  
"Yeah sometimes" she mumbled "When Team RWBY went to Mountain Glenn I was captured, the head of the White Fang was there, he….he tortured me, he broke my fingers and threatened to break my legs if I didn't tell him where Blake was" her voice trembled at the memory of being utterly at the mercy of Adam Taurus and she instinctively clutched at Penny who pulled her close and kissed the top of the smaller girls' head  
"He can't hurt you any more" she whispered "And if he ever tries nobody will find his body after" her voice darkened taking on a menacing edge Ruby hadn't heard from her in some time  
"Thanks Penny" she whispered nuzzling into her neck and gently kissing realising from the sharp intake of breath that she'd found a sensitive spot and mentally taking note of it for later  
"I'll be here if you wake up"  
"Thanks, normally I either text you or go down to the workshop and do some maintenance on my sweetheart"  
"Your sweetheart?" Penny asked an uneasy tone creeping into her voice  
"Crescent Rose" Ruby clarified "Having it nearby always makes me feel safe" Penny leaned down and kissed her girlfriend, her fingers curling in Ruby's dark hair as the smaller girls' hands explored her body the kiss grew more and more heated until the need to breath became overwhelming, Penny tightening her grip around Ruby  
"I'm your sweetheart"

Gangrel was bodily dragged away from the bar by Yang, Weiss and Rover back towards the tables in the corner their group were situated at, the individual he had been about to come to blows with taking the opportunity to stop cowering behind his friends and spread his arms wide  
"Come on then have a fucking go if you think you're man enough!"  
"Leave it" Rover growled in his friends ear as the security approached escorting the drunk out of the venue after delivering a few punches to his kidneys; Junior did not tolerate fights in his club  
"Damn it Gang!" Blake spat "I told you not to drink here, you knew it was going to end up like this"  
"I know I'm sorry" he slurred "Rover I'm sorry man go find Missy, enjoy your night I promise I won't ruin it"  
"Hey man it's nothing, you know I've got your back" Rover shrugged before returning to the dance floor to find his fiancé, Squish could be seen rippling back into view Neon pulling him back into the centre of the mass of bodies the nightclub being her element  
"It wasn't his fault" Weiss huffed as she made herself comfortable on Gangrel's lap, enjoying teasing her boyfriend slightly by pressing herself against him the jeans and tank-top she'd worn to the club being very form fitting making it clear she wasn't wearing a bra  
"It really wasn't" Yang shook her head  
"What happened" Blake sighed  
"That disgusting and socially inept reprobate asked me if I was with Gangrel because, and I quote 'Faunus fleabags fuck like animals as well as looking and acting like them'" Weiss seethed  
"What is it with people from Vale and the word fleabag, is that the only racial slur they know? Seriously I'm Atlesian I'm used to the attitude but they're just so bad at it here" Blake gave a bitter laugh  
"There are other racial slurs?" Yang asked looking horrified and revolted, her partner laughed again  
"Oh there's plenty, 'chomper' was a pretty common one when me and Gang were growing up" the Bear-Faunus put his drink down  
"What about 'Fur-coat' I haven't been called that in years" he snorted  
"Slitters" Blake ventured "One from the Faunus Revolution, it's mostly old soldiers that use it, it comes from Faunus soldiers using their enhanced senses to creep through enemy camps and slit their throats" she explained to Yang, the blonde's expression becoming more uneasy with each pejoritive she heard  
"Pit Scum" Gangrel added  
"That applies to anyone from Lower Atlas not just Faunus" Blake chuckled "How about 'Furry Devil'"  
"Doesn't count" Gangrel laughed "That was literally for Adam and nobody else"  
"Subs" Weiss mumbled, averting her eyes at the look Blake gave her  
"It means Sub Humans" the feline explained seeing Yang's questioning look  
"It's a favourite of my Fathers" Weiss added "Sorry"  
"Your Dad's a prick" Gangrel said simply before grabbing the heiress's hips and planting a lingering kiss on her lips "But you more than make up for him"  
"I still can't get over how cute you two are together" Blake laughed, more than a little drunk, Yang had refused to believe Gangrel's assertion that Blake would easily match her shot for shot; several drinks later Yang was decidedly intoxicated whereas Blake only just seemed to be feeling the effects  
"I know, how long do you think it'll be before there's little half Faunus babies crawling around?"  
"The fuck did you just say?" Gangrel spat  
"Little half human half Faunus kids"  
"Gang calm down!" Blake warned seeing him make to rise from his seat "She's from Patch for Oum's sake do you really think she knows better?"  
"Hey!" Yang started, before seeing Blake's expression and deciding to keep her mouth closed  
"Fuck this I'm going" Gangrel growled "If I stay around this stupid shit I'm going to break someone's nose" he stalked towards the exit, Weiss following him  
"What did I say?" Yang asked in a shocked whisper  
"You've never met a Faunus before coming to Beacon have you?" Blake sighed rubbing her temples  
"Not in person, why?"  
"There is no such thing as half Faunus" Blake explained forcing her tone to stay neutral "You're either born with traits or without them, calling a Faunus of mixed heritage anything remotely like a halfbreed is downright offensive"  
"Oh fuck I'll go apologise" Yang made to leave, Blake pulling her back  
"Don't, he won't listen right now just say sorry tomorrow"  
"Okay" fine the blonde mumbled "So how does having mixed heritage kids work? I don't want to put my foot in my mouth like that again" she asked not wanting to meet her partners eyes  
"Ninety percent of the time a child born of a Faunus and a human will have at least some of their Faunus parents traits and they always seem to get the enhanced senses as well, you're either born a Faunus or you're just a human with good eyesight. Fun fact racism against us starts young Faunus children rough-housing tends to be a little more extreme and human children that played with us as kids usually ended up thinking we were picking on them; there's no such thing as a cross-breed either"  
"Do I even want to know what that means?" Yang asked tentatively  
"A child whose parents are different kinds of Faunus you end up looking like one of your parents you won't get a mix and match of Faunus attributes from both, Gangrel's mother was actually a canine, if you'd have said Cross-breed instead of half Faunus I honestly don't think I would have been able to stop him from punching you in the mouth"  
"Well damn" Yang laughed "You learn something new everyday, I just learned that I'm basically a Hick and Patch is the middle of nowhere" Blake sniggered  
"I'm sure the farm you grew up on was lovely and the new television you have on top of the old one that doesn't work is great" she teased causing Yang to groan as she buried her face in her hands.

"Sorry I ruined your night babe" Gangrel sighed as he walked Weiss back to her dorm, having calmed down as he made his way back to Beacon, she squeezed his hand gently  
"It's fine" she said softly "You know Yang didn't mean anything by what she said"  
"This is why I'm trying to drink less, I'm too eager for a fight when I'm drunk" the Faunus hung his head dejectedly  
"It's okay" Weiss said leaning up to kiss his lips, struggling to keep her balance in her drunken state as they reached the dorm  
"Goodnight beautiful I'll see you tomorrow" Gangrel kissed the top of her head  
"Don't you want to come in?" She asked with a giggle "You don't want to disturb Rover and Artemis tonight" she added opening the door and taking him by the hand, pressing a finger to her lips as she saw the lights were out  
"Are you sure?" he asked her  
"You've stayed here overnight before" she paused, catching sight of Ruby's sleeping form wrapped around Penny "Oh my Oum that's so cute" she laughed drunkenly before taking a photo on her scroll  
"Hold me like that Gangrel" she whispered as she turned to him while letting her hair down before removing her shirt the Faunus eagerly complied scooping her into his arms and carrying her to the bed, where she proceeded to straddle him while kissing his neck  
"Help me out of these jeans" she breathed softly in his ear  
"Babe, you're drunk" he replied as he removed his own shirt and placed it on the heiress like a nightgown  
"But you want to" she giggled  
"Of course I do" his voice was a low growl as he tried to ignore her teasing "But not when you're out of your face" Weiss clambered off him and the sound of her belt being unbuckled followed by her jeans being pulled down could be heard before she rejoined him resting her head on his chest  
"Lovable, honourable dolt" she sighed while gently tracing one of the scars on his chest "Are these from Malkavia?"  
"Yeah" he sighed wrapping an arm around her, her response was to gently kiss the scar  
"Nobody gets to hurt you" Weiss said as fiercely as her drunken and rapidly tiring state would allow "You're my giant teddy bear and I love you too much" Gangrel looked down at the petite huntress wrapped around him realising that she'd passed out drunk with her head on his chest  
"I love you too Weiss"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, three chapters spent on round one and two chapters on what happened after that's five chapters spent on a single day, which actually feels about right for the way Vol.3 was paced

So to summarise:  
I could probably write a chapter on what would have happened if just Yang Neon and Squish had gone to a club but it can be summed up with the words "Property damage"  
It's about time Junior showed up again and Gangrel did say that he's ruthless the White Fang and the Black Bear Syndicate are rival criminal organisations, it's not a stretch to say that some of what Adam has done is an escalation of Junior's tactics.  
The Nuts & Dolts scene was me feeding my own addiction also compare Penny now to Vol.1 Penny, she's become more human, which was part of the reason she was enrolled in Atlas Academy.  
Also jealous and protective Penny is adorable.  
The bar scene is just a reminder that Gangrel is rowdy when he's drunk, Yang has even less of a filter, Blake can out drink most people and Weiss is a lightweight who gets very touchy and flirty.  
It also worked as a way to drop some exposition on Faunus.

Thanks to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter, don't worry that's my reaction to Bumblebee smut as well.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	46. 46: Respite

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 46: Respite**

Winter waited in an empty classroom deciding to put the time to good use, with it being a Saturday the students were elsewhere, mostly either sleeping off the results of the previous nights celebrations or preparing themselves for battle if they were one of the teams competing later on in the day as the four on four round of the tournament continued. Stepping onto the raised podium that formed an arena she surveyed the empty classroom the layout making it appear to be a hybrid of a lecture hall and a Colosseum; a far cry from the cold utilitarian design of Atlas Academy, focusing herself as the protective shield flickered into life a glowing glyph appeared directly under her before expanding outwards the temperature within the now enclosed space dropped and her breath misted as her summoned constructs appeared; five Ursa Majors each of them easily double her size and covered in spines, exhaling slowly the glyph vanished and Winter released her control of the summoned Grimm which began to circle her snarling and pawing at the ground; a small smile crossed her face as she saw movement in her peripheral vision the first had charged from the left and slightly behind her bending at the waist slightly she allowed it's massive forelimb to sail over her in a failed swipe at the back of her head before swinging her left elbow out sending visible cracks throughout the translucent white form, her right hand shot to her waist and unsheathed her sword as a second Ursa charged her the fluid movement of her slash almost casually decapitating it and blocking the strike of a third summoned Grimm  
"Am I interrupting?" a bored voice drawled, Winter quickly regained control of her constructs and willed them out of existence as she replaced her weapon shooting an annoyed glare at the source of the interruption  
"Mister Black" she greeted him with a stiff nod of the head before making her way towards him as the shield around the arena faded, the boy was not wearing his usual gear instead sporting a black hoodie and grey sweatpants  
"You know you could just take a trip to the Emerald Forest and fight some real Grimm if you want a workout" Mercury noted  
"The point of the exercise isn't to improve my swordplay but to be able to fight while handicapped, hence using my own summoned constructs and removing my Semblance from the equation" Winter explained "Also, most men would have made some inappropriate comment about giving me a proper workout. Shall I assume you don't function well in a morning?"  
"Please" Mercury snorted "I know better than to insult someone with a sharp object in their hand who would no doubt get away with murdering me….even if your friend isn't here to do the dirty work for you" Winter's eyes narrowed at that and with a barely noticeable movement of her hand Mercury found himself caught between two glyphs, one pressed against his chest and one at his back, a crushing pressure between them  
"What the fuck?" he managed to choke out as the air was slowly forced from his lungs; Winter released him while looming over him  
"Mister Black do not ever make the assumption that I am some damsel who needs to be helped, I am capable of doing my own dirty work"  
"Why am I surrounded by maniacs?" the teen muttered to himself between deep breaths  
"Poor life choices"  
"You think I chose this shit for myself?" he asked incredulously "This is the family business I wanted to be a pilot"  
"Really?"  
"Yeah" Mercury shrugged "I mean I know how to fly a Bull-Head and some smaller air-ships, when I get out of here I'm getting myself set up with a new identity and going straight, I want to see some of the world without having everywhere remind me of someone I killed"  
"Well let's get down to business then" Winter said with a small smile taking the seat next to him "The sooner we deal with Cinder the sooner you can ride off into the sunset with your partner and pay for a pilot's licence with the Lien she steals"  
"What do you need me to do?" Mercury asked, choosing to ignore Winter's comment about Emerald  
"Your assignment requires you to make it to the final?" Winter asked, seeing his nod she continued "Then win the two on two round and lose the first one on one match you compete in; Cinder's plan relies on mass public outrage and hysteria, we deny her as much as possible and force her into the open"  
"That's the best you could come up with?" the teen demanded  
"The simpler a plan the better, it gives us more adaptability to deal with the situation as it evolves"  
"Fair point" he conceded through clenched teeth "Okay fine I can do that for you, then I'm out"  
"No" Winter corrected "You wait until the end of the tournament and slip away when the rest of the Haven students return to Mistral"  
"I'm going to get my throat cut in my sleep!"  
"Cinder Fall is not going to have you attacked in Beacon" Winter countered "There are former White Fang members here, you haven't been tasked with killing them. Stay on campus after your loss I will have security discreetly tail you"  
"Fine" he sighed running a hand through his hair in stress "I need to go, I've kept Emerald out of this she'll be waking up soon I'm getting her breakfast in bed" with that he rose from his seat and left Winter waited for a moment debating restarting her morning training routine with herself when her scroll notified her of a text message, opening the device she saw it was from her sister, asking her if the two of them could train together later that day; after typing her reply she decided against picking up where she left off and exited the classroom and made to return to the Schweigen, wondering to herself if Qrow had sobered up enough to use his Semblance or if he was still handcuffed to her bed frame where she had left him.

Cinder lounged in the chair of what had been Adam's office since the breach she had appropriated several of his assets mainly legal front business the office he rented out near the centre of Vale being among them, she made herself comfortable taking a sip of her morning coffee while watching the footage of Team MELO, the team her agents within Beacon were part off, studying the way they fought sighing to her self as one of her hands dropped to the chair arm, where if she were back at home her dogs head would have been, the door opening made her eyes snap upwards  
"You know it's considered impolite to enter without knocking Adam" she noted trying to keep a smirk from her face as she paused the video  
"This is my office Cinder, I just put it in your name so it doesn't get searched" Adam retorted, his tone annoyed as he removed the coat he was wearing, its' hood obscuring his horns and cybernetic eye, a pair of gloves covering his hands  
"Either way" she sighed waving her hand making it clear she found his objection to irrelevant "How soon will your people be ready to move into position"  
"We'll approach Sunday night and set up Monday while classes are in session, the festival and tournament will be continuing throughout the week so we'll have a large enough window"  
"We?" Cinder asked delicately  
"Yes, we" Adam growled "I'm the leader of the White Fang and I've always led from the front, if I'm not there then the troops will start to think I've lost my nerve after the breach"  
"A valid point" Cinder sighed "Very well, lead the excursion into the Emerald forest but I warn you Adam do _not_ give into temptation and head into Beacon"  
"I know Cinder" the Bull-Faunus' eye began to glow with the light of his Semblance, something that Cinder noticed happened more and more often "I'll see the traitors soon enough anyway, I won't interfere with your needlessly convoluted master plan" his tone turning mocking  
"Careful Adam" Cinder smirked as Neo appeared seemingly from nowhere in the corner in the room, her hand at her weapon and a hopeful expression on her face  
"Don't use Roman's pet monster to threaten me" he scoffed "She was laid low by the Schnee during the breach; I just think the explosives you're having me set up would be put to better use on Beacon itself or Sky-Reach stadium, crashing that would get the results we want without leaving an important part of the job in the hands of people who can be bought" Neo furiously typed a response into her scroll while Cinder merely raised an eyebrow  
"You doubt Mercury's loyalty?"  
"Of course I do"  
"But not Emerald?" Cinder asked, clearly waiting to deliver her punchline  
"She seems like a devoted follower of your cause" Adam admitted  
"Mercury Black is in love with Emerald" she grinned "His loyalty is assured as long as Emerald is among my followers and should anything happen to Emerald we then have a very capable killer with a powerful motivation as an asset"  
"And does Emerald share his feelings?" Adam asked seeming apprehensive  
"She is loyal to me foremost" Cinder said simply "And if Mercury fails in his task her abilities will prove useful, after all the crowds will be outraged at a death in the tournament regardless of who it is" the two of them shared a smile until Neo threw her scroll to Adam who read the message she had typed  
" _Just remember that I left the breach under my own power and with all of my limbs, stop being a douche because you lost the hand you jack off with LOL XD"  
_ "Go Adam" Cinder instructed, deciding as amusing as it was to watch the diminutive mute antagonise him it was simply too early in the morning "Report back to me after your mission is complete" the Faunus nodded and turned to leave, throwing Neo's scroll in the trash before shooting her a parting comment  
"Just remember whose people it is keeping Roman from having his throat slashed in jail; oh and the joke's on you Neo because I actually can laugh out loud"

"Good afternoon sister" Weiss said as she entered Winter's personal quarters on her ship, which while smaller had been decorated similarly to her rooms at Schnee Manor, the Schweigen while a military vessel had an air of luxury to its interior, Winter was currently sat at a small dining table in the combined kitchen and living area, the bedroom and bathroom being adjacent  
"Good afternoon Weiss, I see your friends made the paper….Alongside a scoundrel that unfortunately attends the Atlas Academy" Winter passed the days paper to her sister who scanned the article on the front page  
"An officer and a gentleman" she said with a smile looking at the two side by side photographs, one of Rover on one knee proposing to Artemis, the other of a tearful Nebula of Team NDGO slapping Flynt Coal her team-mates preparing to follow suit "The press in Vale are sensationalist hacks, but I'll freely admit they are masterful at it" she laughed with a shake of the head  
"Indeed, the current gossip among troops is that after Coal returned to ship Ironwood slapped the ingrate himself then threw him the brig for the night"  
"A little harsh perhaps, he's a cad but that's hardly an offence"  
"He's here as a representative of the Atlas Academy the Atlesian military and our Kingdom as a whole and will be held to a standard that reflects that, leaving a trail of broken hearts in ones wake is behaviour unbecoming of his rank" Winter countered her distaste evident "But enough about that I take it from wanting to train with me that you still haven't progressed with your summoning"  
"I haven't" Weiss admitted "But my time dilation glyph has improved greatly"  
"As has your shield, the coverage of yesterdays matches continues for a few pages" Winter gestured to the newspaper still in Weiss's hand "The writers make note of your duel with Scarlet David….And the way it ended"  
"Ruby is a little unconventional in her tactics" Weiss conceded with a grin taking a seat next to Winter  
"Indeed, now I can't train you all day today but I'll make an effort to find time on a regular basis, ideally Saturday or Sunday mornings if that's agreeable"  
"That should be fine" Weiss nodded "I would have come earlier but I well…." her voice trailed off and a blush crept across her face  
"You had a hangover?" Winter gave her a wicked grin "You spent last night getting drunk and having incredible sex? Good for you"  
"WINTER!" the younger Schnee said aghast hands covering her mouth  
"I know I did" Winter cackled seeing Weiss's mortified expression  
"I haven't, we haven't…." she sputtered her embarrassment only serving to make Winter tease her more  
"I assumed as much to be honest, I mean Gangrel seems nice enough but he is roughly a foot and a half taller than you, the logistics involved…."  
"ENOUGH!" Weiss cried "I don't know what your time in the military has taught you but there are some things I would rather not discuss" Winter merely rolled her eyes  
"I learned more in the military than I ever did from the private tutors Father hired for us, I see Beacon is starting to teach you some of the same lessons and I'm proud of you, just don't go back to being a pampered little shit like Whitley" Weiss didn't bother trying to defend her youngest sibling Whitley and Winter had taken a dislike to each other seemingly from the moment her brother was able to speak  
"Thank you Winter you being proud of me means a lot to me" Winter gave her a warm smile  
"I'll be even more proud when I see you summon some of what the reports say you killed in the breach on your feet soldier"

"Why did you give me this?" Yang asked handing the hip flask back to her uncle while the two of them sat on the roof of Beacon above Team RWBYs dormitory, Yang nursing a headache from both the night before and the sparring match she'd had with Gangrel in the training room after her apology to him that morning  
"You looked like you needed a drink after finding out about your mother" Qrow said simply while rubbing his eyes, the man looked decidedly more ruffled than usual  
"I don't think Dad would approve of you teaching me to drink away my problems"  
"Yeah well, your Dad has Taiyanger issues anyway"  
"Is that how bad my puns sound to everyone else?" Yang laughed  
"Very funny" Qrow grumbled "But honestly it's about time I gave that to someone, that was originally Ninox Branwen's, your great-grandfather, I'm probably never going to have kids so hold onto it for me" Yang pulled her uncle into a hug, touched at his words  
"How come you never settled down? You could probably get anyone you want, you're a legendary bad-ass"  
"I routinely do" he said with a broad grin  
"Okay that's gross" Yangs laughed "We both know you're talking about Weiss's sister and I have to look her in the eye after hearing that; but are you two a thing even though she looked like she was trying to kill you when you both got here"  
"Neither of us are looking for any sort of long term commitment, the fighting is practically a running joke between us at this point it has been since I was tagging along for her first mission as a specialist before she got that Oum-awful gaudy ship of hers. I never wanted kids, I'll probably be a Hunter 'til the job kills me just like my Father was and too many good people left orphans behind in this line of work"  
"You're talking about mum?" Yang asked tentatively "My real mum, Summer Rose. Raven made it clear she isn't family" Qrow took a breath to steady himself  
"Thank Oum you re-filled that flask, I need a drink before this conversation. Yeah I was talking about Summer, she was one the best people I ever fucking knew and she went way too early, neither you or Ruby should have lost your mother and Tai shouldn't have lost both of the loves of his life and I've just lost too many people to keep track of" Yang wasn't sure how to respond, Uncle Qrow was usually fun and charisma incarnate and while she didn't show it the same way the blonde admired him just as much as Ruby did, seeing the utterly heartbroken look on his face was painful for her, Qrow caught her worried expression and quickly rubbed his eyes again  
"Uncle Qrow-"  
"I'm fine" he held a hand up to stop his niece "It's all old scabbed over wounds at this point"  
"That I just reopened" Yang mumbled apologetically  
"That Raven reopened, sometimes I wish she'd stayed dead after we all mourned her" her spat harshly  
"What was she like?" Yang asked tentatively  
"She was brilliant" Qrow said simply "People call me a living legend, anything I've done as a Huntsman Raven would have made look easy and she had more charisma than anyone knew what to do with, your dad was head over heels for her the minute they met"  
"Does he know she's still alive? He doesn't have any photos of her in the house"  
"Yeah, yeah he knows" Yang's eyes flashed red for a second at the news "The first time she came to me I told him, it was when Summer was pregnant with Ruby Tai had put most of Raven's stuff in the attic at that point, he took it all outside and burned it. Told me she might not be dead but she's dead to him; think it's the second angriest I've ever seen him"  
"What takes first place?"  
"A story I will never tell you" Qrow gave his niece a stern look "Don't ask me about it. It's something neither me or your father are proud of"  
"Do you know why Raven left?" Yang asked, refusing to acknowledge the fact the voice was wavering  
"She told me she had her reasons" Qrow gave a bitter laugh "I don't know what they are but I highly doubt they justify leaving; I'll tell you this though Yang I've seen her a handful of times since she left, she's different now….less human somehow, I haven't seen her without that mask in at least ten years" Yang wiped away a single tear threatening to fall from her eye  
"If you see her again can you do me a favour" Yang took a shaky breath "Tell her if she never left then I'd have never had Ruby as a sister. I don't want her in my life and she obviously doesn't want me in hers I just want to know what was so important she had to leave? She doesn't have to come and tell me in person, but I need to know what's more important to her than me and Dad" Yang finally began crying in earnest, not hearing the sound of the window below opening Qrow did however and looked over the edge of the roof to see Blake Belladonna climbing out of the dorm and gave her a hand up onto the roof  
"Just how good is Faunus hearing?" he asked her  
"Good enough to know when I'm needed" she said simply as she sat next to Yang and pulled the taller girl into her arms and stroked her hair gently as she wept "I'll take care of her"  
"Are you sure?" Qrow gave her a pointed look  
"I was placed in care at birth" Blake said simply "Trust me I know what it's like to want answers" Qrow nodded silently before crouching down and placing a hand on Yang's shoulder  
"Don't worry firecracker, when I see Raven I'll let her know you want answers and I'll make sure she knows how much she lost when she gave up her right to call herself your mother"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, let's summarise  
Winter is a bad-ass, simple as that. She literally fights five Ursa Major without the use of her Semblance before breakfast everyday as a warm up.  
Also she can use the Glyph Weiss uses to propel herself forward as a car compacter.  
Her plan is simple but effective, why fight a city full of Grimm when you just stop them from coming to the city in the first place by preventing what was going to draw them.  
Yes she handcuffed Qrow to the bed and rode him like a pack mule.  
I like the idea that Mercury never wanted to be a mercenary/assassin it's just the family business and he's pretty good at it.  
Cinder is a dog person.  
She's gone from working with Adam and Adam being able to threaten her right back when they had disagreements to outright just taking his stuff when she feels like it.  
Adam has a mission in the Emerald Forest….All will be revealed.  
The way Winter torments Weiss is priceless to me, Winter has served in the army, I have family in the Army I know the sort of banter that soldiers have.  
The Qrow and Yang conversation felt like an icepick in my heart, I hope you enjoyed it.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter:

Blake being able to out drink Yang makes sense to me, the White Fang take over part of the night-life when they set up shop somewhere, they had the warehouse club back in Vol.1 because it gave them somewhere to meet up and draw in new recruits; Blake can drink because she's used to going to those clubs with Adam when she was in the White Fang.

I headcanon that Weiss doesn't drink much but she's okay on wines and champagne, put shots or beer in front of her and she'll be slurring her words in ten minutes; of course Weiss is a touchy feely drunk, it's the only kind that makes sense for her to be.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	47. 47: Emerald Forest

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I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 47: Emerald Forest**

Adam woke up with a start the alarm on his scroll dragging him back to consciousness a lot sooner than he was comfortable with, having slept fitfully after being relieved from standing guard over the small camp that had been set up along the edge of the Emerald Forest, the White Fang had approached from the east whereas Beacon was situated to the north of the forest leaving him a considerable distance from the academy. Dragging himself out of his sleeping bag and finding his shirt he struggled with the garment while his cybernetics started up, his mechanical fingers twitching as the limb synchronised itself with the rest of his body, letting out a small grunt of discomfort he found his mask and placed it on his face before leaving the tent and making his way to the edge of the perimeter that had been set up the camp had been set up against the cliff-face in the shadow of one of the gargantuan sentry guns above them  
"Needles" he placed his hand on the shoulder of the sentry he addressed, Shinji Ecru a hedgehog Faunus with rows of quills in place of hair  
"Sir" the sentry snapped to attention at the sound of Adam's voice, unnerving distorted by his mask  
"Tell Olive to wake her people up and get on guard duty, you and your team are relieved"  
"Yes boss" the sentry gave him a grateful smile, motioning to the other Faunus on guard duty as he made his way over to another group of White Fang members, huddled around something he couldn't quite make out  
"What are you doing?" he asked a tiny Faunus looked up, rising to greet him and giving a half-hearted salute, the boy couldn't have been older than sixteen with dark hair, beady squinting eyes, rake thin physique and seemed to be hunched over, his Faunus attributed were a pair of bat ears poking out from his messy hair and prominent fangs poking out from his top lip, Adam also noticed his fingers seemed to be unnaturally long  
"Making breakfast boss" the grunt explained to him with a wide grin "Sorry microwaved bacon never tastes right" he shrugged apologetically  
"You brought a microwave?" Adam asked, sure a vein was throbbing in his forehead  
"Yeah, brought a small generator as well in case of emergencies thought cooking it this way makes more sense than starting a fire and letting anyone see the smoke"  
"That" Adam sighed removing his mask "Is actually not a bad idea, what's your name kid?"  
"Lugosi Sable….Call me Screech though boss, everyone does" Adam made himself comfortable taking a space among the group of Faunus he'd be taking with him deeper into the forest  
"Kid you can't possibly be old enough to be on a job like this, how did you get picked to get brought out here?" Screech merely shrugged  
"They breed us tough in the Kennels" that got Adam's attention his head snapped up to glare at the Bat Faunus  
"You're from the Kennels….You know Gang and Squish then?" the younger Faunus looked livid at the mere mention of their names  
"Pair of bastards, Squish sold the drugs that my mum overdosed on; Gang had control of the Kennels at the time so obviously nothing ever happened about it, when Cheshire was put in control she said she'd do what she could but still nothing"  
"Well I can promise you Gangrel Slate will answer for every Faunus he's betrayed soon enough" Adam growled  
"What about Squish?"  
"Wherever Gang goes the lizard follows" Adam replied grinning at the level of single-minded hate the youngster seemingly possessed "Don't get killed or caught before then and I can promise you a chance to settle scores with him personally"  
"So how are we doing the job then boss?" one of the older White Fang members cut in, a grizzled looking boar Faunus  
"Not including the people asleep after guard duty, we're in three teams" Adam began pulling out a map "We're here right now, up against the wall, one team is on guard duty, those red crosses are the sentry guns we'll need to take out at the start of the final part of the plan, Silky, Angel, Rusty and Brick are going to scale the wall and rig charges. We are going deeper in to where the red circle is on the map and we're basically going to clear out a landing zone"  
"Who the fuck is crazy enough to try and land in the middle of the Emerald Forest" Screech asked  
"We're not using people" Adam grinned  
"I thought Cinder managed to get us into Beacon's systems, shouldn't we just be able to turn the sentry guns off when the time comes?" the boar Faunus asked, Adam couldn't remember the man's name despite his best efforts  
"No" he answered simply, shaking his head "Watts supplied Cinder with a way into their system, but these sentry guns are on a completely separate system meant to stand alone, the same as the ones on the Kingdom's walls; they have to be the Emerald Forest is the only place Grimm congregate en mass inside the walls"  
"So that's why we're stopping off here?" another recruit ventured  
"Exactly, since Mountain Glenn was a bust we're going to ship the Grimm from out of here directly into the battlefield" he explained with a manic smile as he took in the awed if slightly concerned faces of his comrades "Now lets eat, I want us mobile in twenty minutes at the latest"

Twelve young Huntsman and Huntresses sat in the Bull-Head as it approached its' destination, Professor Goodwitch having explained to them the situation, the outpouring of emotions that came with a major sporting event like the Vytal Tournament left the creatures of Grimm agitated and unlike in the case of the initiation or even the breach it wasn't a single event focused in a single direction, Grimm were struggling to climb out of the depression that the forest was situated in on all sides three of those sides were protected by an automated defence system, the side nearest to Beacon however was not, the sentry guns having been replaced by the catapults that the students were fired from.  
"This is bullshit" Cardin Winchester complained loudly "How did my team get roped into a cleanse and burn mission on a Sunday morning with _you_ " the subject of his ire grinned  
"You hear that" Gangrel laughed "He doesn't want to come on a job with us"  
"Feeling's mutual fuck-head" Fox spat, Team GRAP was the senior team on the mission giving Gangrel overall command, Teams CFVY and CRDL had been selected to accompany, he had been about as happy as the first years were about their selection  
"So how are we doing this?" Artemis asked the Bear-Faunus thought for a moment  
"I'm taking Squish, Fox and Thumper to the east, you take Coco Yatsu and Rover to the west we fan out and kill anything we come across" he turned to Team CRDL "You four stay near the catapults and keep our exit clear"  
"Why are we the ones doing that?" Sky Lark asked  
"Because I don't trust you fighting with any of my team, you'll either be unable to pull your weight or intentionally stab us in the back" Gangrel snarled "Any other questions?"  
"Why those team ups?" Coco asked "Why not just out actual teams?"  
"It balances things out" Artemis was the one who answered "Team GRAP doesn't actually have any heavy artillery, Velvet can copy your weapon that gives both teams a mini-gun, mine and Fox's Semblances can track our team-mates, Gangrel and Rover can both rapidly redeploy if needed"  
"Fair enough" the fashionista said, it was too early in the morning to argue the point considering she hadn't had her coffee yet  
"Coming up on the landing zone now" the pilot called back to them "Hope you don't mind us not sticking around"  
"We're used to it, not the first time we've mowed the lawn for you" Squish smirked as he hopped out the open side hatch, the rest of the Hunters following him down  
"So we're just setting up here then?" Cardinal asked sullenly  
"Well feel free to show some initiative if any Grimm show up directly below, but keeping our extraction point clear for us is a priority" Coco snapped, causing the first year to flinch, he obviously hadn't forgotten their last encounter yet, the fashionista then wrapped an arm around Velvet's waist and gave her a brief hug  
"See you soon" she whispered in her ear  
"Break it up love birds" Squish teased "If I'm not spending my Sunday morning curled in bed with someone special then nobody is" and with that he began making his way down into the forest below ignoring the blush spreading across Coco's face.

Adam trudged through the forest, the machine gun built into his cybernetic arm deployed as he scanned the trees, there had already been one incident where a Beowulf had managed to sneak up on them, tearing away a chunk of the Boar Faunus' neck and shoulder before being put down, Adam hadn't been able to do anything for the grunt except ensure that his suffering ended quickly, taking his eyes away from the surroundings for a moment he noticed just how on edge his comrades were, Screech especially seemed unwilling to be more than ten feet away from him  
"This your first time dealing with Grimm?" he asked softly, the Bat Faunus nodded shakily  
"First time outside of a city boss"  
"I'm from Lower Atlas" Adam laughed, his mask distorting the sound into something frightful "The Grimm come into the city more than the Hunters do"  
"You'll be fine kid" one of the other grunts slapped Screech on the back as they passed "We're almost at the spot and you've got High Commander Taurus with you, what can possibly go wrong" as if summoned by his allies' overconfidence Adam's scroll rang and the Bull-Faunus cursed himself for forgetting to set it to vibrate  
"Olive what's wrong?….You're certain?….The charges?….That'll have to do wake the night shift up call the drivers and get picked up tell them to leave a van behind for us" closing the scroll he let out a stream of curses before turning to the assembled White Fang  
"Hunters incoming, the team rigging the charges just saw a Bull-head land about a dozen or so people got off"  
"Fuck, shouldn't Cinder have known about that?" one of the grunts asked, Adam's expression darkened behind his mask  
"She should have"  
"So what do we do now boss?" Screech asked trying his best to hide his nerves  
"Drop the flares and charges here, I'll make a clearing myself" he unsheathed Wilt as his accomplices made to comply ordering them all to duck as he swung the glowing blade in almost complete circle, his Semblance arcing out with enough force to uproot trees  
"NOW RUN!" he ordered knowing that the noise would attract both the Hunters and the Grimm and it was hard to tell which would be worse for them.

"What the fuck was that?" Gangrel demanded as the cacophony of crashes echoed through the forest  
"I don't know but I bet it attracts a ton of Grimm" Squish hissed replacing Fixer and withdrawing Breaker setting the larger weapon to fire Dust rounds  
"Artemis, how are thing on your end?" the Bear-Faunus growled into his headset  
"Steady work. I take it that noise we heard was on your end" she called back, the sound of Coco's weapon being unloaded into hoards of snarling monsters audible in the background  
"We didn't cause it-"  
"Ah fuck incoming, lots of fucking incoming!" Fox barked cutting Gangrel's conversation short, the Bear Faunus withdrew his swords and teleported into the air above fox dropping down onto the back of a Deathstalker that burst from the trees, simultaneously decapitating the beast and removing it's tail, teleporting further into the trees he pivoted as he reappeared bisecting a pair of Ursa looking back to his team he saw Fox grappling with four Beowolves on his own while Velvet unloaded a copy of Neptune's rifle into a second Deathstalker  
"Squish you idiot get visible!" he ordered "Velvet can't fire the big guns if she can't see where you are!" he teleported forwards re-sheathing his swords and pulling one of the Grimm away from Fox and breaking it's spine over his knee, Fox used the opening to crouch low and bring his arm mounted weapons upwards, impaling two more beasts, Squish rippled back into visibility his weapon unloading into the head of a King-Taijitu  
"What the fuck attracted this many?" the reptilian called over the din of his weapon  
"Fuck it I've got an idea" Gangrel shouted "Fan out head towards the east wall, lure 'em into range of the sentry guns-" he was cut off by the second head of the serpent Grimm whipping around forcing him to trigger his Semblance to avoid it  
"Artemis come in"  
"What's going on?" the feline demanded  
"Not sure but something has got these Grimm seriously riled up head back to Team CRDL we're going to lure the Grimm on our end into the guns we'll meet you at the extraction point" calling over his shoulder to his team  
"Everyone still alive?"  
"Yes fearless leader" Squish hissed, his annoyance at the situation evident  
"Pretty much, are jobs with you always this fun?" Fox joked  
"Pretty much" he called back "Thumper what about you?….Velvet?….Ah fuck where's Velvet?"  
"I can just make out her heat signature through the trees" Fox informed him "I think she's fanned out a little too far, want me to go get her"  
"Just stay near enough to help if you need to"

Adam bounded through the trees, the limp form in his arms jerking with the recoil of his machine gun which spat death into the faces of any Grimm that dared near him, out of all the grunts that had accompanied him the one he was currently carrying was the only one left alive and even he clung to it precariously  
"Don't you dare die on me now kid!" he ordered, Screech managed to look up at him with glassy eyes, his complexion even more pallid than it had been before, blood burbling up through his lips as he tried to speak  
"Don't think I'm gonna make it boss" he managed to force out gesturing to his stomach from which the oversized fang of a King-Taijitu protruded  
"You're not dying today!" Adam roared "You want payback you've got to stay alive to get it! Focus on the pain and don't you dare black out!" Adam could see the edge of the tree line, he was so close to the cliffs but something was wrong; over the screeches and howls of the Grimm he could here the repeated thud of shells impacting, he'd have to make it through the sentry guns. Clearing the trees he sprinted forwards collapsing his machine gun back into is arm, he didn't have time to aim any more, his focus was consumed by zigzagging away from incoming projectiles and not dropping his wounded comrade, then he saw her, a slender form that he would know anywhere a translucent blue mini-gun in her hands pouring a steady stream of ammunition into a pack of Beowolves, an Ursa reared up on it's hindquarters behind them only to be torn in half by the guns, she must have seen him out of the corner of her eye and turned to face him  
"You!" in a single movement Wilt was in his hand a flash of crimson was sent forth sent sailing past her to its' intended target, one of the Grimm that had taken advantage of her lapse in concentration, seeing that the monster had been cleaved apart he clutched the Screech closer to him and tried to continue forward, only for a spray of bullets to gouge the ground in front of him  
"What are you doing here?" she demanded  
"I don't have time for this!" he bellowed  
"Are you going to kill me like you kill everyone else who gets in your way now?" Velvet screamed, the weapon in her hand becoming a replica of his own sword which was swiftly aimed at his throat  
"I'm trying to save a life here Velvet" he shot back, placing Screech on the ground and removing his own mask  
"What happened, what are you doing here?"  
"What part of we don't have time are you failing to understand" Adam turned furiously to his former lover "He is going to die! That's a King-Taijitu fang sticking out of him, you're a Huntress Velvet you know how much poison he has pumping through him right now!"  
"I can't; I can't let you go Adam" she whispered "You've hurt too many people and if I let you go you'll hurt more"  
"Wars have casualties Velvet!" Adam spat "Everything I've done I've done for the good of our people and I will kill anyone that stands in the way of that!"  
"Even if it's me?" Adam felt as if his blood had frozen in his veins  
"Even if it's you" he managed to whisper "I thought you wanted to protect people Velvet, that's why you told me you're a Huntress"  
"I-I"  
"You know you can't get a medic here from Beacon fast enough, I can get him help, if you take me in he dies. Look that boy in his eyes and tell him why he has to die Velvet!"  
"He's in the White Fang, wars have casualties you said it yourself"  
"So this is what you've become is it" the Bull-Faunus looked repulsed by here "No better than Atlas Police, his name is Lugosi Sable he's sixteen barely any older than your brother, he joined the White Fang when his mother died of a drug overdose and he had nowhere else to go and now he's going to die here unless you let me save him"  
"Adam-" Velvet started, tears in her eyes  
"You want me dead or in jail Velvet don't worry you'll get your chance!" Adam screamed "He doesn't have another chance, now either pull that trigger and be honest enough about it to kill him yourself or get out of the way!" Velvet stood shaking and rooted to the spot as she watched Adam sheath his sword and pick up the wounded teen, throwing him over his shoulder and make his way to a rope ladder that had been left over the side of the cliffs, she was unsure how long she stood there blood pounding in her ears until she heard the sound of a twig snapping behind her and turned to see Fox  
"H-how long were you there?" she asked wiping tears from her eyes the blind fighter merely approached her and wrapped an arm around her shoulders  
"Long enough" her said simply "You did what you thought was right and I'll defend you against anyone who tries to say different"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so today (Fourth of November 2016) marks the two month anniversary of this story first being published, also we're at OVER 9000 hits now.

So to Summarise:  
The White Fang operation is basically to account for how in the battle of Beacon there were White Fang deploying Grimm from the backs of Bull-Heads; although in this story they'll be using Atlesian Knights for that rather than people that actually bleed and die.  
This is also a chance to remind people that Adam, while crazy and a bit of an edge lord, is not an eighties cartoon villain; he is still liked and respected by his troops he leads from the front, eats and socialises with the troops and genuinely looks out for the people under his command.  
Yes, if it isn't clear enough, Squish sold the drugs that that kids' mum overdosed on, Squish might be one of the _good guys_ but don't let his happy personality fool you, it's only because he follows Gangrel everywhere.  
Team CRDL are still dicks that nobody likes.  
The real villain of this chapter is the White Fang Grunt who invoked Murphy's Law.  
Cinder _should_ have known that Beacon was sending a Bull-Head, is she preparing to drop Adam.  
Three things to take away from Adam's conversation with Velvet:  
1) He's not _always_ so murder crazy he'll lose sight of an objective.  
2) Adam doesn't see himself as the villain, none of the best villains do.  
3) He's learned the art of being a manipulative bastard from Cinder.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Winter is indeed that kind of bad ass (Also if she was going to use her Semblance as a kinky bondage technique she'd probably just summon a tiny King-Taijitu)  
Of course Winter has a backup if Mercury drops the ball, her name is Emerald Sustrai.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	48. 48: Knock Out

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 48: Knock Out**

It was the Friday following the opening matches of the tournament and the subsequent foray into the Emerald Forest. Teams' RWBY and GRAP had joined each other for breakfast, the Vytal Festival had continued throughout the week and Gangrel and Weiss had had made certain to go on a date there and see as much of it as possible, the tournament itself however ran Friday evening to Sunday afternoon  
"So Gang, who are Team GRAP sending into the next round?" Yang asked, trying to draw attention away from the fact that the Bear-Faunus and her team-mate were what could only be described as sickeningly cute together, she also ignored the hypocrisy of her own feelings when at any given time she usually had an arm wrapped around Blake  
"Me and Rover" he answered with a smirk "I went with Squish last time, I asked Artemis but she nominated Rover instead"  
"Why not let Rover and Artemis fight as a team?" Blake asked "The crowd would love it"  
"They would" Artemis replied with a bright smile "And thanks for the vote of confidence, but I'm more of a support role Rover and Gang are both more versatile and manoeuvrable"  
"So who are Team RWBY sending?" Squish asked  
"Me and Weiss" Yang answered proudly "We're competing tomorrow"  
"So are we" Rover noted "You know if we both win, we're going to have to fight each other at some point in the tournament"  
"So what happens then?" Yang asked, her smile turning feral  
"You lose, badly" Gangrel answered bluntly, earning himself a playful punch to the chest from Weiss  
"Dolt" she managed to maintain her glare for a few moments before both of them burst out laughing  
"But seriously though Yang, me against you in the tournament only ends one way" Gangrel laughed  
"Yeah with you on your ass" the blonde shot back "It's the only pawsible outcome"  
"You're getting worse"  
"Well I have to panda to an audience without my mastery of puns" the joke received a chorus of groans from the group, Gangrel noticed a group entering the hall Yatsuhashi standing head and shoulders above the crowd, next to him also rising above the crowd the Bear-Faunus spotted a pair of rabbit ears  
"I'll see you all later, I need to talk to Velvet about something" he stopped to give Weiss a quick kiss "I'll meet you after lessons and we can head up to the stadium together if you want?"  
"Sounds good" leaving the table he made his way towards the exit and called over to the second year  
"Oi Thumper!" Velvet turned, rolling her eyes at the nickname before approaching him, he noticed just how much she'd changed since he'd first met her, she no longer walked with her head down or hunched in on herself, now she roamed Beacon confidently usually surrounded by friends and if the academies rumour mill was anything to go by, had acquired a number of fans and admirers since the first round  
"Hey Gang, what's up?" her voice faltered sightly, the two hadn't spoken since returning from the mission in the Emerald Forest  
"You've been avoiding me all week" he said simply "What's bothering you?" she gestured to the door, motioning for them to move the conversation to somewhere with a little more privacy, when the two of them were far enough down the corridor to not be disturbed she spoke  
"I thought you'd be mad, I let Adam go" Gangrel sighed at the answer  
"I'm not mad at you, if anything I'm mad at myself if I'd have gone after you instead of sending Fox we could have saved that kid ourself and dealt with Adam"  
"I just wish I'd done something" Velvet lowered her head  
"He put you in an impossible position, he knew you weren't going to let that kid die and used it to his advantage"  
"Thanks Gang" she gave him a weak smile "So what did you need to talk to me about?"  
"Your match tonight" he answered, looking slightly perturbed "You're against Team MELO right?"  
"Yeah" Velvet nodded "The team with Adam's business partners' people on it" her own brow furrowed in concern  
"That's the two you'll be facing then, just remember one of them beat Squish and the other one held their own against Pyrrha Nikos, he actually managed to put her on the defensive"  
"You think they'll try something?" she asked, eyebrows raising in alarm, Gangrel shook his head in response  
"Highly doubt it, I know I can count on you to keep this quiet but Mercury is being _convinced_ to switch sides by Atlas, personally I think he's on his own side before anything else but from what I've managed to find out his plan involves him getting to the finals"  
"Everyone plans on getting to the finals" Velvet noted with a smirk  
"Just be prepared for anything, Squish didn't mange to find out what either of their Semblances are, expect anything and everything; those two aren't playing games Thumper"  
"Thanks….How did you get this info though?" Gangrel gave an irritated growl  
"I'm an Atlesian Faunus, living in Vale training to be a hunter, a former White Fang officer that's dating the heiress to the SDC and her sister is part of Atlesian Spec Ops who recruited me to help bring down the White Fang….Oum I wish life was still simple sometimes"

The day had passed in a blur, once again classes had ended early to allow students competing in the tournament time to arrive and prepare, Velvet and Coco were in the locker rooms of Sky-Reach stadium; there were four lockers rooms around the stadium, while one match was under way the two teams next to compete would be preparing in the lockers unused by those in the arena, a loud cheer erupted through the stadium, the pair of them listened to the somewhat muffled voice of the announcer, the drunkard from the opening matches, whom they had learned was Ruby and Yang's uncle had been welcomed back into the commentators box by popular demand, from what they could make out a team of Atlas third years had just thoroughly trounced a team of third year Vale students; meaning that the two of them would be heading into the arena in a few minutes time  
"We're up soon" Coco said with a forced smile that Velvet saw straight through "So, make up your mind about where we're going to celebrate after we win, dinner and a movie?"  
"Coco" Velvet warned  
"I know, I know, I promised I wouldn't take you to my families restaurant and show you off straight away….Just the movie then?"  
"Damn it Coco!" she snapped "Can you be serious for a few minutes"  
"I actually was" her team leader snapped back "You know I like you Velvet, I like you a lot and you were the one who wanted us to still be friends and not make things awkward it doesn't have to be a date if we spend time together does it?" the Faunus ran her hands through her hair in frustration  
"That's not what I'm talking about" she sat down next to Coco "You're nervous and I can tell, you're right to be the pair we're up against work for Adam's business partner; promise me you'll be careful Coco"  
"So they're working with the guy who broke my little bunny's heart and put a gun to your head? I'm going to have so much fun" Coco snarled as she cracked her knuckles  
"Promise me Coco" Velvet pleaded  
"I promise you I'll be careful" the fashionista sighed, wrapping an arm around Velvet's shoulders "I can also promise you I'm going to break every bone in their fucking bodies" Velvet rolled her eyes and kissed her on the cheek, Coco looked at her confused bringing her hand to her cheek and brushing the spot the Faunus had kissed  
"For luck" Velvet explained with a smile  
"Well in that case" Coco grinned before leaning forwards and planting a brief kiss on her team-mates' lips  
"Let's go kick some ass"

Mercury and Emerald stepped hand in hand out into the arena to a cacophony of cheers  
"I see you've got a lot of fans" Mercury noted dryly  
"Aww, are you getting jealous baby?" Emerald snickered  
"Why would I be? They get to watch these fights, I get to wake up next to you, I win" he retorted as the pair made their way into the concrete circle that formed the centre of the arena, their opponents arriving to face them at the same time  
"Captain Scarlatina" Mercury greeted the Rabbit-Faunus with a slight nod of the head, her eyes widened slightly, Coco's knuckles clenched  
"Don't talk to her and after this match you don't even look at her" she threatened, venom lacing every syllable  
"Ladies and gentlemen!" Professor Port's voice sounded throughout the floating Colosseum "For the next match of the two on two round we have Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai representing Team MELO and the Haven Academy of Mistral" cheers erupted and a chorus of 'we love Em' could be faintly heard as the screens around the stadium displayed footage from their previous match  
"Well they've got some support here Miss Sustrai especially, stay classy boys, stay classy" Qrow drawled "They went to town on their last opponents, let's hope the locals give them more of a workout than Team REDD did"  
"Indeed" Oobleck interjected "Their opponents, a team that opened the tournament with a bang, Coco Adel and Velvet Scarlatina representing Team CFVY and the Beacon Academy of Vale!" the crowd went wild, Velvet scanned the audience and blushed at some of the signs she saw being held  
"That Scarlatina girl is not to be toyed with, if my nieces weren't competing this year I'd put money on her" Qrow admitted "But some of these fans in the crowd are taking things a little too far….I'm looking at you sweaty guy with a receding hairline in the third row with a 'bunny girls are cute' sign, it's not _in_ accurate but still a little nasty"  
"See it's not just me" Coco whispered, playfully nudging the Faunus as the arena began to form itself around them  
"On Mercury and Emerald's side of the field we have some rocky terrain" Oobleck noted impassively "And on Coco and Velvet's side of the field we have woodland. Three, two, one, begin!" as soon as the match started Coco swung the handbag that contained her weapon sending Emerald staggering back as in connected with her jaw, Mercury turned towards her leaping into the air, his right knee connecting with Coco's chin before he swung a low kick into the back of Velvet's right leg, buckling her knee and discharging his weapon into her left, flooring her, Coco regained her balance and made to deploy her weapon before she could open fire Emerald leapt over Mercury and landed on the barrel of the mini-gun, forcing it downwards the rounds impacting against the ground rather than her partner  
"And Team MELO seem to be off to an impressive start!" Port exclaimed, causing Emerald to smirk as she withdrew the Artful Dodgers forcing Coco to collapse her weapon and avoid the barrage of shots she unleashed, the smile was wiped from her face when the fashionista swung low, the handbag taking her opponents legs out from under her, she followed the swing through and delivered an axe kick that Emerald had to roll to avoid she sprinted towards the tree line as Satani Arbor was deployed once again, bullets raking up the ground behind the green haired Huntress  
"Every fucking bone" Coco snarled to herself as she followed.

"Your friend just lost, she's not going to come out of those woods" Mercury noted conversationally as Velvet swung Scarlet David's sword at his throat, the hired gun threw himself backwards, discharging both of his guns into her midsection as he landed in a handspring and launched himself back to his feet, his follow up attack, a butterfly kick was halted as Velvet readied replicas of Pyrrha's sword and shield, the translucent blue Akuo copy clattering against his right leg, as Mercury managed to untangle himself she switched to copies of Ember Celica delivering a brutal right uppercut to his chin, followed by a left hook hook and a haymaker that forced Mercury back  
"HEY, IT STOPS BEING COOL WHEN YOU USE MY NIECES' WEAPONS!" Qrow shouted into the microphone "I HELPED BUILD THOSE" Mercury rolled his shoulders and cracked his neck  
"Not bad Captain Scar-"  
"Don't call me that" Velvet hissed  
"Not bad Velvet, considering you're just a pale imitation of other fighters" Velvet narrowed her eyes and rushed forwards, Fox's arm mounted blades at the ready.

A tree splintered under a hail of gunfire, Coco was sure she had seen movement behind it but there was nothing, this made half a dozen felled trees and no clear sign of Emerald Sustrai  
"Okay, I'll only break most of your bones!" Coco called out as she stalked through the trees weapon at the ready "I'm not going to run out of ammo or patience, so get this over with and I'll leave your legs unbroken so you don't have to be carried out of the arena" she heard a giggle to her left, turning she unleashed a storm of bullets into the source of the sound, only to be knocked to the ground as something impacted against her back, struggling to reach Satani Arbor which had been flung from her grip she cried out in pain as a heel connected with her hand  
"So, scale of one to ten, how much of an idiot do you feel right now?" Emerald sneered, leaning forwards to pluck Coco's beret from her head and place it on her own before discharging one of her weapons into her face at point blank range, when the fashionista blinked the dust out of her eyes Emerald was gone, rushing towards her discarded mini-gun she was sickened to see upon picking it up that the feed for the ammo was clearly broken, Emerald didn't intend to fight her, she intended to hunt her

Velvet was swept from her feet, rolling backwards she righted herself and charged back towards her opponent, readying a weapon she felt conflicted about constantly defaulting to, Wilt  
"NOW THAT'S A KATANA!" Qrow called, Velvet had a split second to react when she saw the smirk that crossed Mercury's face, it wasn't enough; he leapt over her wide slash and simultaneously discharged two Dust rounds, a Gravity Dust round from his left foot propelling his back-flip to impossible speeds as the Fire Dust round fired from his right engulfed his boot in flames as it connected with Velvet's chin sending her crashing to the ground  
"Mercury Black making excellent use of Dust and the ability to duel wield there" Professor Oobleck addressed the crowd "Velvet Scarlatina is an adaptable fighter but she just can't seem to find the openings"  
"You're a jack of all trades and a master of none" Mercury called over to Velvet as she picked herself up and dusted herself off, glaring at him as she settled into a stance without preparing a weapon, resting on the balls of her feet, one knee slightly raised  
"A kick boxer?" Mercury asked with a raised eyebrow and a grin, before deactivating his weapons and settling into a similar stance "Now that's more like it"  
Coco ducked a moment before a bullet pierced the tree behind her, neatly punching a hole through the space her head had occupied moments before, she needed to make it out of the trees and fight Emerald in the open but the Mistrali Huntress had so far managed to keep her caged in, Coco had no idea how to fight her as Emerald's movements seemed to make no sound; she was beginning to compare this fight to her time beyond the front lines  
"Didn't die then. Not dying now" she hissed furiously to herself as she decided to make a break for it, sprinting forwards with her mini-gun slung across her back, upon close inspection the mechanism to collapse it had been damaged as well. Bullets whizzed past her as she bounded towards where Mercury and Velvet fought  
"Emerald Sustrai seems to have Coco Adel on the run!" Professor Port called out  
"I've seen that look before, never from people running from another Hunter though" Qrow observed, a bitter note in his voice; finally against all odds she made it, sprinting across the arena she called out to her team-mate

"Velvet, my weapon's damaged I need help-" she was cut off as her legs were pulled from under her, before she could right herself she felt a foot stamp between her shoulder blades and saw one of the sickle blades of Emerald's weapons being retracted on a chain, Velvet made to react rushing towards them, Emerald pulled Satani Arbor from Coco's back and did the seemingly impossible, _she fired it._ The previously inoperative weapon spat a barrage of rounds into Velvet sending her crashing to the ground clutching her chest  
"Velvet Scarlatina is knocked into the red by Emerald Sustrai!" Professor Port exclaimed  
"Velvet really should have told her team-mate Emerald was on her tail" Qrow noted, enraged Coco managed to throw Emerald off of her, rising to her feet she made to throw a devastating punch only to be sent to the ground again as Mercury caught her with a kick to the ribs  
"Don't worry" Emerald grinned as the fashionista struggled to rise and face down both opponents "We'll leave your legs unbroken so you don't have to be carried out of the arena"

It was night when Velvet had re-entered the dorm to find the lights were off, she and Coco had meant to stay and watch the rest of the matches with Fox and Yatsuhashi; many other students had given their condolences to Team CFVY, the public opinion seemed to be that their opponents tactics were unsporting and needlessly brutal, that changed however when Coco had gone to get something to eat from the stands and then failed to return; making a few enquires she found out from Sun Wukong that Coco had been seen boarding a Bull-head back to Beacon  
"You really just left without saying anything?" Velvet gave her team leader an annoyed glare  
"Didn't feel like being in the middle of a pity party" Coco didn't meet her eyes  
"Without saying anything" Velvet repeated "Why are you sitting here moping in the dark you could have said something, we'd have gone somewhere else" seeing Coco still refuse to meet her eyes Velvet moved to her team-mates' bed and sat next to her  
"Thought you wanted to take me to your families place and show me off?"  
"Yeah that'll go down well" Coco laughed bitterly "Hey Mum, Dad, did you see me get my weapon taken off me in the tournament, here's my team-mate who got shot in the chest with it"  
"Oh for fuck sake" Velvet seethed "Is that really what this is about? We lost, it sucks, how we lost sucks even more but oh well, there's no point being sore losers about it"  
"They're with the people that caused the breach, they're with the person that tried to hurt you!" Coco hissed "So forgive me if I'm a little upset about the way that went, they used my weapon on you then stomped me into the floor and I couldn't do anything to stop it. That wasn't even a fight Velvet they were playing with us" Velvet sighed as she took Coco's hand in hers, her fingers tracing the surprising amount of callouses  
"I know" she sighed "They don't fight like Huntsman and that's what we went in expecting to face" letting Coco rest her head on her shoulder she kissed the top of her head and whispered "Oh and don't worry, next time I see her I'm going pummel Emerald until she gives your beret back"  
"When did you become more bad as than me" Coco chuckled  
"Please no more comments about my ass today" Velvet shuddered "I feel unclean after what I read on some of those signs"  
"Well, they've got taste….Even if they don't have hygiene" Coco gave a genuine smile at that before leaning up from Velvet's shoulder to kiss her cheek  
"That one wasn't for luck" Velvet noted  
"No, I'm not expecting to get lucky tonight"  
"You're a jackass and the fact I'm attracted to you makes no sense" The Faunus sighed giving Coco a mocking pout  
"You're actually attracted to me?" Coco asked sounding somewhat shocked  
"I told you we could give this a try after the tournament and everything with the White Fang settled down"  
"Yeah I know you did" Coco chewed her lip nervously before continuing "I honestly thought you were just letting me down gently, hoping I'd get over it before then-" she trailed when she saw Velvet's expression  
"Coco" she said sternly before cupping her cheeks "Stop talking" with that their lips met.

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Two on two matches are now under way. I will probably show the Team JNPR match as well.  
Yang Puns.  
Gangrel wants Adam's head but he's not enough of a dick to give Velvet a hard time over what happened.  
Qrow: Back by popular demand.  
I love the idea of over-dramatic, overprotective Coco that's also not great with feelings.  
Emerald and Velvet would totally have creepy fan-boys.  
Yes Merc knows that Velvet left the White Fang he calls her by her rank and title to mess with her.  
Mercury and Velvet are both kick-boxers.  
Fighting Emerald when she has cover to use to her advantage is basically fighting the Predator.  
Emerald made Coco think that weapon was broken, then when she followed her out of the trees she switched to Velvet and hid herself from her view.  
You thought Cross-Hares would not appear in this story, you have been misled.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Yeah Squish will face consequences, Gangrel only really gave a slap on the wrist and even then it was because he was doing it on the way to Beacon; growing up in the sort of environments they did has obviously knocked their moral compasses a little off, Gangrel may be trying to better himself but old habits die hard.  
Sorry Drake, I would be a shitty writer but I don't have any of my old work from five years ago to re-post.  
Yeah in this story Adam is the acting overall leader, Sienna Khan wasn't a thing when I started writing; I've stated that a lot of the leadership of the White Fang is dead/in prison/in hiding; I have plans for the White Fang moving forwards so depending on how much I like the Sienna Khan character when we meet her in canon she may be mentioned.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	49. 49: Advancing

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 49: Advancing**

Penny ducked under Cardin's mace before throwing two of her swords behind him their blades sinking into the ground, planting a foot on his chest she retracted the tethers back into her self dragging her forwards and kicking the larger Hunter almost the entire way across the arena to a thunderous applause from the crowd  
"First time I've ever sided against the Vale team" Qrow noted "But Polendina has definitely got some moves….And I'm not just saying that because she's dating my niece; also Polendina you're dating my niece. We will have to have a very serious discussion" Penny turned to the announcers box and gave Qrow a mocking salute before turning to her partner  
"Ciel do you need assistance?" Ciel was currently engaged in combat with Russell Thrush, her ornate wristwatch expanded into its' combat mode _Chrono-Gachette_ a heavy black gauntlet with pale blue accents that fired explosive discs  
"Negative" Ciel answered as she calmly ducked under Russells' slash "Return to your own opponent"  
"Yeah we're not done" Cardin interrupted with a snarl, Penny turned to face him smiling twirling a pair of swords  
"Sensational" the pair circled each other for a few moments before Cardin sneered  
"So which one of you is the pity fuck then?"  
"Excuse-" she was cut off by the feeling of Jericho impacting against the side of her head, Cardin for his part look confused as to why she only staggered a few steps instead of crashing to the floor  
"Which one of you is the pity fuck?" he repeated "Are you showing the kid a good time out of sympathy or is she genuinely the best you can get?" Penny sighed before blowing a strand of her coppery hair that fallen in front of her face out of her eyes and replacing her swords back in their storage unit  
"Polendina looks like she's going to try and fight Cardin Winchester unarmed!" Port exclaimed, Penny charged forwards and leapt into the air, delivering a spinning kick to his breastplate, landing she ducked under his attempt to grab her before leaping into the air again, her left foot connecting with his right forearm, sending Jericho flying from his grip as her right elbow impacted against chin with a crunch, as he staggered back her left fist ploughed into his solar plexus, Cardin hit the floor gasping for breath as Penny delivered a vicious kick to his jaw  
"And Polendina is handing out an absolute smack down!" Qrow exclaimed "I would love to know what Winchester said to get that reaction out of her"  
"Get up" Penny hissed softly as she hauled the larger Huntsman to his feet by the scruff of his neck and bludgeoning him with fists, feet knees and elbows until something whizzed past her head connecting with Cardin's armour and sticking in place, Penny's eyes widened as she realised what it was she managed to leap aside as Ciel's explosive detonated  
"Cardin Winchester is knocked into the red by Ciel Soleil!" Port announced  
"You need to calm down Penny" Ciel instructed sternly "Do not let psychological warfare affect you" Penny didn't bother replying instead drawing a single sword and throwing it forwards, sailing past Ciel and into Russell's armour as he attempted to attack her from behind, retracting her tether she swung her left elbow forwards connecting with the Mohawk sporting Hunter's temple as he was dragged towards her  
"And Russell Thrush is knocked into the red by Penny Polendina, the match goes to Ciel Soleil and Penny Polendina of Team CPIA"

"RUBY ROSE WHAT ARE YOU DOING IN HERE?" Ciel demanded in a harsh screech as she hurried to wrap a towel around herself, having chosen to shower and change into her Atlas Academy uniform immediately after the match  
"Heh sorry" Ruby chuckled with a shrug averting her eyes "Nobody else really gets changed here after matches, they usually just let the next team have the lockers and go back to Beacon"  
"Well I don't want to sit in the audience stinking of sweat for the rest of the day"  
"Fair point, I just came to congratulate Penny" Ruby explained as she moved through the locker room, finding the girl in question  
"Ruby!" Penny exclaimed pulling her into a tight hug "Let me guess, you managed to sneak in by phasing through walls" she whispered  
"Yep" Ruby grinned kissing her, Penny proceeded to sit back down on the bench allowing the smaller girl to straddle her and rest her head on her shoulder  
"You were amazing out there" Ruby breathed softly into her ear "What _did_ Cardin say to you though, you looked mad?"  
"You don't want to know specifics, just that he deserved it" a small frown momentarily crossed Penny's face "Oh and Ironwood specifically suggested that I be the member of Team CPIA to represent the Team in the one on one stage of the tournament"  
"That great news!" Ruby exclaimed nuzzling into Penny's neck, kissing the sensitive spot she'd found after Team RWBYs triumph in the first round, the result was instant, Penny bit her lip to suppress a gasp her hand sliding under Ruby's skirt to grab her rear  
"I have other good news as well" Penny told her  
"Penny, the next team will need to use this locker room soon" Ciel interrupted  
"I'll be out in a minute" Penny called back, waiting until she heard the door of the locker room close to turn to Ruby  
"I'm going to transfer to Beacon next year"  
"Really!" Ruby squealed "Are you sure you'd be allowed? I me-" Penny silenced her with a kiss  
"General Ironwood won't like it, but I can convince my Father" Ruby cupped the mechanical girls' cheeks and kissed her, Penny's grip tightened on the smaller girl, a hand trailing up her back and curling in her hair as Ruby kissed along her neck and collarbone eliciting a series a gasps and whimpers from her, needing more contact Penny hoisted Ruby up and slammed her against the lockers, their lips crashing together again as the smaller girl wrapped a leg around her waist and Penny's hand situated under Ruby's skirt grabbed the waistline of her panties  
"Penny that one minute is up….Oh" she stopped, blushing at the position she found her team-mate and her girlfriend in, Ruby pulled her hood over her face hiding her own embarrassment  
"I'll, I'll tell them you'll be out in a while" Ciel stammered  
"No need, we'll leave now" Penny sighed "Sorry about her, do you want me to come to your dorm tonight?"  
"We probably won't have it to ourselves" Ruby admitted dejectedly "But you're always welcome to come and spend the night"

Weiss strode into the arena side by side with Yang, eyes scanning the crowd knowing that Winter would be watching  
"Any idea what to expect from Atlas trained Hunters?" the blonde muttered to her  
"Normally I'd say expect something like Ciel, precise with a well thought out strategy"  
"But?"  
"But it's Flynt and Neon, Coal has a bone to pick with me according to Gangrel and Neon is well…."  
"She's Neon" Yang laughed  
"Precisely"  
"Entering the stadium we have-" Professor Oobleck was cut off  
"No chance Barty I'm doing this one" Qrow laughed into the microphone "Entering the stadium now we have Weiss 'I don't have a nickname for you that I haven't already called your sister' Schnee and Yang 'Firecracker' Xiao Long representing Team RWBY and the Beacon academy of Vale!" the crowd were whipped into a frenzy, Yang made a point of posing  
"What on Remnant are you doing?" Weiss asked bewildered  
"Giving the fans what they want" the blonde laughed as she motioned to a sign which proclaimed _'Guns on her guns'  
_ "Your fans are imbeciles" Weiss noted with a shake of the head  
"I've got more though" Yang countered  
"Nah she has fans" a voice interrupted "They're all just either scared of Gang, scared of her sister or scared of what her Daddy might make happen to them"  
"And entering the stadium" Qrow announced "Are their opponents Flynt 'The lady killer" Coal and Neon 'Oobleck what the fuck did you put in this drink?' Katt the crowd erupted into equal parts cheers and uproarious laughter, Yang doubled over clutching her sides in hysterics  
"Oh Oum it's almost worth him using that nickname" she managed to gasp out"  
"Yeah yeah, laugh it up fun-bags" Neon smirked drawing her weapons  
"Fun-bags?" Yang sputtered  
"Y'know 'cos you're so….Top heavy"  
"Oh this will end poorly" Weiss observed as she saw her team-mates' eye begin to twitch.

"I see Neon is being her usual self" Blake noted with a small grin as she leaned to address Team GRAP who were in the row in front, Ruby and Penny were next to her but Blake steadfastly refused to be the one to break the silence and ask why they were both blushing awkwardly  
"She's going to try and out-Yang Yang….that may actually break the fabric of reality" Rover snorted  
"It's Flynt they need to watch out for" Gangrel growled "His Dads' business went under, between robberies and the SDC and insurance companies driving up their prices Coals' Dust just isn't making enough"  
"So he's going to take it out on Weiss" Blake sighed  
"He wants someone to lash out at"  
"Match is starting" Squish called leaning forward in his seat  
"Three, two, one. Begin!" Ooblecks voice called  
"Kick their asses Neon!" Squish cheered, faltering slightly when he saw the look Gangrel was giving him and jumping when he felt Blake's hand in on his shoulder  
"Squish" the feline chuckled "Do the smart thing, sit down and shut up"

"BASS CANNON!" Flynt called as his trumpet shifted into into an advanced looking sonic-handgun which he crouched down and fired directly into the ground sending a shock wave through the stadium, every window in the ruined cityscape behind him shattered and the sand of the desert that formed Yang and Weiss's side of the field rippled as they were flung from their feet  
"Flynt can fight at range but I'll cover you, make Neon bring the fight to you her skates can't get traction on sand" Weiss instructed, raising a glyph to deflect the latest attack from Flynt's sonic weapon  
"Erm, Weiss how sure are you?" Yang asked as she saw Neon skating towards them at full speed, as she reached the sand covered portion of the arena the wheels of her skates shifted sideways and allowed her to hover above the ground  
"Hi Yang!" her nunchaku causing Yang's head to whip to the side as they connected  
"Bye Yang!" Neon cackled as she skated off, rainbow coloured light trailing behind her  
"Okay new plan" Weiss called as Yang leapt back to her feet  
"Yeah! Rush 'em!" the blonde snarled rushing forwards, gauntlets at the ready  
"Come get some!" Neon laughed gleefully charging towards her, Weiss cast an acceleration glyph on the ground in front of her team-mate to propel her forwards, Neon saw this and turned sharply solidifying the rainbow trail that was a manifestation of her Semblance it shattered when Yang impacted against it robbing both of them of their momentum  
"You can't keep taking hits like that sunshine" Neon cooed, stepping back when she saw Yang's eyes flicker  
"Yes I can" the blonde smirked rushing forwards again.

Weiss through up glyph after glyph as they were buffeted by Coal who had taken to using his Semblance the 'Killer Quartet' as Qrow had called it, she needed to get out of the open and onto his side of the arena, the cityscape would provide some cover  
"Yang give me an opening!" She called, the blonde nodded spraying Flynt and his replicas with a barrage of shells, the blonde paid for diverting her attention away from Neon when the Faunus slide-tackled her to the ground. Weiss used the split second that Flynt wasn't firing at her to propel herself up and over him with an acceleration glyph, ricocheting off of a wall back towards the older Hunter forming a series of glyphs around his copies, leaping from glyph to glyph she slashed through the copies before his forearm connected with her throat sending her to the ground struggling to breathe  
"Shame all that money can't buy you skill"

Yang and Neon were at an impasse, Yang couldn't land any decisive hits on her energetic opponent but she had figured out her technique enough to avoid the majority of her blows, Neon for her part seemed to know that staying close to Yang for an extended amount of time would spell disaster  
"Ooh throat shot from Flynt, that's no way to treat a lady" Qrow sounded as though he'd actually winced at that "Then again, if the antics after his last match were anything to go by he might just get more ladies than me, so who knows"  
"So, you might not be the _biggest_ laughing stock on the field right now" Yang's eyes flashed red at Neon's tormenting "Ooh pretty….Hey do you and Blake _only_ have angry sex? Because I wouldn't blame her"  
"Shut up! Shut up! Shut Up!" every word was punctuated with an explosive round from Ember Celica, Neon expertly weaved around the shots calling to her partner  
"Flynt, give me a boost!"  
"One flash bang special coming up!" Flynt shifted _'Duke Ellington'_ back into it's trumpet form and let loose a piercing note that sent a burst of air forwards, propelling Neon to an insane speed, the Faunus triggered her Semblance shifting the kinetic energy into solid mass she hit Yang like a multicoloured comet

Weiss struggled back to her feet hearing the roar of the crowd as Neon crashed into Yang, gasping as she saw her friend actually bounce several times after hitting the floor  
"GET UP YANG! YOU'RE NOT DONE YET, GET UP!" Qrow ordered  
"Can you at least pretend to be impartial?" Oobleck asked with a resigned sigh  
"NO!" she saw Flynt ready his weapon again making to snipe Yang as soon as she stood up, he hadn't realised that Weiss had made it to her feet yet as soon as her weapon fired she generated the strongest glyph she could directly in front of the muzzle of the weapon, the blast decimated the trumpet and flung Flynt and backwards into Weiss who he proceeded to grab, dragging them both over the edge of the arena  
"Excellent technique from Weiss Schnee, met with an excellent counter from Flynt Coal!" Port exclaimed "A double ring-out, this calibre of play ensures that the fortieth Vytal Tournament will be one for the ages!"  
Weiss and Flynt both forced themselves into sitting positions, Flynt removed his sunglasses looking heartbroken at the sight of his ruined weapon  
"I can help you fix it" Weiss whispered, hand covering her mouth when she saw what she'd done  
"Fuck you, fuck your family and fuck your money" Flynt spat "My and dad built this from scratch, not one SDC made part"  
"Okay fuck you too" Weiss seethed, catching herself off guard with the profanity "If you really think I'm just my family name then you clearly weren't paying attention, secondly my father cut me off, the only Schnee equipment I own or use is either publicly available or Myrtenaster and I do my own weapon maintenance" Weiss motioned to her sword  
"Whatever Schnee" Flynt sighed limping towards the exit "I can see why Gang likes you, he's a dumb-ass and you'll probably ruin his life one day. Tell him if he needs me I'll be in the workshop

"So, that was a thing" Yang said awestruck by Weiss's final move of the battle  
"It was pretty cool" Neon admitted, the two of them had been completely distracted from the fight "Anyway, back to it, let's see if I can help you loose a few pounds" the Faunus smirked before skating backwards and blowing raspberries  
"I WILL END YOU!" Yang roared charging forwards, clicking Gravity Dust rounds into place and firing both gauntlets to propel herself forward, Neon's eyes widened when she realised that she hadn't built enough momentum to generate a light shield before the blonde crashed into her and blows began to rain down on her face and chest  
"Neon Katt is knocked into the red by Yang Xiao Long and the match goes to Team RWBY!" Oobleck called out  
"Hey" Neon mumbled, barely audible over the din of the crowd, as Yang helped her to her feet the Faunus flung her arms around her "I am so, so, so, so sorry for everything I said, I was just trying to psyche you out"  
"It's cool" Yang laughed "Just don't make the angry sex comment to Blake….Kitty's got claws"

"Right there, harder" Weiss groaned as Gangrel's hands worked her body; the match had left her sore and aching, the Bear-Faunus had a hidden skill, he gave great massages  
"So how much of a prick was Flynt out there?" he asked "I know he will have said something to you"  
"He was obviously hurting that his father's business is going under, he blames the SDC, dismantling his weapon obviously didn't help….He said he'll be in the workshop if you want to talk to him"  
"Nah he can wait" Gangrel sighed "It's not really the SDCs fault as much as I dislike them in general, their prices went up and so did insurance after all the robberies that the White Fang pulled in Atlas, if he wants someone to lash out at it should be whoever kept hitting his Dads' place"  
"Was that the White Fang?" Weiss asked before sighing in pleasure as Gangrel found just the right spot on her shoulder  
"Fuck no, we all loved old man Coal" Gangrel laughed "He turned down the SDCs offers to get bought out more times than anyone, half of his business was White Fang affiliates we'd rather pay a little extra and get it from him than let the SDC pay lobbyists to keep our wages low; Sienna, the White Fang leader before Adam actually offered him protection at a discount, he'd have been the only human owned businessman with White Fang watching his back"  
"He turned it down?"  
"Yeah, old man coal has been legit his whole life, kinda had to with his wife being a cop but still, the man kept to his principals"  
"Sounds like you looked up to him?" Weiss asked  
"I kinda did" he sighed "While my Dad was in jail I think I was just looking for people to latch onto, Tukson taught me to fight, same as he did for Blake and rest of us. Flynt's Dad taught me some of the basics of metalwork, he built all of his own Dust handling equipment so he knew some stuff, Sienna was the owner of Lobo-Cachorro and she demanded respect…..Then there was Adam, we all followed Adam around because he always seemed to know what it was we needed most and how to get it"  
"It's hard to think of him as anything other than a monster" Weiss said simply  
"He is now and he always had a mean streak, he would fight anyone for anything….then again so did I, but when you're getting harassed and beat up by police for no reason, racists keep putting bricks through your windows and spray-painting abuse on your front door then someone suggests a way to hit back or get some more money so we can afford to buy a Faunus kid who just mugged some new shoes or a coat for the winter, eventually you'll do it" the conversation was halted as the door opened revealing the rest of Team RWBY, Penny and Neon  
"Damn Ice Queen" Yang smirked "Straight after the match? You've got no chill….Is winter close to coming?"  
"Ask you uncle" Gangrel shot back, finding Weiss's shirt on and handing it to her  
"Okay that's gross, tell him that's gross!" Yang cried  
"You started it, you're on your own" Weiss sighed, trying to feign indifference despite her blush  
"You mean I'm Ice-olated?"  
"Okay you guys are fun, we should hang out more" Neon giggled  
"Well we're just going to have a movie night, we kind of left Ruby on her own after the last match" Blake told her  
"Not that she minded in the end" Yang muttered nudging her sister jokingly "But you're welcome to stay"  
"Cool" Neon smiled brightly "I don't _just_ go to raves in my time off, I'll order some food"  
"Yang and Neon in a confined space" Gangrel whispered in Weiss's ear "We're all going to die"  
"Dolt" she giggled kissing his cheek "I'll protect you"

The vault was nearly completely dark, the only light coming from a bank of screens and terminals surrounding a pair of what appeared to be advanced life support machines, heavy cables connecting them, two individuals were visible in the periphery of the gloom  
"We have a promising candidate for the Fall Maiden's powers" Ozpin said gently "Amber's sacrifice will not forgotten, nor will it be in vain"  
"Great" Qrow growled out "So who will I be a disappointment to this time?" he asked before draining the contents of the bottle he was holding before peering down into the occupied life support machine to gaze upon the scarred and ruined face of its' occupant  
"You can't keep blaming yourself Qrow" Ozpin placed a hand firmly on his shoulder  
"Oh trust me I can" Qrow laughed bitterly "We're supposed to protect the Maidens, I only ever seem to get there in time to retrieve their bodies…..Fuck, I am so sorry Summer" his whole body shook and a single sob escaped him before he pitched his empty bottle across the vault  
"You did everything you could for Summer Rose" Ozpin stated in a tone that made it clear he would hear no argument "And you brought Taiyang back from the edge and forced him to be the man you know he is for the sake of his daughters, do not write yourself of as a failure Qrow"  
"Our enemy is going to make their move Oz despite anything our Atlesian allies pull, it's going to be soon"  
"Indeed" Ozpin said with a nod of his head "And when the time comes we will both be stood beside young Miss Nikos"

Authors Notes:

Okay so I've seen Vol.4 Episode 03 and Blake refers to Menagerie as 'home' yeah no, she joined the White Fang to protest anti-Faunus discrimination, why would she be facing discrimination in the Faunus homeland; the one place she feels comfortable taking her bow off. I think my approach of making her an Atlas native makes more sense.

So to summarise:  
Yes Ciel actually gets a weapon out and does something in this fight. Her watch is a gauntlet/wrist mounted bomb dispenser called _Chrono-Gachette_ (Gachette being French for trigger, her weapon is called Chrono Trigger….'cos It's a watch.  
Cardin goofed (Also yes it was Cardin and Russell, because I refuse to believe he's the sort of guy who would let his Team-Mates have the spotlight)  
Ciel just handed out the level one hundred cock-block.  
Qrow announcing is quite possibly one of the things I'm most proud of in this story.  
Squish being stuck between Gangrel and Blake in the crowd made me chuckle when I thought about it.  
Flynt and Neon's weapons got an upgrade, her skates turn into hover boots so she can fight in all terrain, Flynt's weapon doesn't rely on him blowing into it to work. They also have their own team attack name 'The flash bang special' also his trumpet/sonic cannon is called _Duke Ellington_ because Jazz  
Neon is still Neon and messes with Yang's head, but they know each other through Team GRAP hence the apology after.  
Flynt and Weiss get no such reconciliation.  
You thought that was the start of a Weiss & Gangrel smut scene….You were misled  
Qrow has seen some shit and has regrets.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Okay as funny as the RvB quote would be, those can't be Penny's last words  
Cross Hares is a great consolation prize.  
Yeah Merc is a dick, his match with Yang is going to be fun to write, let's see how many Deadpool references I can throw in, Qrow is _obviously_ going to introduce him as 'Merc with a mouth'

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	50. 50: Legends and Memories

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 50: Legends and Memories**

Gangrel and Rover strode into the stadium for their bout in the second round of the tournament, Rover's mask resting atop his head a broad smile plastered across his face as the audience cheered  
"Blake was right" Gangrel observed with a smirk "It should have been you and Missy out here, the crowd would have love it"  
"And for the next match of the doubles round we have Gangrel Slate and a Huntsman who made every romantic in attendance tear up during his last match, Rover Tan representing Team GRAP and the Beacon Academy of Vale!" the crowd went wild at Professor Port's introduction, Gangrel could hear that a significant amount of those cheering were female  
"That was a ballsy way to pop the question I'll admit" one of their opponents chuckled by way of greeting, the pair both stood at roughly six foot two, lean and pale each with a deep green eye peering from behind a fringe, the male of the pair had glossy black hair covering his right eye and wore gunmetal armour of loose fitting white clothes, his partner a young woman with pure white hair covering her left eye wore identical armour over black clothes  
"It's been a while" Gangrel gave the pair a nod of acknowledgement  
"And their opponents" Port continued "The duo that the crowds have taken to calling the terror twins, Aspro and Mavros Didymo representing Team AMBR and the Shade Academy of Vaccuo!"  
"Before we continue" Oobleck interjected, the screen flickered into life showing a match that the competitors in the arena remembered "I think it would be remiss of us to neglect to mention this match being a grudge match, Team AMBR were beaten by Team GRAP in the first round of the thirty-ninth Vytal Tournament"  
"No hard feelings about smashing your head through a wall right?" Gangrel smirked at Mavros  
"None at all" he smirked right back, before turning to Rover "Seriously congrats on getting engaged"  
"Thanks" the canine grinned before lowering his mask over his face "Sorry if we went a little overboard last time"  
"We get it" Aspro smiled "You came into the stadium and even the announcer was being racist towards you, you had to make a point. Don't worry us kicking your asses this time is strictly business….even when it feels personal" as she spoke the arena began to form around them  
"We have grassy hills on Team AMBR's side of the field and plain tarmac on Team GRAP's….are you actually kidding me right now?" Qrow laughed "Seriously this should have been the last match of the day just for dramas sake and now we've got the most boring arena possible, can we re-roll? No?….Fine whatever, three, two, one. Begin!" Rover shot forwards in a blur of golden light towards Aspro, skidding to a halt behind them when he missed her, she was now stood on the opposite side of Mavros to where she had been previously, the twins drew their weapons, sword/rifle hybrids  
"Fuck, forget about their Semblance" Rover called  
"No problem" Gangrel laughed teleporting behind them as he drew his own blades, reappearing in the air behind them he made to deliver a downward slash to the back of each of their heads, Mavros vanished reappearing in front of Aspro, his arm phasing _through_ her as he blocked Gangrel's strike aimed at his sister who promptly heel kicked Gangrel back several paces, before their assault was halted by several rounds from Malis-Canis courtesy of Rover  
"Okay that's definitely new" Gangrel noted with a questioning glance  
"I know it's almost like we've improved over the course of two years" Aspro smiled sweetly  
"We've always been in perfect sync with each other" Mavros explained "But now it's on a different level"  
"Cute, I can do that as well" Rover growled from behind his mask rushing forwards to phase through the dark haired twin, who vanished only to reappear on the other side of his sister, the pair of them parried the barrage of shots sent their way, their arms and blades passing harmlessly through each other  
"Okay that Semblance is just creepy" Qrow announced "Don't get me wrong it's useful, but damn it's creepy"  
"Rover pull back!" Gangrel ordered as he teleported to the top of the hill, his team-mate reappeared next to him with a display of sparks and arcing electricity  
"You got a plan?" Rover asked as he watched the twins advance on their position  
"We're approaching this wrong" Gangrel growled "We can keep trying to split them up, it can't be done, can you box 'em both in at the same time?"  
"I can but won't they just phase or teleport?"  
"No, that's the fun thing" Gangrel grinned "Their Semblance is more limited than ours, they can only teleport to or phase through each other"  
"Got it" Rover nodded before streaking towards the twins, veering off as their weapons were aimed at him before circling them at an insane speed, gradually decreasing the perimeter trapping them. Gangrel teleported between the pair of them his swords converted to their bow form  
"This might feel personal" the Bear-Faunus laughed as he fired an explosive Dust tipped arrow directly into Aspro's chest, the white haired girl was flung backwards and caught by Rover  
"Sister!" Mavros exclaimed teleporting to her location at the exact moment Rover triggered his Semblance and launched her from the arena  
"Unbelievable!" Port exclaimed "Team GRAP use the twin's Semblance against them spectacularly, Aspro Didymo is removed from the arena by Rover Tan, Mavros Didymo removes himself from the arena meaning Team GRAP take the match!" Qrow's demented laughter could be heard throughout the entirety of the announcement  
"Well played" Aspro chuckled as her twin helped her back to her feet "Shame this is our last chance to compete, if you two ever find yourselves in Vaccuo get in touch" Gangrel merely laughed  
"Will do, I technically have to ask permission before I'm allowed back there though"  
"Sounds like a fun story, you'll have to tell me it some time"  
"We can meet up after if you'd like, I'll bring my girlfriend" Gangrel smiled, not catching the way his former opponents face fell.

"Your woman is up next, you should be out there with her boy" Craven Arc noted gruffly, Jaune sighed  
"Pyrrha and Nora makes more sense tactically" the blonde forced his tone to stay even "Me and Pyrrha work better fighting against Grimm I form a defensive wall for her since her Semblance is less use against them, against other Hunters it makes more sense for her and Nora to go on a highly mobile all out offensive"  
"You don't have to explain it" his father grunted "I never said you were stupid, I said you should man up"  
"He's right Dad" Victoria interjected, his older sister leaning down from the row behind them, his younger sister Citrus next to her waiting eagerly for the next match to start "I've sparred with Pyrrha, she doesn't need to use Jaune as cover. Besides her reputation precedes her and Nora is downright scary, those two together is enough to psyche out any opponent they face"  
"Doesn't change the fact that Arc's protect what matters, that's who we are and who we always have been"  
"Like you protected your left foot?" Jaune asked earning himself a gasp of surprise from his older sister and a nervous giggle from the younger, nobody _ever_ mentioned Craven Arc's prosthetic foot or the pronounced limp he walked with  
"I lost it to a Grimm that would've swallowed you whole boy and I killed the bastard right after as well, next time you give me lip I'll take you into that arena myself and remind you that you're not too grown for a thick ear"  
"I don't think that would end the way you expect it to" Ren spoke up, having remained silent thus far "I've seen Jaune decapitate an Ursa Major in a single swing, you might have experience Mister Arc, but you're not in your prime"  
"Sweet Oum" Citrus giggled while blushing, Jaune had noticed the looks his younger sister gave Ren and silently hoped Nora didn't "I think he just said you're past it Dad"  
"I didn't mean to-"  
"Don't apologise" Craven chuckled "It's good to see the people that are teaching Jaune to actually stand up for himself and talk back"  
"Match is about to start" Victoria noted, the crowd erupted into thunderous applause as the armoured prizefighter marched into the arena, Nora bouncing in behind her twirling Magnhild as if it weighed nothing and waving to her fans while grinning like a maniac; their opponents entered from the opening opposite and Jaune was sure it wasn't just his imagination telling him that the pair already looked nervous and defeated  
"She looks ready to kick ass….boy you better not fuck up, you won't find a woman like that twice and I expect some warrior grand kids" Craven smirked  
"Dad" the younger arc warned  
"Dad let him be, for once" Victoria sighed before leaning into her brothers ear though "He is right though" Citrus leaned back in her seat and folded her arms  
"The other team look like wimps, this is going to be over in seconds"

It was over in seconds, Nora had caught one of their opponents with a hammer strike to the chin that smashed him into the roof of the protective dome before blasting him out of the arena with her grenade launcher; Pyrrha had utterly outclassed her own opponent with such ruthless efficiency she almost felt sorry for him  
"So how are we celebrating, not that was even a fight worth celebrating am I right? I mean seriously who did those guys even manage to beat to get into the second round? And why wasn't the funny announcer talking for our match?" Nora rattled off questions in her usual disjointed way as she skipped alongside Pyrrha back towards the locker room  
"I'm happy with however the rest of you want to celebrate"  
"Miss Nikos" a voice uttered quietly from behind them as they entered the lockers, the two Huntresses turned to face an older man whose voice was familiar  
"Hey you're the funny man" Nora cried "And you're Hunter who had a fight with the army girl, sorry but this locker room is taken right now"  
"I'll only take a moment of your time, I need to speak with Miss Nikos"  
"STRANGER DANGER!" Nora called out  
"I'm not-" the man sputtered "I'm Yang and Ruby's uncle"  
"Sure you are"  
"I am not drunk enough to deal with this right now" the man sighed pinching the bridge of his nose "Miss Nikos, my name is Qrow Branwen, I am currently in Beacon at Professor Ozpin's behest, the headmaster wishes for me to bring you to meet with him as soon as you are able"  
"Don't go with him Pyrrha, he's going to offer you sweets and puppies….or really sweet puppies and have his wicked way with you in a van with a stained mattress in the back, I've seen the internet"  
"Nora!" Pyrrha exclaimed before turning to Qrow "So sorry, I'll accompany you to meet with Professor Ozpin mister Branwen"

The door to the vault opened at Ozpin heard two distinct pairs of footsteps approach  
"Thank you for bringing Miss Nikos here Qrow" the headmaster said without turning around  
"Professor Ozpin, how can I help-" Pyrrha's question was cut off as she saw the body in one of the two life support machines "Who is that, what's going on here?"  
"A lot of stuff you shouldn't have to deal with kid but life is dealing you a cruel hand" Qrow's words had a bitter edge  
"Miss Nikos" Ozpin began "What I am going to tell you is going to sound impossible but I must assure you that everything I tell you is the truth, I must also insist that none of what you have seen or will hear in this vault or even the existence of this vault reaches the ears of anyone else, do I have your word Miss Nikos?"  
"Yes Professor" Pyrrha nodded nervously  
"I trust you are familiar with the story of the Four Maidens?" the professor asked  
"I-I am" Pyrrha stammered "My mother loved that story, she used to read it to me regularly as a child"  
"It's one of the classics" Qrow interjected with a grin "My sister used to love it"  
"But what does that fairy tale have to do with anything?" Pyrrha asked, Qrow's expression turned solemn as he nodded towards the lifeless body encased in the life support machine  
"The tale of the Four Maidens is true" he said simply "This woman is the current Fall Maiden, or more accurately she was"  
"Damn it Oz she's not one of your pawns" Qrow spat "Her name was Amber. Call her by her name"  
"You're right Qrow, I'm sorry" Qrow merely scowled and picked up where his old comrade had left off  
"This is Amber, she was the Fall Maiden until she was attacked. When a Maiden dies their power leaves them and is passed on to the next person in line to inherit them"  
"But Amber isn't dead" Pyrrha objected noticing the slight rise and fall of her chest  
"No she isn't, at least not yet" Qrow whispered softly "But here's the thing the Maiden's power can only be transferred to a young woman but if the last person a Maiden thinks of before passing is eligible they will inherit them; the person who attacked Amber and left her comatose fits those criteria, by some perversion of nature the bitch managed to take part of Amber's power for herself" the malice in Qrow's voice seemed to intensify with every syllable.  
"It is not uncommon for the slain to think of their assailant in their final moments, furthermore a power split like this is unprecedented, we believe that even if Amber's last thoughts were not of her attacker that the Fall Maiden's power may seek out it's other half" Ozpin explained  
"I'll do it" Pyrrha said firmly, both men looked to her "If you're certain that there is a danger present, then I will become your Fall Maiden that's what it is you are asking of me isn't it?"  
"It is Ozpin" admitted "But it may not be that simple, you will not be able to inherit the power naturally"  
"Atlesian scientists" Qrow bit out "Have done a little perversion of nature of their own, they've developed this machinery to take an Aura from a living person and bind it to something else, or in this case someone"  
"That's, that's abhorrent!" Pyrrha gasped  
"I agree, but desperate times and all that fun stuff" Qrow replied  
"We can't give you Amber's powers directly but we can transfer her Aura which the powers are bound to into your body" Ozpin explained  
"What would that do to me?" Pyrrha asked, the weight of her decision sinking in  
"We honestly don't know" Qrow sighed "And if I were you I'd think this through very carefully kid. I'll be honest with you it would warm my heart to see Amber live on but not at the expense on someone else's life, it's not what she'd want and I've got enough on my conscience"  
"There is no guarantee that this will work" Ozpin interjected "But if it does there is no guarantee that you will be the same person afterwards. I advise you to take some time on this matter but we will need your answer before the Vytal festival is over"  
"I-I understand Professor Ozpin" Pyrrha managed to say before Qrow led her from the vault  
"If I can give you some advice" the grizzled Huntsman said softly "If you do this, find something to anchor yourself. This is unprecedented but I've dealt with losing myself and have watched good friends go through it, you need to find something or someone you love to anchor yourself"

Jaune returned to Team JNPR's dorm after receiving a message from Pyrrha, he Ren and Nora had been enjoying the festival along with some of their other friends and his younger sister when he departed to a series of teasing comments the majority of which came from Yang, Nora, Neon and Squish  
"Hey Pyrrha I'm back" he called hearing her in the shower as he removed his footwear and unfastened his armour, straightening his hoodie out as he did so  
"I'll be out in a moment" she called back, Jaune smiled to himself thinking about how dense he'd been before the dance and silently thanking Squish for paying the DJs to in his own words ' _Play slow jams until those two hopeless oxygen thieves kiss'_ it had been exactly what he'd needed to realise how Pyrrha felt about him and the those feelings were reciprocated  
"I still can't believe you collected tokens for a Pumpkin Pete's hoodie Jaune" he turned at the sound of Pyrrha's voice, she was breathtaking, she was stunning, she was completely naked  
"Erm, H-Hey" Jaune managed to stammer out as she strode across the room and shoved him down onto the bed  
"It's a nice hoodie Jaune" she grinned as she straddled him "But you really should take it off"  
"Oh, do you want to wear it, 'cos if you're cold-" he was cut off when Pyrrha pressed her lips to his, the kiss quickly turning passionate as her hand slid under his shirt; as they broke apart she pulled his hoodie and the shirt under it over his head in a single motion and threw them aside  
"No Jaune, I want to feel your skin against me" she breathed out before taking his lower lip between her teeth; the blonde's brain finally seemed to make sense of the situation and his hands began to roam her body, finding the familiar sensitive spots and coaxing moans of pleasure from her as kissed him again before raising herself up so that she was kneeling over him and began to unbuckle his belt; Jaune responded by leaning up and planting a series of kisses on her breasts before taking a nipple in his mouth  
"Oh Jaune" she gasped out, her fingers running though his hair as he slid out of his jeans, her other hand tugging at the waistband of his boxers  
"Oh fuck, Pyrrha I love you" he managed to pant out as she began to stroke his length, he responded by moving a hand between her legs and sliding a finger into her while he teased her clit  
"Oh Jaune" she moaned once again as she bucked her hips against him "I need more" with that she pushed him back to the bed and positioned herself above him  
"Pyrrha?" Jaune met her eyes "Are you sure?"  
"This is what I want Jaune, I love you" she guided him into her, gasping as he entered her and moving her body against him slowly, his hands moved to her hips and she moaned his name with every thrust as they began to build a steady rhythm, his hands began to roam her body once again  
"Touch me Jaune" she moaned out, spurred on he pulled her close to him and repositioned them so that he was on top, his hand cupping her breast as she hooked her legs over his shoulder, the pace quickened both of them nearing their orgasm  
"Pyrrha" Jaune managed to gasp out between ragged breaths, the message he meant to convey evident  
"Come inside me Jaune" she gasped, the words robbing him of any control he had he thrust into her and her legs wrapped around his waist as they both reached their climax, collapsing on the bed together and pulling the sheets over themselves, sharing tender kisses until sleep claimed them.

 **Authors Notes:**

FIFTIETH CHAPTER AND OVER 200K WORDS #BENCHMARK  
Also, I start a new job this week. I'm considering slowing down to one chapter a week just to ensure that quality isn't sacrifced to get the story out there.

So let's summarise:  
The twins that Gangrel and Rover faced are half of the team referenced way back in Chapter 05, the Vaccuan team they utterly demolished in the first round of the last tournament.  
They're Semblance gives them a psychic link to each other, let's them teleport to each others location and phase through each other.  
They're names are Aspro (White) & Mavros (Black) Didymo (Twin) I used an English to Greek translator.  
Jaune's Dad just has no respect for him at all.  
Jaune's little sister has a crush on Ren, it's not relevant to the plot I will ship Ren x Nora til the end of days, however it just happened as I was writing, we're all a little Ren-sexual aren't we.  
Pyrrha and Nora's match was so quick their opponents didn't even get a description, just imagine them as those scrubs that got stomped out by Neo in canon.  
Nora is a pleasure to write.  
Pyrrha being shown the Fall Maiden went more or less the same as in Canon, without the exposition that anyone reading this chapter wouldn't need and without Goodwitch or Ironwood, they didn't need that many people to deliver that much information; also I like reinforcing that "Qrow has seen some shit and regrets a lot of it".  
Arkos smut. That is all.  
Jaune is even dense in the bedroom.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Well if you're going to the extant of putting an Aura/Soul in a machine and making it anatomically correct then you may as well throw in some sensitive spots.  
Pissed off Penny is Murder-bot.  
I suggest you stock up on flammable substances, I have plans for certain ships and when their first times will be.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	51. 51: Keikaku (Means Plan)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 51: Keikaku (Means Plan)**

It had been a week since the doubles round of the Vytal Tournament, a week Gangrel and Mercury had spent being mercilessly drilled by Winter; the Special Operative had informed the two of them after classes ended on Monday that she had personally rigged the match ups for the first fight of the singles round and they would face each other when matches recommenced on Friday evening her reasoning being that having the two of them who knew the plan face each other controlled for all variables and Gangrel beating Mercury seemed more believable than some of the other possible outcomes; Mercury had bristled at that  
"And for our next match up" Professor Port announced snapping the silver haired teen from his reverie, the screen rapidly cycling through eligible competitors before settling on his face, Mercury hopped from the front row of the stands where the fighters that made it into the first round of singles matches were situated to the sounds of cheering interspersed with several boos and jibes  
"Mercury 'Merc with a mouth' Black representing Team MELO and the Haven Academy of Mistral….And the crowd seem to have mixed feeling about him" Qrow announced, his smirk evident, the hired gun briefly wondered how much Qrow knew as he he entered the arena, giving mocking bows to his detractors. The second half of the screen began cycling through students to match him up with an opponent; Mercury bounced on the balls of his heels readying himself for the upcoming bout, he knew he had to lose but he at least intended to give a good showing  
"His opponent will be" Mercury's eyes widened for a moment when he saw the face on the screen "Yang 'Ground and pound, but only if you ask nicely' Xiao Long!"  
 _That_ he thought to himself _was not meant to happen_

Yang cracked her knuckles as she heard her name called, frowning at her uncles introduction she wondered if he was deliberately trying to rile her up to trigger her Semblance and give her an edge  
"Hey" she turned to see Blake in the row behind her and was pulled into a tight hug before her girlfriend whispered in her ear "You know who is, you know who he works for. Be careful Yang" the blonde gave her a cocky smirk  
"I'm gonna kick his ass Blake, it'll be a medical Em-Merc-ancy" before the Faunus could respond she leapt over the railings and into arena, her gauntlets forming over her fists as she strode towards her opponent the cheers of the crowd giving way to a single unified chant  
"Get him Xiao Long! Get him Xiao Long! Get him Xiao Long!"  
"And it seems the crowd have a clear favourite in mind, let's hope Mercury isn't too intimidated by his opponent's home town advantage" Oobleck's voice sounded over the speakers, Mercury snorted  
"Something funny?" Yang asked as she raised her guard "You should say it now, before I make you Mercury Black out"  
"When we're done here" he grinned "Your face is going to look like an avocado had sex with an older avocado"  
"What the fuck?" Yang mouthed silently  
"Seriously" he continued "It's gonna be haunting, like Freddy Krueger's face fucked a topographical map of Mistral"  
"Three, two, one. Begin!" Mercury's speed was blinding, Yang led off with a left jab only for Mercury to swiftly dodge to the right his left foot connecting with the back of her knee, buckling the limb bringing her head to the perfect height for him to deliver a knee strike to her temple with his left and extend his leg as she fell, the blast from his weapon sending the blonde skidding across the floor  
"An impressive opening from Mercury Black" Port noted sounding as though he was thoroughly enjoying the match, more engrossed in the display of skill than any particular fighter  
"You can do be better than that, surely" Mercury smirked, Yang leapt to her feet and charged him with a roar, the silver haired teen leapt over her haymaker and used a Gravity Dust round to propel himself forwards, giving his knee connecting with her nose even more of an impact  
"Now, I'm about to do to you what Limp Bizkit did to music in the late nineties"  
"YANG FOR THE LOVE OF OUM WHATEVER HE'S SAYING TUNE IT OUT AND GET YOUR HEAD IN THE GAME!" Qrow roared into the microphone, Yang rose to her feet and fired a few shots from her gauntlets, the first of which clipped Mercury's shoulder before he dodged the rest, returning to his stance he saw that she had done the same, left arm held in a position from which she could block, shoot or throw punches, the two of them circled one another tension mounting between them until Mercury caught sight of Winter glowering at him front the row of the crowd, Atlesian Knights flanking her as she ostensibly attended to security  
"Any time you want to quit stalling and actually land a punch" he drawled to his opponent, it had been fun but it was time to end things

Emerald watched nervously from the crowd, her whole body rigid as she watched the two fighters rush towards each other once again, Yang brought her left arm up to her right shoulder deflecting Mercury's kick with her elbow before firing a Gravity Dust round behind her to propel herself forwards her elbow catching him squarely in the collarbone, she followed this up with a right hook as she discharged an explosive round against his cheek, pressing the advantage a left-handed uppercut and a kidney punch followed opening the flood gates for a seemingly endless barrage of punches that Mercury seemed powerless to prevent. A glimmer of hope appeared and was quickly taken away as Emerald watched Mercury get both hands behind the blonde's head and force her face down into his knee, as she jerked back he made to deliver a kick to the inside of her left leg and crumple the limb Yang managed to sidestep the attack and throw him off of her, her hair glowing with her Semblance and Emerald could see from the stands that her eyes had turned red  
"No, no, no, this isn't meant to happen" her voice came out in a panicked whisper as she watched the blonde deliver a brutal combo to her lover, batting him around the arena like a cat with ball of yarn before ending the match by dropping low to the ground and delivering a vicious left to Mercury's knee taking the leg from under him and following up with a straight right to the chest as she discharged Ember Celica, pitching him backwards almost over the edge of the arena. Emerald felt as if she had ice in her veins as the announcers declared Yang the winner, Cinder had given her clear instructions on what to do if Mercury failed, her hands trembled as she tried to clear her mind enough to activate her Semblance  
"I'm sorry Merc"

Yang made to leave the arena, refusing to give into temptation and throw a parting shot over her shoulder at her beaten opponent, Mercury however seemingly wanted to find out just how far her patience extended  
"I bet that broke your hand….still I suppose you and your sister match now, y'know after you weren't there to look after her" Yang's eye twitched as she turned to face him  
"What did you just say?" her voice was a harsh, furious whisper  
"I wonder what else happened to her that she doesn't want to tell you about, I've been to a few White Fang meetings and names like 'chew toy' and 'scratching post' get thrown around a hell of a lot" Yang took a deep breath as she retracted her gauntlets back to their dormant mode as stalked towards him  
"You monster!" she spat as she hoisted him up by the scruff of the neck, releasing her grip as she landed a haymaker on his jaw  
"Get up!" she roared dragging him to his feet again and delivering a series of punches to his face, chest and anywhere else she could reach before throwing him from the arena now that the shields were down and leaping down after him she grabbed the back of his head, repeatedly smashing it against the railing of the stands.  
"Yang stop right now or I will hurt you" Yang was brought to an immediate halt by the feeling of blade pressed against her neck, turning she saw Qrow with his weapon draw, his expression livid  
"Uncle Qrow he-"  
"STAND DOWN AND DROP YOUR WEAPONS NOW YANG!" he roared, Yang made to comply placing Ember Celicia on the ground before stepping and back and kneeling with her hands behind her head, her rage turned to panic as she felt cuffs being placed around her wrists and an Aura dampening collar lock into place around her neck  
"Take her to the my ship"  
"Ma'am protocol dictates"  
"Protocol dictates that you follow my orders private" Yang dared to look over her shoulder and saw that the speaker was Weiss's older sister "Take her to my ship and place her in the brig, solo cell. I will deal with this matter personally after I've attended to Mister Black" Yang was pulled to her feet by the Atlesian soldiers and escorted towards a transport, she tried to pretend that she couldn't she her team-mates shocked expressions clearly in the crowd.

Emerald entered Cinder's office not even bothering to disguise the way her whole body shook in her presence  
"Mercury's failure was anticipated and prepared for" Cinder began, her voice remaining calm, an illusion shattered by the flames wreathing her hands and the golden light emanating from her right eye "Yours however was not, explain it to me"  
"Cinder I-I" her voice faltered under the wave of sheer malevolence her master seemed to exude "I used my Semblance like you ordered, I made her see and hear Mercury saying the vilest thing I could pluck from her own mind"  
"You worthless, foolish child!" Cinder spat immolating a portion of the desk "I ordered you to ensure that Mercury died if he couldn't fulfil his role in the plan, the plan requires blood"  
"I can fix this Cinder, please  
"You can and you will, if I didn't believe that you'd already be dead. I knew Mercury was smitten with you but I was a fool for not realising you had feelings for him"  
"Cinder please, I'm begging you-" Emerald was once again silenced  
"Our plans are at least suspected" she hissed "Watt's system detected another person trying to rig Mercury's match and force him to face a stronger opponent. I am not fool enough to think him losing to someone he should have been easily able to defeat or that this newcomer are coincidences….But I am merciful Emerald and your failed attempt has not been without results, when the tournament reconvenes you are to play your part once again, with no mistakes. Succeed and this will never be spoken of again, fail and I will kill Mercury and make you watch before I put you out of your misery"

"What in Oum's name were you thinking you simple-minded buffoon?" Winter demanded furiously as the door closed behind her, Mercury was aboard her ship, the infirmary having been emptied of personnel  
"Can you shout a little louder, I'm sure there's a couple people in Mistral who don't know who you're pissed off at" Mercury shot back "Seriously, you saw what happened I fail to see how this is is my fault"  
"How did Cinder change the match up from what we planned?"  
"Obviously she has her own way into the system" Mercury sneered "Surely you figured that part out"  
"And what on Remnant possessed you to provoke Yang after the match ended? So help me Mercury if you double cross me I will ensure you never see the light of day again"  
"I think we're past _double_ crossing at this point" he laughed, wincing as pain shot through his head at the movement "I didn't provoke her. That must be what Emerald is here for, she's an illusionist Cinder must have planned to use her as a backup in case I failed"  
"She needs to be taken into custody-" Mercury halted her with a glare  
"No" he spat simply "Even if you could catch her, which I'm not convinced of, we had a deal if you touch her I blow this whole thing open, I'll drag Cinder out into the public eye but you and Ironwood will go down with her, do you really want to be implicated in dealing with killers for hire and White Fang ranking officers? You're not in Atlas now"  
"And suppose you never left this room?" Mercury laughed at Winter's attempt at a threat  
"Go ahead, the whole world saw what happened, saw me leave with you, your sister is on the same team as the person who attacked me. You lose either way"  
"Grimm activity has already had a noticeable spike in the last two hours, outlying villages have been attacked and the sentry guns at the Emerald Forest have barely stopped firing since the match" Winter fought to restrain herself from punching a wall "You would really cause more panic and draw the Grimm, exactly what it is you say Cinder wants all for the sake of your partner?" Mercury rose from the bed he was on and looked Winter in the eye unwavering  
"Those people out there mean nothing to me, I love Emerald. There's no contest I would burn the world for her"

Yang was led into the Dormitory by Qrow and Winter, her team waiting for her  
"Yang, what happened out there?" Yang couldn't bring herself to meet Blake's eyes  
"Mercury's partner can trigger hallucinations" Qrow said stiffly "We can't prove anything but Mercury gave us the information, she looked into Yang's mind and found what it would take to make her lash out" Blake rose from her bunk and cupped Yang's face in her hands forcing her to look at her  
"What did she make you see?"  
"Blake I-" Yang made to pull away  
"I need to know what she did to you"  
"I heard Mercury telling me that the White Fang raped Ruby at Mountain Glenn, I just saw red….I'm sorry Blake" the Faunus pulled her into a tight embrace, stroking her hair to soothe her  
"I'm sorry Yang" it was Ruby who spoke, her voice timid  
"Not your fault" her sister mumbled, her head still buried in Blake's shoulder  
"She's right it's not" Qrow said with a sigh "It's a disgusting tactic and unfortunately like I said we can't prove anything, the whole world saw Yang go berserk on Mercury"  
"So what happens now?" Weiss asked  
"Team RWBY are disqualified from the Vytal tournament" Winter stated simply "Yang is banned from the stadium as is Mercury's partner, we'll ensure that nothing else like this happens again. One positive is that no charges are being pressed against Yang"  
"That's something right?" Weiss gave her blonde team-mate a hopeful glance  
"I guess" Yang sighed "Can you give me and Blake some space?" Qrow gave her an understanding nod  
"No problem firecracker and don't worry I'll talk to Tai and square this up"  
"Thanks Uncle Qrow" she managed a weak smile as she watched the others follow him out of the dorm  
"What's wrong?" Blake asked her the moment the door closed  
"I'm sorry" Yang's voice was muffled due to her position but Blake could tell she was in tears "I keep letting you down Blake, I keep turning into a monster like Adam-"  
"Do not ever" Blake snapped as she pulled Yang up to meet her eyes "Call yourself a monster or compare yourself to Adam Taurus again"  
"Blake I-"  
"What happened at Mountain Glenn, what happened at the breach, it was traumatic for all of us Emerald played on that specifically because she knew it would get that response. You reacted against a threat to your family, Adam killed people who were the closest thing to family he had; you are not the same" She planted a soft kiss on her partner's forehead, Yang pulled her close  
"I love you Blake, I really love you, thank you for always managing to see the best in me"  
"You did the same for me, you've always been here for me" Blake mumbled into the taller girl's chest "And I love you too firecracker"

Emerald's hands shot to her mouth at the sight of Mercury's battered face when he entered the dorm  
"You two, out" he motioned to the other half of his team whose names he made a point of not learning, as soon as the door closed behind him he turned to his partner  
"Emerald I love you, but what the fuck happened out there?"  
"Cinder's orders, she wanted me to have you killed if you failed….I didn't go through with it, I couldn't" Mercury crossed the room and cupped her chin  
"Em, we need to go, I warned you about this she's going to throw us under the bus. I have a way out arranged"  
"The same people that tried to rig the fight so you'd loose?" Emerald asked "I'm not stupid Merc you could have beaten Yang"  
"Yeah it's the same people" Mercury admitted "The Atlesian Military are onto Cinder and they've given Spec-Ops free reign to do what ever they need, I'm not sure who's going to win between them and Cinder I just know that I refuse to be caught a crossfire between two people that will happily fuck us over at a moments notice"  
"Cinder demanded to see me" Emerald whispered, sounding terrified at the memory "She says I have a chance to make things right and she'll forget what happened today"  
"And you believe her?" Mercury snapped "Listen to yourself Em, I know she took you in but surely you understand she's going to leave us both for dead the second it becomes convenient"  
"I know" Emerald sighed "But if I don't do this she threatened, she threatened to make me watch when you were killed"  
"She's welcome to try" Mercury spat  
"You can't go against her Merc, you know that" Emerald pulled him close to her "I'm not losing you, I have had to fight and claw for everything I've got in life and nobody is taking you from me, you mean too much" her voice grew more resolute with every word, Mercury sighed kissing her forehead  
"I'll make the arrangements to leave, you get up there and take care of your mission for Cinder as soon as the job is finished we meet up and we get as far away from here as we can, hopefully Cinder won't have a reason to follow us if we finish the job"  
"Okay" Emerald's voice wavered "The only question is which would outrage the world more, the invincible girl being murdered on camera or being the murderer"

 **Authors Notes:**

So to summarise:  
Yes the title for this chapter is a Death Note reference (I blame Drake187 for referring to Cinder's plan as a Keikaku).  
So yeah, Watt's hacking is better than the last minute job Winter managed to pull, Cinder's Keikaku trumps Winter Keikaku.  
Yes there were Deadpool references.  
Cinder wanted Emerald to have Mercury's opponent kill him if he failed, he'd served his purpose. Emerald wouldn't do it but she's too scared of Cinder to outright refuse so she made Yang beat the stuffing out of him instead.  
It effectively had the same result as Canon, Yang is disqualified, the public are outraged, the Grimm are agitated.  
I know Merc an Em are meant to be parallels to Yang and Blake, but in once sense I see them as a parallel to Ren and Nora: they've got nobody except each other and they will do literally anything to protect each other.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Arkos indeed my friend and yes Jaune's density would make better protection than his gargantuan Aura (There's a thought, do you think maybe being that dense is a manifestation of his Aura/Semblance like Ruby's rose petals or Yang being on fire/having red eye when she activates her Semblance)  
The fat needed to be trimmed, the story being told in canon was for the readers benefit, the characters should have already known it and that is just bad exposition.  
Stranger Danger….Seriously imagine any of the more serious characters that aren't Ren having to deal with Nora for any amount of time, imagine Ironwood having to deal with her.  
Your dread is warranted.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	52. 52: Downfall

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 52: Downfall**

Velvet made herself comfortable in her seat the camera component of her weapon within easy reach, she already had an image of almost every weapon wielded by competitors in the Vytal Tournament saved and ready to form a replica of said weapon, currently she was planning on using the camera for its' intended purpose and taking some photos of the matches, the victors would no doubt want them framed as mementos. Coco sat next to her, arm wrapping around her shoulders, the two of them were still taking things slowly and not giving a name to whatever was between them, as Fox and Yatsuhashi made themselves comfortable on Velvet's opposite side and handed a tub of popcorn over Coco gestured to Velvet then to the row in front of them  
"Hey Weiss, Squish….all of you how's it going?" the Rabbit-Faunus chuckled, unsure of how she'd missed the white haired heiress  
"Hey Velvet" the white haired girl gave her a bright smile as turned to face them, Squish merely held an arm for long enough for members of Team CFVY to give him a fistbump while Neon nuzzled into him, Rover and Artemis gave them a small wave  
"Where's everybody else?" Velvet asked  
"Well Gang's going through to the next round so he's waiting to be called up" Squish explained grinning in anticipation  
"I already wished him in luck" Weiss added blushing slightly  
"You jumped on him and kissed him 'til he was blue in the face" Artemis chuckled  
"Aww, that's sweet" Velvet laughed "You take care of him Weiss, he's delicate" the comment got a laugh from everyone present  
"Where are the rest of Team RWBY?" Coco enquired  
"Well Penny made it through to the next round as well" Weiss and the fashionista shared a knowing glance "Ruby wants to be as close to her as possible…..Yang was banned from the stadium, Blake decided to stay her with her"  
"That's harsh" Coco shrugged "Come on, who here hasn't wanted to punch Mercury Black in the face at least once?"  
"What made her attack him like that?" Velvet asked "She knows he's working for Adam's business partner"  
"The whole fiasco was never meant to happen" Weiss sighed bitterly "My sister is covertly working on stopping Adam and his partner's plan, Gangrel was meant to face Mercury and Mercury was meant to lose, Winter has managed to turn him to our side; apparently whoever Adam is working with has access to software on par with the Atlesian Military, when Mercury lost his partner triggered her Semblance and made Yang hallucinate"  
"She can make….THAT'S HOW THE BITCH BEAT US!" Coco spat furiously "Satani Arbor was never broken!"  
"Calm down Coco" Velvet warned her "People are staring"  
"Let them stare, I disassembled that gun and put it back together seven fucking times to see what she'd done to it!" Coco ranted  
"So does your sister have a plan moving forward? Velvet asked, Weiss gave an anxious nod  
"Basically Gangrel wins his next match and we try again, pit those two against each other so it looks believable when he loses"  
"Hey" Squish interrupted "Don't worry about it, Gang will get the job done, matches are about to start any minute"

"Hey Ciel" Ruby beamed at her girlfriend's partner through a mouthful of cookie  
"Ruby, what are you doing here?" Ruby swallowed before answering  
"I came to wish Penny good luck before her fight" Ruby shrugged looking at her as if it was the most obvious answer in the world  
"Penny is already with the other students competing, there's a partition between us and them, you won't be able to get to her" Ciel shot her an apologetic glance, Ruby merely snorted  
"Heh, barriers aren't really a problem for me, wanna come with?" Ciel considered it for a moment before shaking her head  
"Somebody has to maintain proper protocol" she sighed before placing a hand on Ruby's shoulder as the smaller girl made to pass her "Ruby I just want to thank you, since meeting you Penny has come out of her shell and grown into such an amazing person, seriously the first time I met her one of our team-mates tried to fistbump her and she had no idea how to react. The thing is, I wasn't much better than she was and as Penny has grown it's forced me to become more than I was as well, so thank you Ruby for indirectly making me a better person" Ruby pulled her into a crushing hug  
"Anything for a friend Ciel" Ruby then turned and sped towards the partition, phasing through it  
"RUBY!" the mechanical girl gasped  
"Hey, I'm glad I didn't have to go searching for you" the smaller Huntress smiled pulling her closer  
"What are you doing here?" Penny asked  
"Waiting until you get called up and then giving you the best kiss for good luck ever" Ruby grinned, gaining a series of older students around them exclaiming _'that's so cute'  
_ "Ladies and gentlemen" Port's voice sounded throughout the stadium "Welcome back to Sky-Reach stadium where we return to the first singles round of the fortieth biennial Vytal Tournament" the crowds response was frenzied cheering as if they were eager to use the following matches as a way to purge the memory of Yang versus Mercury from their memories  
"And we'll get straight into it then shall we" Professor Oobleck followed up, clearly intending to move things along swiftly and make up for the time lost as the screen cycled through the faces of competitors yet to fight "Our first competitor of the day representing Team JNPR and the Beacon Academy of Vale is Pyrrha Nikos!"  
"Well hopefully this lasts more than thirty seconds" Qrow joked making his presence known, Pyrrha's fans cheering even louder at his comment  
"And her opponent" the screen cycled through faces once again "Representing Team CPIA and the Atlas Academy is Penny Polendina!"  
"Oh you had to made to make this awkward for me to judge talk about didn't you! My niece is going to give me death glares for a month because of this" Qrow complained over the sound of the audience.  
"Good look" Ruby said simply before pulling Penny's head down and pressing their lips together her fingers curling in coppery hair, Penny's arms wrapped around her waist as their breaths mingled  
"Oh for Oum's sake will you two cut that out!" Qrow's voice over the speakers broke them apart, looking at the screen they realised that the cameras had focused on their kiss and that the crowd were all cheering for the couple, as was Pyrrha who had already made her way to the arena  
"Ruby" Penny whispered softly, getting her attention "Whatever happens in this match I'm going to talk to my father afterwards. I meant what I said about transferring to Beacon, I don't know much about feelings Ruby but everything I do know tells me that I love you" Ruby pulled her into a tight embrace  
"I love you too Penny" Ruby let her go and fixed her with a broad smile and determined stare "And Pyrrha's a friend, but go out there and win this" Penny returned the smile  
"Don't worry, I'm combat ready"

It had taken Emerald longer than anticipated to get into position having been halted at the entrance upon producing her identification and unexpectedly being told that she was not allowed to be in the stadium, her Semblance had proven ineffective as every person allowing guests into Colosseum was accompanied by at least two Atlesian Knights, the machines proving immune to her trickery. She had managed to use the blades of her weapons to clamber along the bottom of the stadium avoiding being seen as she pulled herself up through a maintenance shaft of the propulsion systems and working her way through the staff only sections of the stadium, using her Semblance to work her way around individual workers as she encountered them and lurking in the shadows as she finally found herself in view of the arena itself  
"I'm in position" she breathed into the headset she was wearing  
"Understood" Mercury's voice responded, all traces of his usual sarcasm and joking absent "I'm ready to move, I'm tuned into the matches as soon as you act I'll be en route, you'll need to hold out for two minutes tops"  
"Okay" Emerald sighed "I'm going silent, let's get this over with"  
"I love you Em"  
"I love you too Merc" as she ended the call on her scroll she removed her headset and focused her gaze on the two fighters, taking a few deep breaths to steady herself and waited for her moment to strike.

"Three, two, one. Begin!" Port's voice resonated across the arena, without preamble Penny drew two of her swords, keeping them on their tethers and instantly throwing the left forwards, Pyrrha's weapons flew from her back into her hands, Milo shifting to its' rifle form as she crouched and ducked behind Akuo, Penny's sword clanged against the shield and was retracted back immediately, the prizefighter returned fire with three shots snapped off in rapid succession, Penny gracefully deflected the rounds by twirling her blades; giving her opponent an impressed nod Pyrrha sprinted forwards firing a stream of bullets from Milo before throwing Akuo at Penny's waist, the smaller Huntress deflected shot after shot before replacing one of her swords and vaulting over Akuo, Pyrrha having to return her own weapon to it's sword form to halt her downward slash  
"The crowd are going wild as Penny Polendina of Atlas not only holds her own but seemingly puts Pyrrha Nikos on the defensive!" Oobleck exclaimed  
"This match is going to be sensational" Penny smiled as their blades clashed against each other as the Huntresses gave a blinding display of skill, Pyrrha's face dropped slightly at her opponents genuine happiness  
"Sorry" before Penny could react the prizefighter had summoned her shield towards herself with her Semblance, Akuo sweeping the smaller girls' legs from under her as Pyrrha retrieved it, Penny cartwheeled herself upright and put some distance between the two of them  
"I see" she frowned "That's how this is going to be fought"  
"It's nothing personal" Pyrrha assured you "I just have to use everything at my disposal"  
"Likewise, and when this is over we'll still be friends" Penny gave her a genuine smile "But now" she trailed off as she deployed all eight of her swords on their tethers  
"Okay what the….How the….Where the…." Qrow couldn't seem to decide which of the several questions the weapons designer in him demanded to know the answer to he should ask first  
"An interesting technique" Pyrrha called to her opponent as she used her Semblance to hold her shield in the air and flip off of it to gain some distance, stopping dead as she returned to her feet, where there had been eight swords before there were now two dozen  
"Nikos seems to be stumped by Polendina's latest manoeuvre" Oobleck's voice seemed distant and distorted, dread formed a knot in her stomach as she ducked and rolled under blades as they were thrown forwards, every sword she countered with her own weapon seemed to be replaced by three more as if they were the heads of some ancient monster until she stood at the opposite end of the arena to Penny, backed up against the edge trembling as she faced down scores upon scores of floating swords aimed at her  
"This might be it!" Port's voice sounded as though she were hearing it from underwater and then it happened, Penny flung every single one of her swords forwards, Pyrrha dropped her weapons and projected her semblance in an almost tangible wave of darkness reversing the projectiles back from whence they had come. There was a split second where Pyrrha saw the look of sheer terror on Penny's face and realised too late what she had done.

"Kill the feed!" Qrow screamed to the two professors beside him in the commentators box as he saw Penny Polendina stagger a few paces forwards, a blade piercing through the centre of her chest, another through her stomach, a third in her right thigh, her left hand cleaved in half and a blade lodged in the shoulder with a gash tearing her face below her right eye. Her remaining swords scattered around her as she finally lost the ability to stand and collapsed backwards; through the outraged din of the Qrow heard a single voice piercing through the others, the voice of his niece  
"PENNY!" he watched as Ruby phased through the protective shielding of the arena and rushed to the fallen girls side, kneeling over her and while he couldn't see her face from this angle, he knew she was weeping  
"Qrow we can't kill the feed!" Port exclaimed  
"We've been shut out of the system, nothing is responding" Oobleck added  
"This shouldn't be poss-" Port was silenced by the power being cut to the stadium, the shield around the arena vanished, the lights were cut and the screens faded to black.; a moment later the screen flickered back into life displaying the image of a chess piece; a black queen on a red background  
"This is not a tragedy" a feminine voice rang throughout the stadium, broadcasting it to everyone in the four Kingdoms viewing the tournament "This was not an accident. This is what happens when you hand over your trust, your safety and your power. These are your Hunters, these are your heroes, Atlas's prototype for a synthetic army mercilessly destroyed by a woman many of your children have aspired to be more like; yet these are the same people who allowed the breach to happen. These Huntsman and Huntresses you have entrusted yourselves to are at best nothing but the private armies of those that trained them, much like those in the service of Atlas who's fleet hangs in the skies above us right now and at worst bands of marauders bending the helpless to their will. The time for Hunters has passed, the time for unaccountable men ruling us with an iron fist has passed. Peace is fragile and the first crack has been made, welcome to a new age" as the speaker ended their monologue the screens once again faded to black across the Kingdom of Vale several things took place simultaneously….

"We have to get out there!" Blake cried leaping from her bed "This is Adam's business partner!"  
"We have to get in touch with the others" Yang slid Ember Celica onto her wrists and produced her scroll "Blake there's no service, I can't contact anyone"  
"They must have jammed it" the Faunus reasoned "The same way they hacked the broadcast"  
"How do we get to Ruby?" Yang demanded, her voice panicked  
"We can't" Blake whispered  
"Oh Oum, she just saw Penny die in front of her, we need to do something!"  
"We can't get up there!" Blake snapped "She has Qrow with her, she has Weiss, Winter and the whole of Team GRAP up there. Adam will be here, leading the attack. We need to stop him!"  
"I have to go to my sister"  
"Your sister is a Huntress Yang!" Blake took the blondes shoulders "Ruby won't be okay, Ruby may never be okay after what just happened, but she will make it through this the people with her will make sure she does. There are too few Hunters on the ground to stop what's going to happen now, we need to get out there and save the people" Yang took a deep shuddering breath  
"You're right. I will never forgive myself if anything happens to her but you're right. Let's go, we're taking the Bumblebee"

Neo grinned like a madwoman as she skipped through the corridors of the Friedenswatcher, The Disturbed Garfunkel leaving burning craters in the bodies of any who stood against her, human, Faunus and robot alike  
"What the fuck is wrong with…." the private never finished his sentence as her blade punctured his throat, spraying her in gore. Finally she neared her destination, the bridge, as soon as the doors slid open with a hiss she began firing and weaving her way around bullets, refusing to stop until the screams of the dying stopped ringing in her ears. When the smoke cleared she stalked across the room, shedding the disguise of a crew member as she made her way towards the terminal she required and planted the scroll Cinder had given her into the necessary port, moments later the lighting of the ship took on a bloody hue as the virus was uploaded, bringing the Atlesian automatons in Vale under the control of the one behind the keyboard. Her smile faded as she drew her own scroll, which was not subject to the blackout imposed on the Kingdom at large and swiftly typed out a message  
" _Mission complete, Watts is in control. We're done here. Neo"_ moments later she received a reply  
"We are far from done meet me and we'll proceed to Ozpin's lair" her expression turned murderous at Cinders words  
" _No, I'm finding Roman but feel free to try and stop me if it means that much to you"_ With that she turned her Scroll off and blasted a hole through the main window of the ship and making her way out onto its' hull, pausing for a moment she could already see the Grimm attacking the walls en mass, thousands of glowing red eyes lit the skies in the distance; Watts had already taken active control of the Atlesian Knights evidenced by the fact that several Bull-Heads had broken off and began flying towards smoke billowing from the Emerald Forest where Adam's charges had disabled the sentry guns and cleared a landing zone, they would be returning to deploy Grimm directly into the Kingdom, shaking her head Neo vanished.

Roman clutched a stitch in his side as he struggled to keep up with the White Fang, the riot and subsequent escape had been masterful within moments of tragedy striking the tournament they were out of their cells and retrieving their belongings  
"Wait, wait up" Roman forced out "You need to get this collar off of me!" the Faunus ahead of him stopped and turned to face him, their own Aura dampeners having been removed in the breakout  
"Why would we do that? it's fun to see a Human in a collar, so many of you want to see us in them" a voiced behind him asked, their tone mocking, Cheshire Motley arrived, her own contingent of White Fang escapees with her, her face a savage smile as she shifted her weapon Shere-Khanage to it's double-barrelled shotgun mode  
"I don't know, maybe so I can actually fucking keep up with you and get you to my damn freighter you stupid animal" the Tiger-Faunus laughed, her expression turning coy which somehow made her look even more dangerous  
"I wasn't a stupid animal when I was in your bed Roman" she sneered "When you told me exactly where your freighter is and that your lieutenant won't be aboard when we get there. Goodbye Roman" with no more to be said she raised her weapon and fired twice, the collar preventing Roman from raising his Aura, he took the full force of the attack collapsing backwards his body racked by spasms as blood soaking through his clothes, the White Fang escapees sprinted away towards his freighter, leaving him for dead on an empty road.

The truck ploughed through the streets, mowing down any civilian caught in its' path, sending smaller vehicles spinning as it collided with them, those vehicles being driven by people who had enough sense to know what was about to happen. Eventually the truck skidded to a halt, tires screeching as it destroyed a monument in Vale town square. The moment the truck stopped moving the trailer of the truck was opened and masked Faunus poured out brandishing weapons at their head was Adam Taurus  
"Kill every human you find!" he roared, his mask turning his words into a demented scream "The Grimm don't get to take the first blood from us!" a cheer went up from the White Fang, he had chosen only his most loyal for this  
"Boss!" the voice of a teenage boy sounded from behind a mask  
"Squish is a Hunter, he'll make his way into the city eventually if he isn't already here" Adam growled, anticipating his comrades question "If you can find him he's yours Screech, you've earned the right to take your revenge personally" with a nod the Bat Faunus withdrew a small blade from his pocket and clenched it tightly before sprinting into the city.  
"Everyone spread out and work your way through the streets, make your way to our old base at the freight docks, that's where our ship will be" as the White Fang moved to act on his orders Adam caught sight of a heavily bleeding man clambering from the wreckage of one of the cars that the stolen truck had hit, grinning behind his mask he withdrew Wilt and triggered his Semblance, cleanly bisecting the human before cackling and throwing his head back  
"THIS IS HOW IT STARTS! THIS IS HOW THE FAUNUS TAKE BACK CONTROL OF THEIR DESTINY!"

 **Authors Notes:**

Well writing this chapter, combined with work related antics and having to console my American friends because their country decided to press the self destruct button has left a bit of a downer on my mood; but the show must go on.

This story has over 10k hits THANK YOU ALL SO MUCH

So, let's summarise:  
"Look after him he's delicate" is a massive call back, it's what Gangrel said to Velvet about Adam, now she's saying to Weiss about Gangrel.  
Penny couldn't fistbump, Penny was Baymax.  
I refuse to let Penny die before she gets to tell Ruby she loves her, I refuse.  
Apparently the stadium is called Amity in Canon, I didn't realise it had been named when I called it Sky-Reach but I'm not going to go back and change it  
Penny's body is still in one piece, but she has a blade sticking through her power supply.  
To quote the esteemed Miss Nikos I'M SORRY  
Cinder is now ready to make her move.  
Blake and Yang are together and going after Adam.  
Neo has handed control of the Atlesian flagship and robots to Watts.  
Roman really should have seen that coming.  
Adam has officially lost his mind.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for the reviews on the last chapter  
Yeah this is Vol.3 hope is in limited supply.  
Hey, she didn't get quartered.  
Emerald and Mercury have got a much more immediate threat to deal with than Cinder.  
Also, kicking hearts in the dick….Yes I like that phrase it sums it up perfectly.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	53. 53: Battle For Beacon

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 53: Battle for Beacon**

"PENNY!" Ruby screamed as she knelt over her girlfriend, tears streaming down her face "Penny stay with me please!" Penny managed to raise her head to look at at the younger girl, her green eyes seeming dull a viscous clear blue liquid leaking from her various injuries  
"Arc reactor d-d-dam-damaged, power f-f-failure imminent, system c-c-critical-al" her voice sounded less human, a mechanical edge to her words  
"No, Penny you can't die!" the mechanical girl reached up to cup Ruby's cheek, showers of sparks accompanying the movement  
"I'm sorry Ruby" Penny's voice came out in a pained whisper, some of the light returning to her eyes as she forced what little power she had left to make her voice co-operate "I'm beyond repair, I'm dying but you made me feel like I was truly alive, thank you so much for making me believe I was real….I love you Ruby" her hand limply fell from the smaller girl's cheek and her eyes dimmed as she expended the last of her energy  
"No! No! No! Penny you can't" Ruby wept bitterly shaking her lifeless body, until Squish skidded to a halt next to her  
"Valkyrie get over here now!" the reptilian ordered as he crouched down and ripped the sword piercing Penny's chest free and began tearing away at her body  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?" Ruby screamed  
"Getting to her power supply so Nora can use her Semblance" Squish hissed frantically as his hands sifted through masses of severed wires "VALKYRIE DO I SOUND LIKE I'M JOKING GET THE FUCK OVER HERE!"  
"What do I need to do?" the redhead asked, clearly panicked  
"However much electricity you've got stored, grab here and here and run it through her, do not let go!" Nora nodded and did as instructed, brow furrowing and eyes glowing as she forced as much power as she could into Penny  
"We have a problem here!" Gangrel's voiced roared out making Ruby snap to attention and she that the world around her was a nightmare made of fire and screams, Gangrel was currently was leaping over the partition separating competing Hunters from the crowd to save civilians from a pair of Atlesian Knights that had begun firing into them, slowly rising to her feet on shaky legs she looked around; the Atlesian robots had turned on the public and were slowly being put down by the living element of the Atlesian military fighting alongside the professors and students  
"Ruby….Ruby I'm so sorry" she turned to face the speaker, Pyrrha was pale and trembling, tears streaming down her own cheeks, in a fluid movement Ruby grasped once of Penny's swords and closed the distance between them only to be stopped by Qrow who appeared seemingly from nowhere and Jaune who rushed as if to tackle her  
"Ruby, it won't bring her back" her uncle said simply "I know it hurts, but Pyrrha didn't do this and whatever your planning right now isn't what Penny would want"  
"Qrow" Pyrrha's voice shook "Take me to Beacon, I'll-I'll do what it you need me to"  
"Pyrrha what are you talking about?" Jaune asked  
"Are you sure?" Qrow demanded, Pyrrha nodded  
"If you're going then I'm coming with you" the blonde insisted  
"Fine, Ruby stay safe" Qrow sighed before grabbing both of them and rushing from the stadium, Ruby turned back to where Squish and Nora knelt over Penny, the reptilian looking up and meeting Ruby's eyes, his sorrow evident  
"I'm sorry, Nora just can't generate enough power for long enough" anything else he wished to add was cut off by the sound of an engine overhead a Bull-Head came into view it's hatches open  
"You!" Squish spat, before anyone could intervene Emerald Sustrai had run into the stadium and used the blades of her weapons to hook herself onto the craft, retracting the chains she pulled herself inside as the Bull-Head sped off into the night.  
"ALL HUNTSMEN ON ME!" General Ironwood bellowed as he strode into the stadium flanked by Weiss and Winter, walking past Ruby he picked Penny's body up and clutched her close  
"Where are you going with her!" she demanded  
"Returning her to her father" the General forced out "Penny was like a niece to me, she will be given an Atlesian Military funeral"  
"Ruby" Weiss took Ruby's hand in hers "We need you, we need every Hunter available to fight" Ruby looked to the sky and saw the Grimm approaching  
"Oh I'll fight" her voice shook with grief and rage "I'LL KILL THEM ALL" she shot from the stadium in a shower of rose petals, Weiss turned to her sister  
"I'm going after her" without waiting for a reply she drew Myrtenaster and launched herself to the roof of the stadium with her glyphs before disappearing over the edge  
"Fuck!" Gangrel spat as he teleported into the centre of the stadium, making to go after Weiss until Winter stopped him  
"We need everyone here, Weiss is capable of looking after herself" she turned to Ironwood "Status report sir?"  
"CCT is down, Atlas military channels have been blocked and our mechanised assets have been turned against us. Grimm have been sighted inside the walls, as have the White Fang. The Walls are being assaulted and airborne Grimm have already bypassed them"  
"Orders sir?" Winter snapped to attention Ironwood thought for a moment  
"Take your ship and take down the Friedenswatcher" the Special Operative heard the order, realised instantly that she was being tasked with the impossible and gave a curt nod  
"Understood sir"  
"What about us?" Gangrel growled gesturing to the assembled students  
"The Atlesian Military, the professors and myself will get civilians to safe zones and provide relief to the forces at the walls, the Grimm will only be able to break through in a handful of places, I want any students willing to sweep the city for survivors and hold their position until evac, nobody will fault you if you choose to save yourselves"  
"Who's willing?" Gangrel roared, every student assembled let out a cheer  
"Agent Slate" Ironwood called after him, throwing a case of signal flares over "Distribute these among your peers so we can find you and good hunting soldier"

Pyrrha felt numb as she descended into the depths of Beacon, Qrow and Jaune either side of her as the elevator reached the vault she strode forwards  
"What on Remnant _is_ this place?" Jaune asked  
"No time for the guided tour kid" Qrow growled, his nerves evident, eventually the trio reached the life support machines where Ozpin was already waiting  
"I see you've made your choice Miss Nikos"  
"I have" she turned to face Jaune "Jaune, if this works I may not be the same person afterwards….I just want you to know that I love you" she pulled him into a passionate kiss before turning to Ozpin "I'm ready"  
"Qrow, mister Arc. Stand guard" Qrow grabbed Jaune by the shoulder and pulled him back as Pyrrha clambered into the empty machine, her breath quickening as she was sealed in  
"I cannot tell you how this will feel, so I apologise for any discomfort" Ozpin told her as he began the Aura transfer; Pyrrha instantly felt a huge pressure on her chest forcing the air from her lungs a tingling sensation crept though her body intensifying into a burning, forcing a scream from her  
"Pyrrha!" Jaune turned to and made to run towards her, she saw Qrow grab him; when both of their backs were turned she saw a third figure, clad in a crimson dress with golden fire billowing from her hands and right eye as she raised an ornate bow and fired a blazing arrow. The power coursing through Pyrrha instantly vanished  
"It's mine" the woman laughed as golden light burst from the adjacent pod rushing towards her, Cinder's other eye began to glow as she began to levitate a nexus of golden power forming around her, she looked on in horror as Jaune attempted to charge her, only to be flung back  
"Jaune no!" she tore the machine encasing her asunder with her Semblance and made to rush forwards only to be halted by Ozpin  
"No" his voice was stern "Qrow take Miss Nikos and Mister Arc and get them to safety!"  
"Oz I-"  
"Now Qrow!" the grizzled Hunter nodded before grabbing the two students and pulling them along Cinder watched them leave before turning to face the headmaster  
"I would have spared the children they have nothing to offer me" she cackled "I would have flayed Qrow alive for the trouble he's caused my mistress over the years though" Ozpin readied his cane and removed his glasses, his whole body glowing with the poisonous green light of his Aura  
"Your ego has run away with you child, I sent the others away not to protect them but so that I can fight unrestrained"

Neo leapt from building to building casually dispatching any creature of Grimm that neared her, unable to shake of the feeling of dread gnawing at the back of her mind; she'd thought Roman would have been able to convince the White Fang to use the chaos to their advantage and had searched everywhere she expected him to raid, there had been no trace of him at the Dust stores, nor at the bank or any of the high end fashion retailers he frequented so she had made her way to the prison and found it in flames. Frowning she made her away along the route they would have had to have taken from the prison to their getaway freighter, which was a thought that made Neo smirk to herself, Roman did have a love of the dramatic. Eventually she saw something that made her heart stop and leapt from the rooftop she was currently occupying down to the blood soaked figure sprawled on the ground. It was him.  
"Hey squirt" Roman managed to gasp out, blood trickling from his lips "We got fucked over, should have seen it coming" he gave several hacking, sickeningly wet coughs and Neo knew he didn't have long; reaching to his neck she ripped the Aura dampening collar he was wearing apart with her bare hands  
"That's not gonna buy me enough time" the redhead told her "Hey, don't look at me like that I'm not being negative I'm being realistic" and there it was, the reason Neo had fallen in love with Roman; he was the only person she never needed to struggle to make understand her, no texts, no pointing and sign language, he could read everything she wanted to say to him from her face alone and had been able to since the day he met her; he'd beaten her bloody for trying to steal his wallet, then taken pity on her and offered to train her, he'd stuck with her even when the rest of the world was terrified of her and not once did he acknowledge the fact that her childish crush on him had grown into admiration and love. And now he was dying  
"Don't sit there crying over me Neo for Oum's sake it's a waste of both of our time" he reached out and found where his hat had landed after falling from his head and placed the accessory on Neo, it was a little too large for her head, tilting to the side and obscuring one of her eyes Neo leaned down and kissed him, tasting his blood on her lips  
"Neo I want you to promise me something" Roman's voice was barely audible now Neo could tell he had only moments "I know what you're going to do when I'm gone and I know I can't stop you, but when you're finished with the Fang just stop. Go somewhere warm and spend your life on a beach eating ice-cream you bought with other people's money….Oum knows you're good enough at stealing now" Neo smiled weakly and nodded tears falling thick and fast down her face  
"Remember what I taught you Neo" Roman looked her in the eye and spoke his last "Lie, cheat, steal and survive" with that his head fell back, eyes lifeless. Neo shook with silent sobs which gave way to shaking with unquenchable grief and rage as she rose to her feet and readied her weapon; catching sight of her reflection in a broken window she saw that the iris of her eyes had turned white as was the case when she felt any negative emotion in the extreme, she honestly doubted that she'd see them any other colour again; what she did know for certain was that White Fang would die tonight.

"We've got hostiles on our tail!" the pilot of the Atlesian Bull-Head called back as the craft shook "And they're not Grimm!"  
"How many?" Gangrel snarled  
"Three Raubvogel Bull-Head variants"  
"Fuck" the Bear-Faunus spat, looking at the Hunters that he had assumed command of, his own team and Team CFVY alongside Nora Valkyrie and Lie Ren of Team JNPR "Okay this is going to be nasty, drop the hatch, Coco, Velvet rotate and keep firing on one of them, Nora blast the second one out of the sky, I'm taking the third….Missy if I don't come back you're in charge"  
"Aye captain" Nora gave him a salute and a bright smile as she readied her Grenade launcher. The rear hatch was lowered and Gangrel leapt from the Bull-Head and triggered his Semblance, reappearing on the hull of one the enemy fighters he drew his swords and began hacking his way into the cockpit  
"Could really have used Penny for this" he lamented to himself as he remembered his last time hanging onto the outside of an aircraft; without much resistance he managed to make his way inside the cockpit of the craft and hack through the automatons piloting it, before grabbing the steering and causing the Bull-Head to veer harshly to the right towards another of his attackers as he climbed back out of the cockpit and teleported back onto his own craft  
"Well that's two down" his words were punctuated with the sound of an explosion behind them "What's taking so long with the third?"  
"The pilot's not bad" Coco growled as she struggled to follow the Bull-head's evasive manoeuvres  
"Nora, cook them" the redhead fired three grenades from Magnhild, the blasts tearing the rear of her target asunder sending it spiralling out of control  
"Boop"  
"Ah fuck we've got more incoming!" Coco called out before opening fire on a flock of Griffins, unable to stop the inevitable as one of them impacted with the right turbine and engine  
"Everyone hold on!" the pilot called back to them as he used what control of the craft he had left to avoid buildings the landing was a controlled crash and the came to a screeching halt in the street  
"Everybody out!" Gangrel shouted, leaping from the downed Bullhead he took stock of his surroundings before pointing to a store that seemed to be in tact "Everyone get in there, Squish pick the lock so we don't have to take the door off!" his partner ran forwards, opening the door with in seconds and closing it as the last of them were inside  
"Okay, so now what?" Velvet asked "Are we going to send up a flare and wait for evac?" the Bear-Faunus shook his head  
"Not yet, Artemis, Nora I want you on the roof, Nora take shots at anything that approaches, Artemis use your Semblance and check for any survivors, Rover you'll be the one going to pick them up, Squish I want you to go back to our Bull-Head and get on the radio, as soon as Winter gets military channels open again you send flares up, you got a weapon?" Gangrel motioned to the pilot  
"Yeah" he pulled out a small side arm  
"You're covering Squish, Coco break a window and set up, Yatsu you're covering Coco; Fox, Ren, Velvet you're with me, we're going to put some distance between ourselves and here and give the Grimm hell we'll make our way to a different extraction point if we can't make it back to you; don't wait for us"  
"Sounds like a plan" Fox smirked readying his blades  
"Hey" Coco pulled Velvet into a tight hug "I know you're a bad ass now but you be careful out there" she planted a soft kiss on the Rabbit Faunus' forehead, Velvet cupped her cheeks and kissed her lips  
"Don't worry, I'm coming back you can still show me off to your family" Coco smirked  
"I'll hold you to that, Fox!"  
"Yes boss" the blind fighter grinned  
"Don't get yourself killed, I picked you as my partner for a reason"  
"Anyone else want to have a moment before we go?" Gangrel laughed, earning himself a glare and a hand gesture from Velvet  
"I do Nora" said timidly as she stepped towards Ren "I know we're not 'together' together but-"  
"Stop" Ren whispered holding a hand to her lips before leaning down to kiss her "Yes we are, I'm sorry it took me so long to realise that this is how we should be but I promise you Nora I'm coming back and I'll make up for the time I wasted" with that he softly booped her nose  
"About fucking time!" Squish exclaimed "And Gang, seriously I'm not gonna cry or anything but don't do anything stupid out there"  
"No promises" the Bear-Faunus laughed as he made to leave

"Ma'am we can't take many more hits like that!" one of the crew called to her, as the command bridge of the Schweigen shook under the assault of the Friedenswatcher  
"Return fire, all batteries are to target their main shield generator" the battle in the sky had been hard fought and her ship was barely holding together after a prolonged dogfight with the much larger Atlesian flagship, her crew made to comply; the Schweigen passing over the larger vessel once more, the night sky between them lit by a series of flashes as missiles, laser cannon and photon accelerators were discharged  
"Ma'am their shields are down" her first mate called "but we're not going to stay in the sky for much longer"  
"Understood" Winter nodded curtly before grasping a microphone and speaking, her voice sounding throughout the ship "All crew members are to make their way to escape pods, regroup on the ground. First mate Skye will be in command, make your way towards and extraction point assist any civilians you come across"  
"You're giving me command?" her first mate asked nervously "Captain Schnee, Winter, don't do this"  
"Matte" Winter cupped her first mates' chin "I have no intention on going down with the ship but I cannot in good conscience make this gambit with my crew still aboard; when, not if, when I return to Atlas I will personally petition for you to be placed under my command or be promoted and given your own vessel, whichever you prefer"  
"It would be an honour and a privilege to serve with you again Captain Schnee" Matte Skye saluted and left the bridge, Winter sat and observed the terminal integrated into the captains seat, transferring all functions to her terminal she brought the ship out of range of the Friedenswatcher's guns and waited until all escape pods had been deployed  
"Switch to single pilot, voice command mode"  
"Acknowledged" a computerised voice replied, a hologram flickering into existence displaying a young woman, similar to the AI the ran the CCT  
"Set a collision course for the Friedenswatcher, prepare to overload all engines" Winter smirked as she thought of her first mate "Ready the main cannon"  
"Acknowledged" the AI repeated Winter nodded to herself before flinging a glyph forwards like a buzz saw, she'd have to thank Weiss for that trick it wasn't something she'd ever thought of trying until her sister had done it in the Vytal Tournament. Stepping through the shattered main window of her ship she made her way out onto the hull and watched as she neared the Atlesian Flagship  
"I loved this ship" she sighed mournfully before leaping from the vessel that had been her home, she readied a summoning glyph as she fell and landed on a glowing white Nevermore, drawing her cutlass she rode the spectral beast through the night sky tearing through Grimm as she passed them.

Cinder picked herself up and dusted herself off, swaying a little as she returned for her feet; it seemed the old fool Ozpin still had a lot of fight left in him considering his uppercut had thrown her from the vault into Beacon's mess hall  
"I will give you this old man" she spat as Ozpin himself hovered into view from the hole Cinder's entry had made "You will die tonight but this fight will be one that gives hope and inspiration to your followers, I will enjoy crushing that hope" Ozpin's feet reached the floor of the hall and he chose not too respond with words simply smiling and making a 'come' motion with his hand. Cinder let loose a furious scream and threw her swords forward, the crystalline blades shattering and forming a multitude of sharpened fragments which sailed through the space Ozpin had been occupying, the man himself however had vanished Cinder's only warning was a trace of green light in her peripheral vision before his palm strike connected with her cheek throwing her backwards though the wall rolling into Beacon's courtyard, a trail of brick and glass behind her Ozpin strode through the hole left in the wall  
"I will destroy you!" Cinder screamed only for Ozpin to vanish again, reappearing in front of her, his cane colliding with her stomach forcing the air from her before his weapon caught her under the chin, pitching her over Ozpin with enough force to crater the ground as she landed  
"DIE OLD MAN!" Cinder launched a jet of white hot flames from her right hand as she summoned the fragments of her weapon back to her with her left, when the flames stopped Ozpin remained unharmed, arm raised nonchalantly and an orb of flickering green light enveloping him; with a grimace Cinder charged again swords at the ready, the flagstones beneath her feet being reduced to magma, her blades and Ozpin's cane collided as the pair traded blows in a display that were there anyone to see it would have passed on into the realm of myths, each blow countered causing an explosion and blinding flash  
"Now it ends!" Cinder roared as she brought her two swords down, Ozpin held his cane out with both hands, her blades shattered as they connected, the headmaster then swung his weapon in a wide arc clubbing Cinder around the face before landing a palm strike on her chest with enough force to throw her back several feet, she burned through solid rock as she forced herself to a stop  
"ENOUGH!" a wave of sheer power burst from her body staggering Ozpin as she summoned the fragments of swords to her once again _through_ Ozpin, the old man dropped his knees as the crystals burst from his chest, the blade stained with blood as it reformed in her hand, Cinder rose into the air eyes blazing as she tapped into the powers of the Fall Maiden and sent a blast of golden light towards her opponent; when the dust settled she stalked into the gaping crater her attack had carved into the courtyard flipping Ozpin's limp and bloody body over and vanishing her swords  
"I'm going to kill you with my own two hands you old fool" she reached down and made to break the headmaster's neck, she didn't hear the bone snap but his body faded from view without a trace leaving Cinder alone in the courtyard  
"He's gone" she whispered to herself "OZPIN IS DEAD!" and with that final outpouring of emotion the mountains around Beacon shook, with a scream that shook the Kingdom the largest Grimm in living memory burst forth, the Dragon took to the air on great leathery wings spewing the primordial darkness of Grimm spawning pools as it went, Cinder took to the air ascending to Beacon's tower an insane smile on her face; this was one of her mistresses great creations it was monstrous, it was terrifying, it was awe inspiring, it was _beautiful._

 **Authors Notes:**

So let's summarise:  
Penny's last words….This is normally where I say "I'm not crying you're crying" but fuck it, we're both crying.  
Also Penny is powered by an "Arc Reactor" remember when I said back in Vol.1 that Jaune's second oldest sister is called Antonia Arc and it was a reference.  
Squish is a conspiracy theorist who knew about rumours of Atlesian super soldier with an Aura back in the second chapter, it was literally the first thing he spoke about when we met him.  
Also it seemed weird to me in canon that they never had Nora at least _try_ to use her Semblance to do something.  
Yeah, Ruby was about to go _OFF_ on Pyrrha.  
So Merc & Em are gone _for now.  
_ Roman's last words….Did you die a little inside when you read them in that context.  
Gangrel's comment about Penny, callback to Chapter fourteen.  
Renora, to quote the esteemed Miss Valkyrie "THIS IS HAPPENING"  
Before Matte Skye worked on that boat they were Winter's first mate.  
Winter is an OG.  
Ozpin is an OG who uppercuts people through several ceilings.  
The Dragon is an airborne mobile spawning pool, you get why it's a scary mother fucker now?

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter:  
It only gets more intense in the next chapter my friend.  
Penny is no longer with us.  
We will see how the Bees fare next chapter.  
Best girl? Why would Reese Chloris be upset about Roman dying?

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	54. 54: Fall of Vale

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 54: Fall Of Vale**

Qrow landed and returned to his human form with a flash of his Aura, Pyrrha and Jaune landing next to him, the trainees riding Pyrrha's shield, a pack of Beowolves rounded the corner fangs bared only to meet their demise in the form of Qrow's weapon  
"This is insane" Jaune breathed out, they had seen the fires and the Grimm while in the air but to be among it was truly harrowing  
"I have to go back" Pyrrha's voice causing both men to turn to her "I have to help Professor Ozpin"  
"Pyrrha you can't" Jaune gasped  
"The kid's right" Qrow shook his head "She has the Fall Maiden's power now, all of it; if you fight her you'll lose"  
"We have to try!" she insisted, leaping back onto her shield as it hovered, before she could leave a hand clamped down on her shoulder and she turned to face Jaune, his expression terrified yet resolute  
"If you're going then I'm going with you, let's see how much your training has paid off"  
"Jaune" she pulled him into a tight embrace, kissing him passionately "I believe in you Jaune and you will go on to be a great Huntsman and hero….but not today, this is my fight"  
"Pyrrha I can't-"  
"Find your family Jaune, whatever issues there are between you and your Dad you know he will be out there fighting and so will your sisters"  
"You're not fighting her alone" Qrow said bluntly  
"You have family here as well Qrow, find Yang find Ruby. Jaune I love you"  
"I love you too" Pyrrha gave him a small smile before rising into the air on Akuo and flying towards Beacon, Jaune made to move and realised she'd used her Semblance to hold his armour in place in case he followed her, eventually the effect wore off and he turned to face Qrow  
"She held you still as well?" the grizzled Huntsman asked with a raised eyebrow, Jaune simply nodded before deploying Crocea Mors  
"Qrow, this is where we part ways I'm going to find my family. Either help Pyrrha or help Ruby" Qrow watched Jaune sprint off into the night towards the sounds of violence before slumping against a wall  
"Fuck!" his hands ran through his hair as he struggled to decide his course of action, Ruby hadn't been thinking straight when he'd left her she was liable to make dangerous decisions but he didn't know where she was, if he went after her there was no guarantee he'd find her, Yang was, his eyes widened, Yang had stayed at Beacon, he could find her and protect Pyrrha at the same time. His decision made he shifted into his avian form and took to the sky.

Winter soared towards the defensive wall on the outskirts of Vale atop her summoned nevermore, she was horrified to see that a breach had been made; giant sentry guns sat dormant as Grimm poured through the hole many turning their attention on the soldiers and Huntsman still holding the line, then she saw him, General Ironwood fighting alone, uniform ragged and cybernetic enhancements plainly visible as he caught a Goliath by its' tusks and forced it to a halt  
"Sir, incoming!" she called to him as she dive bombed the beast, Ironwood leapt aside as her summoned steed collided with the Goliath and exploded with a blinding flash, Winter conjured another glyph and hung suspended upside down in the air, decapitating a Nevermore as it passed before dropping to the ground.  
"Schnee" Ironwood greeted her with a nod, while firing into a hoard of Creeps "Status report"  
"General Ironwood sir" she saluted while simultaneously cleaving through a trio of Ursa with a single slash "The Friedenswatcher was destroyed as was the Schweigen my crew are making their way to an evac point and aiding civilians under the command of first mate Skye, our remaining ships are beating back the Grimm we have the air" it was at that moment the Dragon made it's presence known, Winter forced herself not to let loose a slew of curses. Ironwood merely grimaced as he activated his comm, with the Friedenswatcher down the jamming of military channels was ended  
"Ironwood to all remaining ships, target that Grimm with everything you have. All ground units our mechanised elements have gone dark, fall back to the walls sealing breaches and creating a defensible position is priority one. All fighters I want bombing runs on ground targets, be advised Hunters are still active in the field be prepared to provide extraction for units assisting civilians"  
"Orders sir?" Winter asked, the tide of Grimm seemed to be slowing, before Ironwood could answer what appeared to be a small meteor soared overhead before reducing the oncoming monsters to ash and smoke, any that made it out of the blast were dispatched by the booming report of a blunderbuss, Winter and Ironwood turned to face the newcomers  
"Thou unmuzzled fen sucked barnacles!" Port roared as he continued to fire on the Grimm, Oobleck striding next to him, weapon blazing as he bludgeoned any beast that approached  
"Professors" Ironwood nodded as he almost casually dispatched a Creep with a shot fired over his shoulder "What's your situation"  
"My situation" Oobleck snarled before dropping his weapon and punching Ironwood to the ground "Is that your robots have been turned on my Kingdom you blithering idiot, unhand me Peter!" he roared as his old friend pulled him back, the General rose to his feet wiping blood from his mouth with the back of his metal hand  
"Bart calm down" Port insisted before turning to Ironwood "Glynda has the other wall, she's holding it firm, Oum she's something when she's fired up, we sent the trains out to Vaccuo it'll be at least twelve hours before they arrive but we managed to get a lot of civilians aboard and if there's still a Vale to fight for then Vaccuo will help us fight"  
"That's some good news at least, we're struggling on this wall professors we could really use your help"  
"We'd be happy to" Port gave a twisted grin as he reloaded  
"It's good to be back in the thick of things" Winter added as she wiped Grimm remains from her sword  
"Mark my words James" Oobleck placed a hand firmly on the General's shoulder "Should I hear that even one of my students was harmed by your machines we will have a reckoning the likes of which Atlesian scientists can do little to repair"  
"I'd expect nothing less" Ironwood nodded grimly

The Bumblebee tore through the streets of Vale tires screeching as it rounded corners, Yang gripped the steering with one hand while emptying rounds into Grimm with the gauntlet mounted on the other  
"DRIVE BY!" she cackled almost gleefully as a Deathstalker was perforated with shots, Blake rode behind her clutching the blonde tightly while sending her Semblance forth, any Grimm that neared their bike was met with a shadow-clone which rapidly faded from existence as if left her sphere of control  
"Yang shouldn't we stop and fight?" Blake called over the roar of the engine  
"We will when we find something big, there's no point getting bogged down by lots of smaller Grimm when we're more mobile than most people right now" Yang's response made sense but Blake's suspicions that Yang was enjoying this a little too much were confirmed when the bike veered towards a flat-bed truck "Going for the ramp!" before Blake could respond they were in the air  
"Holy shi-" whatever had caught Yang's attention made itself known as it began firing at them, the bumblebee hit the ground before skidding out of control the two hunters leaping from the vehicle to face their attacker, before them collapsing his machine gun back into his cybernetic arm, sword already drawn was Adam Taurus  
"I knew you'd come Blake, I knew you'd find your way to me so that you could see this first hand"  
"Seriously, a voice modulator?" Yang mocked "You're trying way too hard"  
"Adam" Blake moved in front of Yang "Why! Why are you doing this?"  
"We were going to light the fires of revolution Blake, me, you, Gang, Felix, Kai all of us. This is the spark!"  
"Look around you Adam!" she cried "Is this really what you wanted?" the Bull-Faunus raised a hand to his face and tore his mask off, throwing it to the ground before speaking  
"Yes"  
"Then the Adam I knew is dead and has been for a long time"  
"You were always too much of a coward to face reality" he sneered "It's why you always run" Blake's eyes narrowed as she drew Gambol Shroud, the could hear Ember Celica reloading behind her  
"I'm not running"

Gangrel reappeared above Fox inverted and swords crossed, bringing his arms out in wide arcs he carved the first head of the King-Taijitu off, the blind fighter rushing forwards and burying his blades in the eye socket of the second head as it whipped around, vanishing again he appeared beside an Ursa which had reared up on its' hind legs, his boot crushing it's knee sending the beast toppling before his swords carved through it, in the corner of his eye he could see Velvet and Ren ripping through a group of creeps, both of them wielding a pair of Storm-flowers, he lunged forwards vanishing and reappearing behind the Grimm and barrelled into them  
"Think that's the last of 'em" Velvet panted out vanishing her weapons  
"For now" Gangrel agreed as he tried to ignore the stitch in his side, they had been relentless in carving a bloody swathe through the Grimm and it was evidently taking its' toll on them  
"Keep moving forward" Ren said as he reloaded, the four of them trudged on through the streets, this part of town seemed quiet but the wreckage and fires around them clearly spoke of carnage that had occurred, either the area had been evacuated or the Grimm had been thorough.  
"Down!" Fox screamed out tackling Velvet to the ground, Gangrel teleported out of the way reappearing in time to see Ren flung back clutching his face, weapons clattering to the ground  
"Ah fuck cover him!" he roared as he made to teleport himself onto the back of the Nevermore that had caught them unawares  
"OUT OF THE WAY" a familiar voice called out, Gangrel had just enough time to see a rainbow coloured blur travel up the side of a building before Neon threw her Semblance forward, the light solidifying as it severed a wing, the Nevermore screamed, it's cries silenced as an explosive disc connected with the underside of its' beak before detonating  
"Get him inside!" Neon pointed to Ren  
"You heard her!" Gangrel roared, Velvet and Fox rushed to the fallen Huntsman and carried him into the building that Neon and Ciel had retreated to.  
"Thanks for that" Gangrel managed to pant as he bolted the door behind him, turning he saw Ren being laid out on a table, another injured student on a second table next to him, the room was filled with students, upon closer inspection the wounded student was May Zedong, bleeding heavily from a wound on her shoulder, whatever had hit her had clearly been aiming for her throat, Flynt Coal squeezed her hand tightly  
"May you're gonna be fine, I promise"  
"Promises from you aren't worth much Flynt"  
"I suppose I deserve that" he gave her a weak chuckle "But you can be mad at me when we get out and I promise we're getting out of here" Gangrel turned his attention away from what was clearly a private moment and towards Ciel who was wiping the blood away from Ren's face  
"I'm fine, there are people who need your help more" he ground out  
"This is going to hurt" she told him simply as she poured disinfectant into his wounded face, the reaction actually caused steam to rise from the gash but Ren merely gritted his teeth" Gangrel felt someone tap his upper arm and turned to see Neon staring at him, her expression worried  
"Where's Perdu?"  
"Squish is with the rest of my team" he told her "Don't worry he's safe, they've got a secure location to fall back to and flares ready for when evac starts, speaking of" he drew a flare from his pocket and handed it to the feline  
"Thanks, we've got civilians in the back room, the rest of my team and Team CPIA are with them….without Penny" Neon visibly shuddered at the words  
"Scarlet is with them as well" another voice sounded, Gangrel turned to see Neptune Vasilias trembling and with what looked like vomit staining the front of his shirt  
"Where's the rest of your team?"  
"Sage is dead" the blue haired teen managed to choke out "Nevermore flock followed our Bull-head down, one of them got him as soon as we landed, Scarlet lost a hand and cauterised it himself with fire Dust, I-I don't know where Sun is"  
"Sweet fucking Oum it's all gone to shit" the Bear-Faunus growled stalking over to where Fox and Velvet were comforting Ren while Ciel stitched his face back together  
"How's he holding up?"  
"He'll have a scar but it should be a full recovery, he's lucky an inch to the left and he'd have lost his right eye" Gangrel looked down and saw that Ren had a bloody slash torn from his chin to his scalp  
"Well let's hope Nora is one of those girls that like scars then, Ren don't laugh you need to keep still while she's working" Ren merely rolled his eyes, Gangrel turned to Ciel "How are you holding up?"  
"I'm keeping busy" she said simply "I can't think about it, not right now, Neptune is the only other medic here and his hands are shaking too much for him to do anything"  
"Winter Schnee is going to get military communication back up, I've given Neon a flare so you can get pulled out" the Bear Faunus turned to his own ragtag team "You two stay here" with that he made to exit the building, stopping when Velvet fell into step alongside him  
"You're going after Adam"  
"You're too fucking right I am" Gangrel growled "He played a part in this I'm going to break his fucking neck"  
"Then I'm coming with you" Velvet's tone making it clear that arguing would be fruitless  
"Fine" he sighed with a shake of the head, before looking over his shoulder "Neon, you're Atlesian if I don't make it out and you see Weiss, just tell her I'm sorry and I love her okay….Fuck it tell my team the same, especially Squish" with no more to be said Gangrel and Velvet set off into the night.

"DAD!" Jaune bellowed as he charge forward, Craven Arc was holding an Ursa Major at bay with nothing but his hands while repeatedly head-butting the beast, Jaune gave an almighty roar as he rushed it, the blade of Crocea Mors piercing through its' neck, the Ursa faded into mist and darkness and his father clapped a hand on his shoulder  
"Not bad at all boy"  
"Hey Jaune" the blonde looked down to see his younger sister on the ground, pale and shaking her weapon beside bent out of shape  
"Citrus! Dad what happened to her?"  
"I tried fighting a nevermore in the air" Citrus answered, their father shook his head  
"I think her back's broken, we need to get her out but we can't move her"  
"Where's Vicky?"  
"Victoria is the next street over, since I can't hear Siegebreaker that probably means she's out of Grimm to lose her temper on"  
"DAD, DAD We have Evac!" Victoria Arc came running into view, gigantic war-hammer slung over her shoulder; overhead Bull-Heads' could be seen approaching strafing Grimm below them  
"Well I'll be damned, we might just make it out of here" Craven chuckled  
SKRRREEEE! All four Arcs looked to the sky and saw the Nevermore bearing down on them from the opposite direction to the fighters, it was clear which would reach them first  
"Boy, it's time you gave back the sword you stole" Jaune simply nodded and handed Crocea Mors to his father, Craven Arc crouched low to the ground, his Aura becoming visible, a pearl white sheen around his body, as the Nevermore dove he leapt his sword cleaved the beast in two with a single strike before landing in a crouch  
"Arcs defend what's important and no Grimm touches my children"

"Everybody on! Go, go, go!" Artemis ordered, civilians rushed onto the second Bull-Head that had arrived at their location, Coco, Yatsuhashi and Nora had been aboard the first  
"Civvies are on!" Rover called  
"Wheels up!" Squish shouted to the pilot, Artemis leapt from the roof and into the back of the craft as it rose into the air, Rover pulling her into an embrace  
"Is it over?" she sighed into his shoulder  
"For now, the first pilot said the south wall is still intact, we're falling back to there"  
"HEY, THERE'S SOMEBODY ON THAT ROOF!" one of the civilians cried out, the remaining members of Team GRAP looked out of the window and saw young Bat Faunus wearing a ragged white vest  
"Pilot, hover here I'll get him" Squish called out as he opened the rear hatch of the Bull-Head "Rover hold this for me, I'm out of ammo" he passed Breaker to his team-mate before leaping onto the roof, straightening out he stopped as he recognised the Faunus before him  
"Screech?" he asked "What the fuck are you doing here?"  
"This" the youngster spat charging forwards and slashing at Squish's throat with a home-made shiv  
"Son of a…." the reptilian hissed as he back-handed the younger Faunus away from him, Screech clearly hadn't had his Aura unlocked, his blade broke against Squish's scaly hide, the Bat Faunus rose to hit feet and spat out a mouthful of blood before charging and tackling Squish off of the roof  
"Okay kid, now you've pissed me off" Squish spat as he rolled over and forced himself to his feet drawing his pistol and looking around, finding his attacker he opened fire  
"SQUISH!" looking up he saw Rover leaning out of the back of the Bull-Head, he'd been so focused on the fight that he hadn't noticed the Goliath rushing towards him.

"NO!" Rover screamed as he saw the tusk erupt through his team-mates' chest, he made to leap down but was stopped by Artemis who tackled him to the floor of the Bull-Head  
"Artemis let me go, I can get him out of there Artemis!"  
"HE'S DEAD ROVER!" She screamed, tears streaming from eyes that glowed with her Semblance "He's gone, his Aura vanished completely when he was hit, Squish is dead" the words hit Rover like a wave of freezing water leaving him numb as his fiancé wept into his arms, Rover was vaguely aware of the tears falling from his own face as the Bull-Head sped off towards the wall.

Screech ran through the streets of Vale, clutching his right arm which hung limply after one of Squish's shots had found its' mark and pierced his shoulder, rounding a corner he slumped against a wall shaking and struggling to breathe before pitching forwards and vomiting on the floor, he'd never imagined the vengeance Adam promised him looking like this, the whole world seemed to be on fire and everything smelled of blood and smoke; the sound of heels clacking against the tarmac caught his attention and he looked up to see a minuscule young woman, barely five feet tall wearing a hat too big for her head and white clothes utterly soaked in blood  
"What happened to…." his voice trailed off when he saw the manic smile plastered across her face and the blade in her hand.  
Lugosi Sable, known to most as Screech died before he had a chance to scream.

Weiss finally caught up with Ruby, the younger girl had deployed her rocket locker which thankfully seemed unaffected by the communications jam, and had been carving through Grimm wielding both her own weapon and one of the swords belonging to her late girlfriend  
"Ruby stop!" she called Ruby complied, shoulders sagging as she hacked through the last Grimm in the surrounding area, the heiress turned Ruby to face her and saw tears were still falling from her eyes, as if she hadn't stopped weeping from the moment Penny fell  
"We have to go"  
"Why" Ruby whimpered "Why bother, just let me stay here and fight, I don't care what happens"  
"You dolt" Weiss whispered as she pulled Ruby into her arms "I told you during the breach you're the best friend I ever had, too many good people have died today I will not let you be among them"  
"Where can we even go" Ruby sniffled into Weiss's shoulder  
"I saw my sister fly towards the north wall" Weiss told her "Wherever Winter is will be safe, she'll make it safe, let's go-" her words were cut off as the giant Dragon tore an Atlesian capital ship out of the sky  
"My Oum!" Weiss's voice was a horrified whisper and it took a moment to register that fact that Ruby was marching determinedly towards the direction of the battle in the sky  
"Ruby what are you doing!" Weiss demanded  
"That's happening above Beacon" her team leader was resolute "That Dragon has stayed near Beacon the whole time, it's defending something and I'm going after whatever it is….But I think I might need my partner with me" Weiss took a deep shuddering breath  
"Ruby Rose you are incorrigible, you are an utter menace and a genuine health hazard….but I wouldn't have you any other way" she drew Myrtenaster and prepared a trail of glyphs that would allow her to match her partners' speed "Promise me one thing"  
"What is it?" Ruby asked  
"Should I fall, tell the others; tell my sister, tell Gangrel….Tell them all I loved them"

Blake sent a shadow clone low while leaping into the air Adam almost lazily stepped over the clone while catching the felines' free hand and slamming her into the ground, twirling wilt in his hand and preparing to stab downwards  
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Yang's arms wrapped around the Bull Faunus' arms pinning them to his sides as she performed a move she'd only ever seen in wrestling matches and threw him over her, pulling Blake up with one hand she unloaded the gauntlet mounted on the other, Adam deflected the rounds with his katana, his non-cybernetic eye glowing dangerously  
"You should have ran" he growled "Abandoned this one the way you did me" he gestured to Yang, the blonde charged forwards with a roar  
"YANG NO!" Blake screamed as Adam swung Wilt sending a burst of his Semblance forward, time seemed to slow to a crawl as Gangrel materialised between them in a crouch throwing one of his swords sideways into the path of Adam's attack, the blade shattered and scraps of the metal ricocheted off of the Bear-Faunus' armour, tearing small cuts along his left arm and cheek, Adam raised an eyebrow, whatever comment he had intended to make halted by a spray of bullets impacting against the ground around him  
"Velvet my love" the Bull-Faunus gasped, genuinely stunned as the Rabbit-Faunus strode into view, the barrels of the hard-light mini-gun in her hands smoking  
"Don't ever call me that again you crazy bastard" she spat  
"Come now my love" Adam laughed "You wanted to help people, surely you see why this had to happen; if we want to build a new world for Faunus it will have to be on top of the ashes of the Kingdoms….Come back to me, help me kill these two traitors and all can be forgiven" the replica of Satani Arbor vanished from her hands to be replaced by a copy of Wilt  
"I remember the first time I saw you use my sword" the Bull-Faunus continued "I knew then you were something special"  
"I should have known then that you were a monster and left you to die" Velvet readied the sword, Gangrel, Blake and Yang forming up around her  
"So be it" Adam's voice shuddered as his entire body glowed with the crimson light of his Semblance, his eye blazing "THIS KINDGOM WILL BURN AND YOU CAN ALL DIE ALONG WITH IT!" He screamed as he launched his attack, Blake ducked under the scarlet wave tackling Yang to the ground with her, Velvet leapt into the air and Gangrel teleported beside the Bull-Faunus, Adam however was prepared for him, the hilt of his sword connecting with his mouth Gangrel staggered back and spat out two broken teeth, as Velvet landed she charged forwards her copy of wilt held overhead, Adam swung again another burst of his Semblance flying from his blade, Velvet's eye widened as she brought her weapon down to block crumpling to the ground as her copy of Wilt shattered screaming in pain as she clutched the remaining half of her right Faunus ear  
"WHY DO YOU DO IT VELVET! WHY DO YOU MAKE ME HURT YOU?" Adam roared, being forced on the defensive as Gangrel and Blake both launched themselves at him, their blades pinning Wilt in place as Yang rushed forwards and delivered a brutal punch to Adam's face the Bull-Faunus staggered back before flipping Wilt in his hand and launching another burst of his Semblance  
"YANG!" Blake screamed as the attack tore through her lovers' flesh Yang dropped to the floor screaming clutching the stump of her right arm  
"GET HER OUT OF HERE!" Gangrel roared before teleporting, his attacks hit Adam from a multitude of angles yet none connected, Blake pulled the Blonde to her feet an arm around her waist as Yang's remaining arm found its' way around her shoulders  
"You can't save them" Adam snarled, his mechanical hand closing around Gangrel's throat as he anticipated the Bear-Faunus' attack once again, Gangrel reached out and caught Adam's wrist stopping a blow meant to sever his head, Adam's eye glowed and crackled with his Aura as he spoke "You won't save Blake Gangrel, the same way you didn't save Kai and you didn't save Felix I want you to die knowing just how much of a failure you really are"  
"You forgot something" Adam glanced over Gangrel's shoulder as the two of them grappled to see Velvet had returned to her feet, blood from her ruined ear pouring down her face and matting her hair, Penny's swords forming behind her and shifting into their photon accelerator form  
"Gangrel move!" the screamed  
"If I let go he kills us both!" Gangrel roared back "Just fire!" Velvet closed her eyes and discharged the weapon with a scream; at the last minute Gangrel brought his forehead crashing against the bridge of Adam's nose, the blast hurled the Bull Faunus from his feet carrying him away in a stream of glowing turquoise light, Gangrel's last thought before he lost consciousness was that he could smell his own flesh burning.

Yang had passed out and she was losing blood fast, Blake ran through the burning streets of Vale clutching her partner close when reality tore itself apart in front of her and a single figure stepped from the void, clad in crimson armour, face obscured by a large helmet  
"Give her to me" the voice echoed and sent chills down Blake's spine, until she realised who the person before her was  
"You're Yang's mother!"  
"I was" the figure stepped forwards and took Yang into her arms, looking at the neatly severed limb "Taurus?" the single word question shook with malice, Blake gulped and simply nodded, trying to blink the tears from her eyes; several harsh breaths came from the respirator before the figure seemed to bore into the Faunus' girls' soul  
"Find him. Fix this" with that Raven Branwen vanished, taking Yang with her.

Cinder watched from Beacon tower as her mistresses Dragon ripped through another warship, those remaining were beginning to pull back; they would try and defend the outskirts of the Kingdom and fortify the wall but they knew, Vale belonged to the Grimm now  
"Come to me" as if it could hear her the Dragon turned and began to circle back towards the tower, in the distance Cinder saw something else approaching, hints of bronze reflecting the light from several fires, before she had chance to comprehend the situation a javelin burst through the window narrowly missing her face, Cinder pirouetted out of the way launching a fireball from her hand as Pyrrha crashed through the window, Akuo absorbed the blast as Pyrrha recalled Milo back to her, the weapon shifting to its' sword form mid-flight, Cinder forwent summoning her own blades from the crystals weaved into her garments  
"Pyrrha Nikos, the champion, the one to whom Ozpin would give what belongs to me" Cinder gave her opponent a bow "Come Nikos, are we not both Mistrali? Bow to me, observe etiquette, I will do you the same kindness and give you a warriors funeral" Pyrrha looked at her incensed  
"I bow to warriors, not monsters and murderers" Cinder merely shrugged  
"So be it" a fireball launched from her left hand, Pyrrha batted it aside as she charged the surface of Akuo glowing from the heat, Cinder caught the blade of Milo in her hand, the metal beginning to melt in her grip; Cinder let out a gasp of pain as Pyrrha shifted the weapon back to its' spear form, the blade slashing her palm as the shaft extended throwing Cinder to the side only to be struck in the face with the edge of Akuo, staggering back she clutched her stomach as the blade of Milo was dragged across her midsection  
"Very well" Cinder sneered, her swords forming in her hands "A battle for the ages then"  
"Well you're not wrong" a voice sounded out behind her "But this still isn't ending how you think" Cinder turned to see Qrow striding towards her sword drawn  
"How?" she raged  
"Nikos left the window open" he smirked  
"DIE!" Cinder launched a shock wave of burning golden energy from her body, Qrow staggered back Pyrrha managed to leap over the blast and charge her, Cinder crossed her blades in front of her chest as the champion of Mistral thrust her spear forwards Cinder struck, her blades severing the tip of the weapon and reducing Milo to molten scrap, before she could press the advantage Qrow charged her and she launched her right blade forwards, turning it into a blizzard of sharp edges, which the infuriating Huntsman avoided by shifting to his avian form as he returned to his natural state a deafening roar pierced the air  
"You fools thought you could win?" Cinder demanded as she took to the air  
"DOWN!" Qrow bellowed rushing to tackle Pyrrha as the Dragon burst through the building, tearing the top of Beacon tower away  
"Qrow!" Pyrrha called as she saw him flung through the rear wall by the force of the attack, gazing up at Cinder she saw the power of the Fall Maiden blazing around her and resolved herself, her own body became enveloped in the crackling darkness of her Semblance as the ruined gears of Beacon's clock-tower began to hover, Pyrrha used her Semblance to run vertically across the their surfaces before hurling Akuo into Cinder's face, the False Maiden slapped the shield away sending it crashing to the ground below, the smirk was torn from her face before it could fully form as Pyrrha launched herself at her, grabbing her in a bear-hug and summoning the entirety of the clock-towers' workings towards them both, Cinder and Pyrrha crashed back into the tower encased in scrap metal which rapidly began to glow as it was heated from the inside; with a resounding boom the metal tomb exploded outwards, Pyrrha skidding across the floor scorched and limp as Pyrrha stalked towards her, bow manifesting in her hands  
"I promised you a warriors funeral and I will keep to my word" she gave Pyrrha a slight nod as she knocked an arrow "You were a fine opponent to test my new powers on, do you have any last words.  
Pyrrha forced her self into a sitting position leaning against a remaining section of wall  
"Do you believe in destiny?" Cinder paused for a moment  
"Yes"  
"As do I" Pyrrha choked out "Which is why I know that you will never suc-" her words were cut short as the arrow pierced her chest. Cinder stalked towards her, Pyrrha's vision became dim but she could still see the flames in Cinder's hand.

Ruby raced towards the tower as she saw the dragon crash through it her eyes focused on a single figure falling from the building  
"Weiss that's my uncle Qrow!" she called  
"I'll catch him!" her partner called back sprinting forwards on her glyphs. Ruby sped towards the remains of Beacon racing up the surface of the building as the gears crashed back into its' surface as she reached the top of the tower she froze, Cinder was clutching a bronze circlet as ash and golden flickering lights dispersed  
"No" Ruby sobbed "Pyrrha no" Cinder turned to face her, her face a twisted grin, at the sight of her smile Ruby gave in to the rage and hate that had been bubbling inside her since Penny had died in her arms, she screamed her fury to the world.  
And everything became white.

 **Authors Notes:**

So, this is the longest chapter yet. Let's summarise:  
I'd like to think Pyrrha and Jaune got a better good bye this time.  
Port still quotes Shakespeare when fighting, Oobleck and Winter are still bad-ass.  
Yang doing a drive by on Grimm from her bike should have been a thing.  
Yang has no respect for Adam's voice modulator mask.  
Compare Gangrel and Weiss's last words before they set out, does it hit you right in the feels? Good.  
As much as Jaune's Dad is a dick, he is more than capable. Also Jaune gave back Crocea Mors.  
Screech did it, he fucking did it and I had to take several moments while writing that scene.  
Ruby dual wields now.  
Adam is even more of a bastard.  
Raven. That is all.  
If you're going to kill Pyrrha just to prove how powerful Cinder is, then you may as well go all out and have her stand her ground against Qrow as well, besides, Pyrrha deserved better she deserved allies that didn't let her go out alone like that.  
Also, Cinder telling Pyrrha to bow was inspired by Harry and Voldemorts' dual in Goblet of Fire

Confirmed casualties: Penny Polendina, Roman Torchwick, Perdu 'Squish' Callow, Pyrrha Nikos, Sage Ayana, Yang's right arm, Velvet's right rabbit ear, Citrus Arc's ability to walk, Ren's good looks unless you're into scars, Scarlet David's left hand and the _FUCKING SON OF A WHORE WHO TACKLED SQUISH OFF OF A ROOF AND INTO A GOLIATH_

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter:  
If Penny's death doesn't break your heart you didn't have one to start with.  
Neo avenged two people there, the White Fang don't know how much of a compressed can of whoop-ass they just opened.  
The working as a unit is the reason I feel Team GRAP function so well, they're not OP, they're about the level you'd expect them to be at when you consider the difference between Team RWBY and Team CFVY.

As always thank you to everyone who reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	55. 55: Regroup

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 55: Regroup**

Ruby's vision swam into focus as her eyes opened, the first thing she became aware of was that her head pounded and her eyes burned, the second was that she was not at Beacon the familiar ceiling of her bedroom hung above her, schematics for weapons pinned up in place of posters from when she had run out of space on the walls, with a groan she forced herself upright  
"Ruby, you're awake" she turned to see her father in a chair in the corner of her room the fact he'd taken to sleeping in that chair clearly evidenced by the state of his clothes, she made to rise from her bed to no avail  
"It's okay Ruby just stay there" Taiyang pulled the chair closer to her bed "How are you feeling?"  
"Everything aches" she whimpered "My eyes are burning"  
"Yeah that makes sense" a third voice drawled, Qrow limped into the room drinking liquor from the bottle "You might want to get out of bed soon though, you've been out for nearly a week"  
"What happened?" she gasped  
"Your friend caught me after I was knocked off of the tower, I managed to get back up there and get you out" Qrow told her "What's the last thing you remember?"  
"I ran up the side of the tower and when I got to the top I-" memories rushed back to her "Pyrrha, Penny" her hands began to tremble as the first tears fell, Taiyang pulled her into a hug and attempted to soothe her  
"Shh shh, it'll be okay"  
"No it won't!" she bawled into his shoulder "Penny's dead! She told me she loved me and now she's dead! And oh Oum, Pyrrha died thinking I hated her" her body was racked with uncontrollable sobs as she broke down in her fathers arms  
"Qrow go check on Yang" Tai murmured, Qrow nodded and left silently  
"Do you want to talk about it?" he asked Ruby while rubbing her back  
"It just, I just-" words failed her for a few moments "It just hurts so fucking much!"  
"I know Ruby, I know"  
"Did we at least protect Vale?" Ruby sniffled, her father gave a pained sigh  
"We sealed the breaches in the wall but its' not that simple, despite what you did to it that Dragon isn't dead it's just sort of frozen but it's still spawning more Grimm Beacon is now a spawning pool. Hunters and the military have managed to set up a buffer zone inside the wall, they're calling it the Halo"  
"So it was all for nothing?" Ruby cried "They died for nothing….and what do you mean what I did to the Dragon?"  
"You have silver eyes" Taiyang began "It's a very rare trait, it makes you special the same way it made your mother special"  
"There were a lot of things that made Summer special" Qrow spat as he re-entered the room  
"I thought I told you-" Taiyang started  
"She doesn't want to see anybody right now, I'm not going to force the issue" Taiyang glowered at his brother in law and left the room, Qrow taking his seat and picking up where her father had left off  
"Remnant's full of legends and stories Ruby, there's an old one that Oz told me from before the Kingdoms existed about warriors with silver eyes, those born with silver eyes are destined to live the life of a warrior because the creatures of Grimm were afraid of them, that a single glance from them could strike a Grimm down….I thought it was utter Boarbatusk shit until I saw your mother do it"  
"A-And you think I might be the same?" Ruby stammered  
"I think that the nastiest Grimm anyone's seen in years is currently sprawled out on its' belly and you're still here" before Ruby could take the information in another thought demanded her attention  
"What happened to Yang?"

Yang lay in her bed, tears held back by sheer force of will as she looked at the list of names on the paper she held in her remaining hand, the door to her room burst open, the intruder not bothering to knock  
"Yang!" Ruby exclaimed, the blonde noted her sister had been crying, her eyes were still red and puffy, the younger girls' eyes travelled to the bandages wrapped around the stump of her sisters' right arm and her hands flew to her mouth, a split second later Ruby was in her bed hugging her  
"Oh my, Yang it's going to be okay"  
"Do you believe that when people say it to you?" the blonde forced out, Ruby recoiled from the sheer vitriol in her voice  
"Vale's gone, Beacon's gone, our friends are gone….Blake, Blake's" Yang collapsed into Ruby unable to finish the sentence as tears finally began to fall  
"What happened?" Ruby whispered  
"I was dropped at a triage that was set up on the north wall, by Raven….she left me there, I saw Weiss and her sister leaving on an air-ship back to Atlas"  
"What about?" Yang cut her sister off, forcing the sheet of paper she had been holding into her hands, Ruby's eyes scanned the two columns of names; the first read 'Killed in action' they were there, Penny Polendina the love of her life, Pyrrha Nikos one of her best friends she choked back tears when she saw another familiar name  
"Squish?" the thought of the diminutive reptile who had taught her so many rude jokes and obsessed over weapon upgrades with her never giving them all the finger and a toothy smirk again hit her like a truck  
"Keep reading" Yang whispered, Ruby's eyes scanned the second column marked 'Missing in action' the broken fragments of her heart shattering even further as she read each name _Blake Belladonna, Gangrel Slate, Velvet Scarlatina  
_ "They're not dead" Ruby said firmly  
"Missing just means nobody found a body" Yang sniffed "Only the outskirts of Vale are left and even they're a war zone, it's been a week and nobody has seen her"  
"Then what do we do?"  
"What can I do" Yang motioned to her missing arm "Adam broke me" Ruby pulled her closer  
"Nope" she whispered through her own tears "We're not done fighting, none of us are" Yang was startled by the cold fury that crept into her sisters voice  
"If we can't get them back then we find Adam, we find whoever it was that caused the attack on Vale and we _make them pay_ "

Blake prowled the rooftops of Vale silently the only noise that could give her away would be the occasional growl of her stomach, the week since Vale fell had been torturous but she refused to retreat to the walls, she'd been living on whatever she could find in the stores that hadn't been looted yet and avoiding military forays into the kingdom. Dropping down from the roof she was currently perched on she sprinted towards her target, the mostly intact club before ducking behind the burned out shell of a car, spying a lone Ursa through the broken windows  
"Not enough ammo to waste it, it'd make too much noise as well" she sighed to herself "Not worth the trouble of going around it" decision made she sent a shadow clone leaping over the roof of the car while she slunk off to the side, the Ursa barrelled forwards ploughing through the car and the shadow car in a single motion, she drew Gambol shroud and slashed at its' flank, the Ursa roared and swatted her aside, lack of food had left her weak and that shadow clone had taxed her more than she had thought staggering back she readied her blade again as the Ursa prepared to charge, before she could comprehend it a pair of bodies shot past her, a red clad girl burying a claw in the beasts belly while a white clad girl leapt into the air and delivered a crushing axe kick to its' skull, the Ursa faded from view and the newcomers turned on her  
"Let me guess you were going to raid uncle Hei's club for supplies?" Melanie asked, eyes narrowing  
"Oh wait I know her" Miltia grinned "She was the one grinding on Blondie before they basically ended up dry humping a few weeks ago"  
"Ew"  
"I was not, I-" Blake struggled to make sense of the situation "Her name is Yang" the Malachite twins rolled their eyes and spoke in tandem  
"Whatever"  
"Why are you still in Vale?" Blake asked, gripping the hilt of Gambol Shroud tighter  
"Because Uncle Hei is still here, duh" Melanie snarked  
"Come on" Miltia laughed "We'll get you patched up, get you something to eat. Any friend of Blondie is a friend of ours….besides it's not like you're the only guests we've got" deciding that if the twins were going to attack her they would have done it Blake sheathed her weapon and allowed them to throw their arms around her shoulders and lead her into the club  
"Uncle Hei we found a stray!" Miltia called out  
"Girls how many times do I have to tell you to keep it do-oh" Junior grumbled as he came into view, halting as he saw who they'd brought with them "Come with me" Blake followed the man as he led her into a back room of the club, the twins trailing behind them  
"Where's Blondie?" Junior asked  
"Yang got hurt, it was Adam" Blake forced her voice not to waver  
"I know that" he growled "I asked you where she is"  
"I got her to safety….how did you already know she was hurt?" Blake demanded, Junior huffed and pulled up a rug revealing a trap door which he opened and clambered down, Blake followed him eyes adjusting to the gloom then widening in shock as she took in the well stocked and fashionably decorated bunker she found herself in  
"Found a friend of yours!" Junior called out, Blake wondered to whom he was speaking when two bodies shuffled into view. Velvet, her right rabbit ear bandaged and noticeably shorter than her left gave her a weak smile while she supported Gangrel who had an arm wrapped around her shoulders for support, Junior shook his head and threw the Bear-Faunus' other arm around his own shoulders helping him to a seat, Blake realised upon looking closer that most of the flesh visible on Gangrel's right side was red and raw  
"It's not as bad as it looks" he slurred out through partially regrown teeth "Thankfully I actually had my Aura left otherwise I'd be ash"  
"What happened?" Blake gasped  
"We had a fight with Adam" Gangrel growled "You were there, pretty sure I gave you clear instructions to get out….yet you're still here"  
"I got Yang to safety" Blake insisted "Then I came back, Adam needs to be stopped"  
"And you were going to do that by living on tinned food and prowling around Vale?" one of the twins muttered behind her  
"Adam isn't here" Velvet sighed taking a seat "I managed to blast him a couple of streets away, it was a choice between chase after him or get Gang to safety" Blake decided she didn't like the accusation in Velvet's tone  
"We found her dragging him through the streets shouting for help" one of the twins clarified  
"So if Adam's not here what you still doing here?" Blake asked  
"Well I'm protecting my assets" Junior chuckled "When this contact Gang has gets here I'm transferring everything I have off the mainland, until then I'm staying here and fighting"  
"Gut Wukong" Gangrel clarified "Fagin is sending him here with a ship, in the meantime we're hitting every Grimm we can find, keeping the pressure off of the walls, getting survivors to safety and clearing a path towards the docks"  
"If you're helping the resistance why don't you join them?" Blake was confused  
"They're stuck on the defensive" Velvet explained "We don't want to be"  
"Adam will have gone home" Gangrel growled "Gone to lick his wounds in Lower Atlas, as soon as we're able I'm gonna try and find the rest of Team GRAP and rain hell fire on the fucker"  
"I'm coming with you" Blake growled, eyes blazing  
"What about Yang?" he asked  
"I'm doing this for her" her voice wavered a little "Adam hurt her because of me Gang I have to make this right, I'll never be able to look her in the eyes while he's still out there"

Coco felt Fox's hand on her shoulder as she aimed her mini-gun over the edge of the watchtower along the wall she was stationed at and didn't need to turn and face him to know who it was, nobody else had that many scars  
"Hey" he sounded tired  
"Hey" she said back simply "You're back"  
"Yeah, sweep team one found nothing but I'm sure I heard the sound of a fight happening" the sweep teams were a pair of Huntsmen or students accompanying a group of soldiers, or in most cases untrained survivors with a gun who needed to be doing something; sweep team one was Fox and Neptune, Yatsuhashi had returned to his home just outside of the wall with a convoy of refugees, Coco had been assigned to a section of the wall where the sentry guns had been damaged  
"Rover and Missy?" Coco asked  
"They came back with sweep team two, they haven't really spoken much….They're coping as best they can"  
"Aren't we all" she laughed bitterly as her thoughts, as was becoming a recurring theme drifted towards Velvet, she hadn't made it to either the north or south walls and Coco had wept for hours upon seeing her name listed among the missing  
"When does your watch end?" Fox asked, Coco checked her watch  
"Two hours"  
"Wait there, I'll bring them to you then"  
"Wait, bring who?" Coco asked but Fox was already leaving, grumbling to herself she scanned the skies again, almost hoping for a Grimm to attack to take her mind away from Velvet and everything that been unsaid between them, ten minutes passed before she heard fox return and turned to face him, stopping dead in her tracks when she saw who accompanied him  
"Flax!" she exclaimed as she saw him, baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire slung over his shoulder and wearing fatigues too big for him "What the fuck are you doing here!"  
"I passed the exams to get into Bulb prep" he shrugged "I told you and Velvet I was going to be a Hunter, I'm going to learn on the job" Coco's mouth hung open and Fox gave a bemused chuckle  
"You're fourteen" she growled when she finally managed to form words  
"Yeah but my paperwork says I'm sixteen" he smirked, Coco strode forwards and grabbed him by the scruff of the neck  
"Have you lost your fucking mind!" she spat "Velvet will kill us both!"  
"Velvet isn't here!" Flax roared back "I've spent every day for the last week listening to my parents and baby sister cry because they think she isn't coming home but nobody wants to grow a fucking pair, get out there and look for her!"  
"And you think you can do it?"  
"I've got to do something" Flax cried, voice cracking "I'm being assigned to sweep team four"  
"Ah fuck" Fox sighed  
"Flax you need to get reassigned" Coco snapped as she realised who the Huntsmen on sweep team four were "Those Huntsmen will use you as bait"  
"Then fuck 'em I'll look after myself" Coco looked at the youngster and saw the fire in his eyes, her lip quivered for a moment before she finally broke down and pulled him into a hug  
"She'd be so fucking proud of you Flax" the young Faunus nervously patted her back while blushing scarlet "Seriously if I hadn't made out with your sister before I would kiss you right now" she laughed into his shoulder through her tears, Flax pulled back and gave Coco a baffled stare  
"Wait, what?"

Liquid darkness trickled down the side of Beacon tower, seeping from the underbelly of the frozen Dragon forming an obsidian pool from which a nightmare made flesh would occasionally spawn and tear off, screaming into the ruins of Vale for its' first meal; the damage wrought upon the Dragon by the silver eyed warrior had slowed the formation of the spawning pool but not halted it, and now the darkness had taken root enough for her to manifest herself here; a single trail of the bubbling black ooze slithered out from under the Dragon as if searching for something, meandering and snaking its' way around the cracked and broken surface of the floor before stopping and coalescing in on itself before exploding outwards, onyx bone structure forming, glistening sinew slithering over it as she rose, the screams of a thousand tortured souls pierced the air as she rose; glowing red irises set in black eyes surrounded by pulsating veins roved their surrounding as Salem took shape  
"My child" her voice echoed out as she stalked towards her prize, the ruined body of Cinder Fall, left arm broken and twisted into an unnatural position, left eye burned pale, face utterly ruined; yet she lived, her Aura and the symbiotic Grimm Salem had gifted unto her fought against each other to keep her in this fugue state, alabaster face twisting into a terrifying smile Salem reached down and pressed a hand to the False Maiden's heart  
"Rise my child" the effect was instant, Cinder's body jerked and shook as her remaining eye fluttered open and she let loose a silent scream of agony, her vocal chords utterly destroyed  
"I have come for you my child" even through her pain Cinder was aware of who had spoken and didn't dare attempt to protest as Salem pulled her to her feet  
"You have succeeded in the first task" Salem smiled as she opened a portal and led Cinder through it "You have done well my child, but the path is long and you have only taken the first steps"

Authors Note:

Well, 55 Chapters and we're at the end of Vol.3, bare in mind that Vol.4 hadn't started when I started planning this story, so certain things will not comply with Canon (Blake is _not_ from menagerie I've already stated why I think that makes no sense) I will take elements from Canon if I like them but to quote Ivan Ooze _"From this moment forth the world as I know it shall cease to exist, welcome to my nightmare"_

Let's summarise:  
Familiar ceilings, a little two word nod to Evangelion.  
Utterly devastated, hate filled Ruby….Cinder has no idea what she has just unleashed.  
Grimm aren't being attracted by the Dragon, the Dragon produces Grimm.  
Yang doesn't think Blake ran, she thinks she's dead.  
The Malachite Twins….doing something for the first time in 55 Chapters; still more than canon.  
Gangrel is alive, but injured.  
Fagin Grey and Gut Wukong; you think I had Gang and Blake go to Vaccuo at the start of the Volume for no reason?  
Gang, Blake and Velvet will be heading to Lower Atlas to find Adam (Gang Blake and Adam's home town) there are a couple more people to be added to the revenge society, let's see who can guess.  
Gang Blake and Velvet think they're being all noble; let's see if Weiss, Yang and Coco agree  
Gang doesn't know about Squish yet.  
Vale lives on in the form of the villages outside the walls and the fortifications and shanty towns set up just inside them, collectively known as The Halo  
Heartbroken Coco, feel sorry for her.  
Flax joined the resistance with fake I.D carrying the bat Gangrel gave him in Vol.2 around with him and got himself assigned to a unit with some racist Huntsmen, have a guess who.  
I like the idea that Salem can create portals but she can only physically manifest herself where there's a strong enough concentration of Grimm, like at a spawning pool; it gives her an actual motivation.  
Salem's manifestation; I imagine it as a cross between the Ring and Ivan Ooze from Power Rangers.  
Cinder got wrecked.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Well shit indeed my friend,  
Less soul crushing agony? When my villains are more competent? Wishful thinking my friend.  
It was indeed a DBZ reference, Piccolo blasting Raditz and Goku; but in this instance Gangrel got caught in the side rather than having a hole punched through his chest.  
Nobody mourned Squish? I see that's how it is, is it? Goodnight sweet prince I will mourn your smart-ass crazy reptilian self alone.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.  
Stick around for my twisted interpretation of Vol.4


	56. 56: The Fight Goes On (Vol4)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 56: The Fight Goes On**

"Glad you two could join us" Junior sighed as Gangrel and Velvet took their place around the table on which a map of Vale had been placed, in the month since the fall of the Kingdom several amendments had been drawn onto it  
"Suck every available dick Junior" Gangrel yawned, the mob boss looked around those gathered, his two nieces, Velvet Scarlatina and Blake Belladonna  
"So just yours then?"  
"Uncle Hei!" Melanie and Miltia exclaimed in unison  
"Seriously the literal end of the world starts and this guy can't wake up on time, what the fuck?"  
"It's not our fault" Velvet yawned "Its' winter, he's a Bear-Faunus I'm a Rabbit-Faunus; we don't hibernate but we do get a little lethargic"  
"Well that's just fucking brilliant" Junior sighed absent mindedly running a hand through his beard "Slate I'm going to say this once, you've been in my bunker eating my food for four weeks and you did nothing but look pitiful for the first two; the docks still aren't safe and there's still no sign of this boat from Vaccuo you think is coming; get your shit together before I decide to cut my losses"  
"Well Fagin isn't going to take risks, so we need to get a path to the docks cleared and a way to contact him; what did you think he was just going to leave a ship chained to some railings like a push bike?" Gangrel growled, irritation with the gangster clearly apparent  
"Will you two give it a rest before I bang your heads together" Blake sighed, looking up from the golden bracelet on her right wrist she was polishing  
"I love it when she's feisty like that" Miltia laughed as she pretended to swoon into her twins' arms, their antics getting a small laugh from Velvet  
"Right" Junior ground out through clenched teeth "Realistically we need more Dust, we're running through ammunition like nobodies business, so Velvet I want you to take the twins into what used to be the centre of Vale and see if you can find a Dust shop that hasn't been picked clean yet, in fact see if you can find somewhere with a lot of tinned food, we may as well stock up"  
"Shopping spree!" the twins exclaimed  
"Oh please no" Velvet dead-panned, getting a laugh from the twins they had become good friends over the last month, something that Gangrel jokingly attributed to Stockholm syndrome  
"Gang, Blake" Junior continued "Keep working on the docks, we need to get a clear route there"  
"No problem" Gangrel stifled another yawn as he slung his single remaining sword over his back "Realistically we should be able to have that done in the next day or two"  
"What are you going to do?" Blake asked, Junior rose to his feet, stretching  
"I'm going to work on that comm system I pulled out of a Bull-Head, see if I can get it working"  
"It's a waste of time all you'll be able to get is Atlesian military channels, but suit yourself" Gangrel snorted making his way up the ladder out of the underground bunker, giving Blake a hand up and giving the bracelet adorning her arm a pointed glance  
"You know you could go to patch and see her?" he muttered under his breath  
"I-I….No" she shook her head "I can't"  
"I think you're being an idiot Blake" the Bear-Faunus sighed before turning to Velvet who had just emerged from the bunker "Good luck, stay safe and don't let the twins go clothes shopping in the middle of the job"  
"Will do" she chuckled "Try and get a gun while you're out Gang, you know you can't keep relying on one sword, especially without your armour" the two groups made their way out of the club and parted ways, Velvet and the twins walking in the direction of the city weapons at the ready Blake swung her leg over the vibrant yellow motorbike she'd claimed as her own, Gangrel taking his position behind her as the engine of the bumblebee roared into life  
"Let's go" her voice had a determined edge to it as the bracelet adorning her right wrist expanded outwards, forming the right gauntlet of Ember Celica.

Flax jumped into the back of the vehicle that had been assigned to Sweep Team Four, the dark interior of the 'Puma class ATV' seated six, the driver, the gunner perched above the rest of the team and up to four other passengers  
"You couldn't wait for me?" Flax asked irritated, it was his first time meeting the team he had been assigned to and they had seemingly been prepared to set off without him  
"Who the fuck are you?" one of the two Hunters assigned to the unit spat while turning from the passengers seat to face him, a tall muscular young man wearing armour that had been scorched and dented, his weapon, a large mace resting between his legs  
"The new recruit-"  
"Oh fuck no" the other Hunter, distinctive due to his green Mohawk who sat with Flax in the back of the vehicle "We're not having a fucking fleabag on the team"  
"It's already been done Russ, nothing we can do about it" the first Hunter laughed bitterly before calling up to the gunner "Oi Brick, have you seen the state of this newbie we've been given?" the gunner leaned down from his position in the armoured nest set atop the ATV and Flax's heart jumped into his mouth, it was one of the two thugs that had cornered him at the protest he had attended  
"You!" Brick spat  
"You know him?" the Mohawk sporting Hunter asked  
"Oh yeah, the little cunt threw a Molotov at me a while back" Brick fixed Flax with a cruel smirk "Hey Cardin, I say we shoot his legs out and leave him for dead, he's a newbie it won't too much trouble to explain why he went missing"  
"Get back up top" the first Hunter, now known to Flax as Cardin sighed before turning to Flax "Listen carefully kid, I don't like you, I don't like your kind and if you weren't assigned to my unit I'd walk straight past you if I saw you getting attacked by Grimm; that being said you are in my unit now so don't even fucking think about dying" the young Faunus was stunned by the open hostility, now understanding why Coco had tried to persuade him to ask to be reassigned  
"So basically fuck this unit then" Flax spat attempting to match the Huntsman and resistance fighters in terms of venom "I'm on my own if we run into trouble"  
"He's got some balls on him I'll give him that" the unseen driver laughed, from his voice Flax guessed he was an older man "Anyway, we've been dicking about here for too long bring him up to speed on the way" with that the driver brought the engine purring into life  
"Okay kid, what are you actually capable of" Cardin called back "Besides fire-bombing people"  
"Well I've got my Aura unlocked so I can take a hit, I got accepted into Bulb Prep" the two Huntsman turned to face him  
"Kid how old are you?" Cardin demanded  
"Fourteen….I lied when I joined the resistance, told Commander Goodwitch I'm sixteen"  
"Sweet fucking Oum, he's a baby, he's going to die and we'll get the blame for it" Russell ranted while Cardins' head dropped into his hands, eventually he turned back to face Flax  
"Have you got a weapon?"  
"They gave me a pistol"  
"Have you ever fired it?" the young Faunus shook his head, before smirking and producing his baseball bat wrapped in barbed wire "I've got this though" he said brightly, Cardin gave a laugh that sounded as though it was masking a nervous breakdown, Russell snorted  
"So you're untrained, probably can't fight and your weapon of choice to fight Grimm is made of wood….Not gonna lie kid, I would not put Lien on you making it to fifteen" the Mohawk sporting Hunter told him, pausing and giving him a once-over "And where the fuck is your helmet?"  
"I erm, left it behind….it doesn't fit over my ears" Russell burst out laughing, Cardin reached up to the gunners' position  
"Give me your helmet, stay in the ATV" he reached back down and threw helmet to Russell "Sort that out for him" Russell nodded and drew one of his blades and carved a pair of holes into its' surface before slapping it over Flax's head  
"Thanks" he chuckled as he worked his rabbit ears into the freshly made holes "So what's the mission?"  
"Sweep teams haven't been out to the docks yet but we have heard reports of activity in that area, we think there might be some survivors holed up nearby" Cardin explained  
"So we're a rescue mission?"  
"No. we're a recon mission, we're going to see if we can actually find anyone and if they're friendly try and bring 'em back to the Halo"  
"Fair warning kid" Russell growled as he converted Brutus and Longinus to their pistol forms and began loading Dust rounds "Team CRDL have dealt with amphibious Grimm before, our first mission was to a little fishing village just outside of the south wall….I'm not saying there are any amphibious Grimm at the docks, but if there are it's gonna be hell"  
"You've never fought a Grimm before right?" Cardin asked, Flax gave a nervous shake of the head, the Huntsman gave an annoyed growl "Like I said, don't even think about dying….Fuck it, what's your name kid?"  
"Flax Scarlatina" Cardin and Russell both looked at the Faunus, then to each other, then burst out laughing.

Velvet ducked behind an overturned truck, nervously peering around the remains of the front bumper before motioning to the twins who crouched low and sprinted from the building they were covering behind to join her  
"I think we've found somewhere" she breathed to them  
"From Dust til Dawn?" Melanie gave her a sceptical look "That's probably the most well known place in Vale that isn't an SDC outlet"  
"The windows aren't smashed" Velvet observed "All the places we've been to so far had them broken when people looted them, it's worth checking"  
"She's got a point" Miltia shrugged  
"Whatever"  
"Come on" Velvet whispered as she crept forwards, she could hear the sound of the twins weapons being deployed behind her as she drew the knife Gangrel had given her, it was the one he had used to tally kills on his armour before it had been destroyed in the fight with Adam. Making her way to the door she found it was locked  
"See anything?" she asked the twins, seeing both of them shake their heads the rabbit Faunus pushed a little of her Aura into her strike as she kicked the door from its' hinges and made her way inside  
"Jackpot!" Miltia exclaimed in a sing-song voice as she took in the untouches aisles of Dust  
"Keep quet! Melanie hissed "We don't want to let everything within a mile know we're here  
"TOO LATE!" A new voice exclaimed, before any of them had time to react the door to the store room at the other side of the shop had burst open and a pair of golden figures leapt forwards at impossible speed kicking the twins backwards, Miltia staggered back through the entrance to the shop whereas Melanie was flung backwards through a window; Velvet leapt forwards and ducked for cover behind a shelf which quickly found itself the target of several shotgun blasts  
"Hey jackass! Stop shooting for a sec and we'll talk" Miltia called out as she entered the shop, Melanie leaning against her, her expression furious, the shots ceased and Velvet sprung into action leaping from cover and delivering a spinning kick that sent the gunman crashing to the ground before throwing her knife downwards pinning his shirt to the floor. She took a long look at him, he was a Faunus, well built, abs clearly visible due to his shirt being open, blonde with a monkey tail that seemed to be constantly in motion, Velvet realised he looked familiar  
"You're a Hunter?" she asked  
"And you're sexy as hell" she shot back with a grin, Velvet rolled her eyes and turned back to the twins  
"Melanie your heels, his dick"  
"With pleasure"  
"Whoa, whoa, whoa, hold on let's be reasonable!" Sun panicked tugging the knife free  
"Why are you out here in the ruins?" Velvet asked drawing Leporidae Rampant and forming a copy of Yatsuhashi's sword, Liequan, which she pressed under his chin  
"My team were on one of the Bull-Heads from Sky-Reach during the attack, we got took out of the sky, after a Nevermore killed Sage we got split up; I got my leg broken it was a couple days before I could walk again even with my Aura to heal it, by then it was over and I don't want to try making it to the walls on my own so I hunkered down in here" Velvet looked at him before vanishing the sword in her hand and pulling him to his feet  
"What's your name?"  
"Sun Wukong" Velvet did a double take  
"Is your Dad called Gut Wukong?"  
"Y-yeah, how do you know?"  
"The people I'm staying with know him, some of them are clearing a path to the docks so he can get us out of here" Velvet explained, Sun leapt to his feet, blue eyes widening  
"Then I'm sticking with you!"  
"Really? After you kicked me through a window?" Melanie asked snidely  
"Hey he is kinda cute though" Miltia laughed "Okay, you can come with, but we're taking this Dust with us….all of it"  
"Mil, how are we going to carry it all?" Velvet asked  
"I'll go hot-wire a car" she shrugged as she made to leave "What, you think because we dress like this we've never had any illegal fun?" Velvet merely shook her head while Sun stared after her open mouthed  
"Well this isn't exactly what I imagined heaven to look like, but I can work with it"

Cardin, Russell and Flax prowled through the ruins of the docks weapons drawn while the driver and gunner of their ATV stayed in the vehicle  
"Did Grimm do this much damage?" the Faunus asked in utter disbelief  
"No" Cardin said simply before pointing into the distance where what looked like the remains of the rear half of an Atlesian ship lay "Best estimates say that the Atlesian flagship went down and crashed into the sea, there's definitely been Grimm here but a lot of this was done by the ship that crashed into the flagship  
"The pilot killed themselves to take it down" Flax sounded awed, Russell snorted  
"Professor Port says that the pilot made it out and carried on fighting, I think it's something he made up to motivate the troops….I swear he enjoys the way things are now a little too much"  
"Guys" Flax gave them an urgent whisper as he saw movement in the corner of his eye, something scurrying under the rubble "There's something here"  
"Probably just rats" Cardin grunted "Don't get jumpy, it'll only attract Grimm" the Faunus tried to steady himself, clutching his baseball bat tightly as he drew his pistol  
"So where would you go if you were crazy enough to try and set up base here?" Russell asked as he twirled his knives nervously  
"Well you could try the old arcade" Flax suggested  
"The old White Fang one?" Russell raised an eyebrow  
"It used to be, it got shut down ages ago"  
"You'd know" the Huntsman sneered  
"Go fuck yourself" Flax shot back, he might have been an Ex-Fang but Russell didn't know that and was basing his assumption strictly on race  
"Quiet!" Cardin snapped the three of them strained their ears and tensed as the sound of something disturbing the water made itself known  
"Grimm in the water" Russell hissed  
"Let's hope it stays in the water, it might be strictly aquatic" Cardin growled; as if on cue the water broke as the first Grimm came ashore; fifteen feet long, bony ridges along its back, spikes adorning its' tail and a mouth full of dagger like teeth, it was followed by more of its' kind  
"What the fuck are those?" Flax screamed as he raised his pistol and fired, the shot piercing the eye of one of the Grimm, the monster rapidly fading from existence  
"Nice shot kid!" Cardin called "They're called Sobek, Crocodile Grimm, do _not_ get close leave it to me and Russ!" the larger Huntsmen rushed forwards bringing Jericho down on the skull of one of the Grimm, another one lunging forwards snapping at him before the shaft of his mace held its' jaw in place while Russell opened fire on its' underbelly  
"Cardin pull back, there's too many of 'em!" the larger Hunter growled as he threw a Grimm away from him and driving his mace into the ground the Gravity Dust loaded into it creating a shock-wave hurling the tide of monsters back giving him a chance to rejoin the others  
"GO! GO! GO! Back to the ATV!" He roared  
"What about the mission?" Flax asked  
"Obviously it's a bust, anyone who was here is dead!" the three of them rushed back the way they had come until their path was blocked by an Alpha Beowulf landing in front of them, the rest of its' pack stalking into view snarling and snapping  
"Fuck" Cardin spat simply "Push 'em back towards the ATV and let the big gun deal with 'em"  
"Those Sobek followed us!" Russ barked as he span back towards the crocodile Grimm and opened fire, one of the Beowolves lunged at his back only for its' jaw to be crushed by Flaxs' bat connecting with it Cardins' mace crushing its' spine, the sound of an engine made itself known rushing towards them  
"Fuck sake, now what?" Cardin roared right before a yellow motorbike skidded into view the driver vanishing into wisps of smoke  
"What the-" Cardin was cut off as Blake Belladonna dropped from the air onto one of the Sobek, her sword piercing its' skull while the gauntlet on her right arm ripped through the rest of them, a resounding echoing crack sounded out, Cardin turned back towards the Beowulf in time to see a blade tear the Alpha from crotch to skull, its' bisected halves fading away revealing the towering form of Gangrel Slate  
"Don't just stand there you fucking idiots move!" the Bear-Faunus roared as he ploughed through Grimm  
"R-right" Cardin stammered "Russ, kid, come on!" Flax made to run and felt the massive hand of the Bear-Faunus clamp down on his shoulder  
"Nice to see my bat getting some use. Your sister is alive, she's safe" Flax turned to ask Gangrel for more information but he had vanished, his Semblance bringing him into the midst of the Sobek; Flax gave him one last look before running after the rest of his team to the ATV

The remaining members of Team's CFVY and GRAP shared a table in what was jokingly called the mess hall, it was a bar near the wall that had survived the fall of Vale relatively intact and had since been re-purposed, the six Hunters turned to face the door, their conversation halted by a commotion  
"Coco! Hey Coco!"  
"Over here Flax!" she called out, the young Faunus rushed over to the table, panting and shaking  
"Sweet fucking Oum what happened?" she demanded  
"Just got back with Sweep Team Four" he gasped out  
"What the fuck did they do to you?" Coco spat preparing to find Cardin and Russell  
"No it's not that" Flax managed to straighten himself out "We were investigating the docks, we nearly got surrounded but a couple of Hunters showed up; one of them is the guy who gave me this bat, Cardin recognised him said his name was Gangrel Slate"  
"Gang's alive!" Artemis exclaimed, Rover whooped for joy  
"That's not all" Flax continued "He told me Velvet's okay" Coco leapt from her seat and grabbed him by the shoulders  
"Where?" she demanded "Where are they?"  
"I don't know" Flax sighed "Gangrel and a woman with a sword who can make copies of her self pulled up on a bike, saved our asses and told us to go"  
"That sounds like Blake" Rover noted  
"Fox, Yatsu suit up" Coco's face took on a determined look "We're going out there"  
"No you're not" Artemis pulled her back onto her seat  
"What?"  
"You know Goodwitch is planning something big Coco, we can't get out there and get ourselves hurt or stranded, everyone left in Vale needs us" Coco's expression slowly shifted from furious to defeated and the feline pulled into a hug, instinctively knowing that Coco was about to break down, the pained cry came almost instantly  
"But I need her"

It was dark before Gangrel and Blake arrived back at Junior's club, not that that meant much as the days grew shorter giving way to long frosty nights, the two Faunus clambered down into the bunker  
"Honey I'm home" Gangrel called  
"One day I'm gonna have you killed" Junior noted, sounding almost bored  
"You tried that already"  
"No" the mob boss corrected "I hired Malkavia Pitch to kill Adam, you just decided to tag along with him; don't blame me for your bad decisions"  
"Okay what the fuck have I got myself into?" Gangrel and Blake both turned to see a nervous looking Sun Wukong with Miltia Malachite sat on his lap  
"A lot less trouble than you'll be in if you don't get the fuck away from niece" Junior grumbled  
"Be quiet uncle Hei" Miltia sighed with a roll of her eyes "I'm just being friendly" she turned to Sun and silently mouthed the words _'very friendly'_  
"Oh you're the idiot from the tournament" Blake noted dispassionately  
"Yeah" he rubbed the back of his head nervously "Sorry about that, it was a bit of pre-match banter I didn't really mean anything by it"  
"So you're not actually a dick, you just do a good impression of one" the feline sighed "Fair enough, I'm going to read"  
"Ouch" Sun breathed before turning to Gangrel "Velvet said my Dad is coming?"  
"Yeah, me and Blake managed to clear out most of the docks today as soon as we can get in touch with him we'll tell him to dock and we can get the fuck out of here"  
"Well if you can get me to the south wall safely I can jump on the train to Vaccuo and see him in person" the Monkey Faunus suggested  
"Not a chance" Gangrel laughed "You abandoned your post on the wall in the breach and you owe Fagin money, your Dad works for Fagin now; you're staying here until we leave I don't trust you not to run for it"  
"So I'm a prisoner?" Sun asked, outraged  
"No, you're insurance" Junior chuckled "But let's be honest this bunker has more creature comforts than wherever you were holed up before"  
"Oh and your team, Sage didn't make it, Scarlet was a little injured him and Neptune should have made it out; they were part of a group of students defending civilians when I last saw them" Gangrel watched mixed emotions play across Sun's face  
"I knew about Sage, but thanks for telling me" the Bear-Faunus turned to Junior  
"Now I'm going to pretend 'creature comforts' wasn't an admittedly smarter than most Faunus joke; is that Thumper in the shower? 'cos she takes all the hot water"  
"No, Velvet came back with the twins and went straight to sleep" Junior paused for a moment as the sound of the shower stopped "We uh, have another new guest she found her way here saying that she wants a way out of Vale and that she wants to wipe out the White Fang"  
"Well she's in good company then" Gangrel snorted  
"Yeah" Junior muttered nervously as the door opened and the new guest entered the room, stood there wearing a bathrobe and a towel wrapped around her head, grinning evilly at Gangrel; was Neo.

 **Authors Notes:**

Welcome back.

So let's summarise:  
there's only a one month time skip here because let's be honest in the three episodes we've seen of Vol.4 it doesn't feel like six months have passed.  
Certain Faunus get lethargic in winter; if Cat-Faunus follow laser pointers around then rabbits and bears want to sleep….also when it starts snowing, Rover is basically going to be a big puppy.  
The twins: Miltia has no chill, Melanie gives no fucks.  
Gangrel lost one of his swords fighting Adam (Which leaves him unable to form his longbow) and Velvet's attack wrecked his armour, so he's back on his feet but still missing most of his equipment.  
Blake has claimed the bumblebee and the right half of Ember Celica for herself; I expected them to give her the gauntlet in canon considering she obviously went back for Gambol Shroud, since Blake doesn't have it I kind of hope Adam took it as a trophy.  
Flax joined the resistance and got put on a team with Cardin Winchester, Russell Thrush and one of those two racists from the first chapter that showed up again in chapter sixteen; that is impressively bad luck.  
Cardin is racist but he won't let somebody put under his care get killed if he can help it.  
Google L-ATV, that's what I imagine their vehicle looking like (But obviously a more sci-fi version)  
'Puma' class ATV is a nod to Red Vs Blue  
Hey look we found Sun Wukong.  
Also Miltia took one look at Sun and decided _'Mine'  
_ Yes Winter Schnee has passed into the realm of being so bad-ass people don't actually believe the stories about her  
Crocodile Grimm are a thing now.  
I like the idea of Blake letting her shadow clone ride the bumblebee while she plans a surprise attack.  
So the remaining members of CFVY & GRAP (So CF_Y & _RA _P_ ) know that Gang Velvet and Blake are still alive; but can't go after yet because Goodwitch is planning something.  
Flax has met Gangrel before but he was wearing his White Fang mask at the time  
Neo. That is all.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Yeah Ruby is out for blood, her and Jaune will still be travelling together but they may have different objectives.  
I have an interesting path in mind for Yang.  
Weiss will have to deal with Papa Schnee and Baby Schnee, but she will have an unexpected ally (Klein will be there, because he's too cool to not be, but there's going to be someone _else_ )  
Adam isn't getting edgier, he's going to get outright terrifyingly insane.

As always thank you to everyone who reads this, with a special thanks to those of you who follow, favourite and review.


	57. 57: Coping

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I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 57: Coping**

Cinder struggled into her seat made of bone the entire left side of her body screaming in protest, in the month since she had claimed the powers of the Fall Maiden for herself her body had recovered somewhat, she could walk for short periods and was slowly regaining her speech, her left arm was still almost completely useless to her and her left eye remained hidden behind an ornate mask of ebony and gold over which she wore the golden circlet from her vanquished enemy, beneath which traces of the gruesome scars she had received from the silver eyed warrior could be seen.  
"Abysmal" a cultured voice chuckled, Cinder glared across the table made of glowing purple crystals to the speaker, a greying and moustachioed man in a navy blue trench coat "I have a mind to thank the child that finally silenced you, but this is unbecoming Cinder I almost feel sorry for you"  
"If if it were me I'd hunt her down" a voice to her right announced, the speaker sounding as if he were on the brink of a fit of giggles, the mans' age was hard to guess, he crouched in his seat rather than sat and wore an outfit of pure white which only highlighted the stains of dubious origins covering the garments, insane yellow eyes turned to her "After all, eye for an eye" with that he finally gave in to the laughter and let out a demented cackle, his single braid of hair bouncing with his hysterics. Cinder clenched her teeth and forced a single word out, a harsh and ragged whisper  
"Silence"  
"You have no authority here Cinder" the laughing man gasped out as the door of the chamber they were situated in opened with a creak, the sound of snarling making itself known as a single Beowolf stalked into the room, it was young, freshly spawned its' bone plates barely formed, yet it did not attack, choosing instead to do something much more terrifying, it sat and nuzzled at the palm of its' master as she entered.  
"Watts, Tyrian" Salem hissed softly as she glided to her place at the head of the table, three of those already situated around it rose to their feet, Cinder remained seated at Salem's right hand "You find such malignant conduct towards my chosen necessary?" her voice promised the threat of endless pain as the Beowolf stalked around the room before finally settling behind Salem's crystalline throne  
"I apologize mistress" his voice remained confident yet he dared not meet her eyes, returning to his seat as Salem gave him a small nod of permission "I'm just not particularly fond of failure"  
"Then I fail to understand your cruelty Watts" Salem's tone almost dared the man to argue "Cinder has taken the powers of the Fall Maiden for herself, reawakened my great Dragon, laid the Kingdom of Vale low and Ozpin along with it; of what failures do you speak" Cinder made no effort to hide the victorious smile on her face  
"Well" Watts gulped, seeming to realise the precariousness of the situation "The Dragon has been rendered useless by the silver eyed girl"  
"Yes" the voice of the only member of Salem's council who hadn't spoken rumbled, a large and muscular man, his voice sounding as though a mountain had been granted the power of speech "We've dealt with her kind before how is it a novice was able to best your chosen mistress?"  
"My thoughts exactly-" Watts found himself silenced by a glare from Salem, her crimson irises flashing and the Grimm behind her growling as though it shared her irritation  
"Young Cinder has great gifts but she does not have the experience of her predecessor" her alabaster hand reached out to stroke Cinders' hair "That will come in time, as for how the silver eyed warrior affected her to this extent….a side effect of my gifts, but none of your concerns"  
"Yes mistress" Hazel and Watts spoke as one  
"Now" Salem said thoughtfully, stroking Cinder as if she were a mere pet "Adam Taurus was instructed to return to Atlas yet we have received no word from him"  
"It may be a mere inability to communicate" Watts ventured, seeing Salem motion for him to elaborate he continued "While I am capable of contacting assets in multiple Kingdoms this is not an ability shared by everyone, with the Vale CCT disabled the other Kingdoms can only communicate locally"  
"Can you not restore the CCT in Vale?" Watts shook is head  
"If it were only my program causing a problem I could correct it in moments but it would seem that the tower itself has been damaged; my apologies mistress"  
"Then travel to Atlas and concern yourself with finding our wayward friend"  
"Yes mistress" Watts took his leave, bowing to Salem as he left  
"Hazel" she turned to the larger man "You are to search for the others Maidens, use any assets you see fit"  
"Yes mistress" he rumbled as he made to leave, Salem turned to her two remaining disciples seated to her right  
"Cinder my child, you will remain with me"  
"Mistress" the False Maiden rasped out  
"The time for conquest will come, as will the time for vengeance; Tyrian"  
"Yes?" his face split into a twisted smile  
"You are to find the silver eyed warrior; bring her to me alive" the madman looked visibly annoyed by the last part of the order, Salem rose an eyebrow  
"I said alive Tyrian, there is a broad spectrum of what constitutes alive….You can have your fun, just do be sure to leave something for dear Cinder"

Jaune Arc looked up from the bag he was packing at the sound of his door opening; he was the only one of the Arc children to have his own bedroom due to being the only son, Yatsuhashi had however shared the room with him during his time back from the Halo fortifications due to his strained relationship with his own family and the fact that the Daichi family were taking in refugees from Vale  
"Hey" Jaune said simply as Citrus made her way into his room, he felt his heart break a little every time he saw his sister on crutches  
"Hey" she said back giving him a bright smile "So you're really going then?"  
"Yeah, yeah I am"  
"Mum's going to throw a fit when she realises you weren't joking" his sister sighed "Vicky is probably going to track you down and drag you back here kicking and screaming when she gets back from the walls, the twins think it's something straight out of a romance and Dad won't say it but he's proud of you"  
"And what do you think?" Jaune asked nervously, only a year separated the two of them and Citrus was always the sister he felt the strongest connection to  
"I get why you have to do it, I really do; I'm just worried about you so I want you to do something for me….I want you to take Dragonslayer"  
"Citrus I can't, that's your weapon, you and Toni spent months on the design"  
"And I can't walk Jaune!" his sister spat, temper flaring for a moment "My Aura will fix me up by the time everything gets something close to normal, but right now even if there was a Beacon left to go to I couldn't….I'd rather use the ridiculous amount of free time I've got right now to work on a new weapon and not have to keep looking at a reminder of what happened" the moment ended with the sound of the front door opening downstairs and one of the other Arc children calling up  
"Jaune your friends are here!"  
"I'll be down in a sec!" he turned to Citrus ruffling her hair "That'll be Ren and Nora, thanks Citrus, I'll be sure to roast every Nevermore I see with Dragonslayer and call it payback for ya"  
"Get 'em Jaune" she laughed "Hey mind if I crash in your room for a while? I don't want Ren to see me like-"  
"You know him and Nora are a thing" Jaune scowled cutting her off "Besides he came home with a war wound himself, you can trade stories" she merely snorted  
"He got a bad-ass scar, I got crippled and yeah I know they're crazy about each other….I'm hopeful not stupid" Jaune chuckled at his sisters' crush on his team-mate as he made his way downstairs to see the team-mate in question waiting for him in the living room, Nora could be seen through the window showing the twins Daisy and Buttercup how Magnhild worked, the twins would be heading to Signal when the new semester started  
"So this is happening?" Ren asked, Jaune silently nodded as he made his way across the room to the rack of weapons above the fireplace; his mothers' and eldest sisters' weapons were missing as was Crocea Mors, his father having reclaimed the sword and come out of retirement to protect the people of the village, Jaune took Citrus's sword and shield combination their chromed finish painted white since the fall of Vale when it had been scorched and scuffed and slung them over his back, the mechanised harness activating and fitting around his armour  
"You're taking your sisters' weapon?" Ren raised an eyebrow, drawing Jaune's attention involuntarily to the scar running down his right temple to his jawline  
"She gave me it" Jaune laughed "I'm surprised it hasn't got I heart Ren written on it anywhere to be honest"  
"I'm not sure how to answer that to be honest" Ren's tone was as neutral as he could make it, Jaune shook his head chuckling to himself as he made his way to the end of the weapon rack and took the item Qrow had brought to him in the days following the battle, he slid the shield onto his arm tears prickling his eyes as they always did when he looked at what he had left of Pyrrha  
"How are you coping?" Ren asked quietly "Pyrrha was my friend but she loved you"  
"I loved her too" Jaune forced his voice not to crack "And that's part of why I have to do this, I have to take Akuo to her family and return it, it's part of Mistrali culture….It's the right thing to do" Ren nodded silently placing a hand on his shoulder  
"Just know that we're here for you whenever you need us. Nora and I have no family, _had_ no family but then we came to Beacon and met you and Pyrrha, you became our family and someone took that away from us, I want you to know that Nora and I will follow you to the end of Remnant if you ask us" Jaune wiped tears from his eyes and pulled his team-mate into an awkward hug  
"Thanks Ren" he gave a watery chuckle "Let's go, before we head to Mistral there's one more place we need to go"

Cheshire Motley perched atop a frost covered shipping container that had once contained Dust mouth hanging agape as she saw the mouth of a gigantic cave carved into the side of a mountain slowly drawing closer as the freighter once owned by the late Roman Torchwick made its' way through the frigid water, the cave mouth would easily accommodate their ship. The Tiger Faunus rose to the feet shaking off snow that had accumulated on her uniform before leaping from the container onto the deck and prowling silently, White Fang grunts snapping to attention and saluting as she passed them.

Adam stared at the masks gathered before him a twisted smirk adorning his face as he looked up to the mask furthest to the left, towering above him as if its' wearer were much taller, the mask shaped like the skull of an Ursa with stylised fangs and a gouge running down one side of it  
"We're going home" he said softly, turning to the other masks, one almost entirely unadorned except for red detailing around the narrow eyes blood staining its' surface, the next designed to evoke a cats' face, dust clinging to its' surface as if it hadn't seen the light of day in a long time the final mask stylised to appear as if it were stitched together, cracks running along its' surface as though it had been stamped on  
"You were right, partially at least" he continued "The humans would sooner ruin all of Remnant than give us what's rightfully ours, but they promised me a Kingdom and I intend to collect, we're going home and I'm going to rip the power from right under those in control in Atlas, this will be our promised land and we will never answer to humans again AND YOU WILL ALL COME CRAWLING BACK TO ME! YOU'LL ALL SEE THAT I WAS RIGHT!" his fist shot forwards glowing crimson and tearing a hole in the wall of his quarters  
"C-commander Taurus sir" the Bull Faunus whipped round, hand flying to the hilt of his sword, eye glowing with his Semblance  
"You saw nothing!" he snarled, Cheshire Motley nodded silently shaking as she tried to process the situation  
"We'll be arriving at our base of operations within the hour sir" the Tiger Faunus mastered her nerves as Adam stalked towards her and stroked her face  
"Good" he sighed "You will have command of the base whenever I'm unavailable; now leave me" Cheshire followed the instruction with haste, silently vowing that she would never tell a soul that she had seen Adam Taurus talking to the masks of dead traitors as though they were real people.

A tree shattered under Ruby's fist as soon as she felt the trunk begin to give way she turned her attention to another tree and began unleashing devastating combos on it the first snow of the season coating its' branches being shaken loose as fists, feet, knees and elbows ripping through its' surface until finally it collapsed and Ruby stood in the clearing she had made for herself in the woods near her mothers grave, she visited it much more frequently now almost as frequently as the unquenchable need to hit something struck her. In the month since Penny's death her temper had been something truly terrifying to behold, she refused to sit idly by and wait for life to return to normal and pretend everything was okay  
"Almost wish the Grimm around here would try me" she growled to herself as she looked down at her bruised and bloody knuckles before pulling her hood low over her face and stalking back towards her house paying no mind to the trail of destruction she left behind her.

Yang welcomed her friends into her house and tried to ignore the way their eyes lingered on the stump of her arm for a moment before returning to her eyes; she supposed she was no better considering the way her eye instinctively darted to Ren's scarred face and Pyrrha's shield resting on Jaune's arm  
"Hey guys" her voice was flat, the cheer once associated with her seemingly left in the ruins of Vale  
"Hey Yang" Jaune didn't know how to reply, Nora seemingly did, barging him out of the way and pulling Yang into a tight hug  
"It's gonna be okay Yang I promise" the blonde could be heard sniffling into Nora's shoulder  
"No its' not"  
"Prosthetics are really good now, it's only my dad who uses a crappy old-" Jaune's jaw snapped shut under the baleful glare Nora gave him  
"It's not about the arm" Yang sighed "That really sucks don't get me wrong but…." she trailed off, Nora grabbed both sides of Yang's head and forced her to meet her eyes  
"Blake. Is. Not. Dead."  
"She's-" Nora silenced Yang's protests with a hand over her mouth  
"We've seen the same lists you have, she's missing" the ginger said firmly "Jaune what did you say on the way here"  
"Erm, my sister is one the Hunters defending the Wall" the blonde started "They're still finding groups of survivors holed up"  
"Exactly" Nora nodded "Gangrel and Blake grew up in care together, same way me and Ren did; if they're both missing then neither of them are dead, they're just stuck somewhere together" Yang gave a weak smile  
"I want to believe that Nora, I really do want to try and have hope….I just can't bear waiting every day for her to knock on that door and see her there, or to here that she's okay and it just not happen" the front door opened revealing Ruby brushing the snow from her hood  
"H-hey Ruby" Jaune started before catching sight of her hands "What happened to you?"  
"I was training, what do you want?" she made her way up the stairs without waiting for an answer  
"She's been like this since Vale" Yang murmured "Since Penny" Jaune winced before making his way up the stairs, Ruby's room being easy to find as music started blaring from behind the door  
"Ruby!" he called banging on the door  
"It's open" the younger girl's sullen voice replied, Jaune made his way to into a room that could only be described as organised chaos, ammunition and blueprints seemed to be on every surface, his eyes were drawn to a large rucksack sitting near her bed  
"Going somewhere?" he asked raising an eyebrow  
"Tried to" she grumbled "Dad expects me to stay here and wait until the other academies re-open then pretend I didn't lose the love of my life" her voice cracked and Jaune pulled her into a hug  
"I know Ruby I know" he gently stroked her hair "Where were you going to go?" Ruby gave a watery laugh  
"Haven Academy, Mercury and Emerald were listed among the dead we know they're not. I want to find out everything I can about them then I'm going to find them"  
"Then come with us" Jaune said softly causing Ruby's head to snap up to meet his eyes "I knew you wouldn't want to be stuck here, me Ren and Nora are going to Pyrrha's home-town to give Akuo back to her family….the world thinks Pyrrha killed Penny, I can't let that go. I came to ask if you and Yang would come with us"  
"Yang's given up" Ruby spat furiously "The person she loves might still be out there and she won't get up and fight"  
"She lost an arm" Jaune pointed out, unused to the sheer fury that seemed to define his first friend at Beacon now  
"General Ironwood is sending her a prosthetic, he sent a letter saying that every student who fought in the battle is getting priority treatment, Yang isn't even sure that she'll wear hers….I don't even recognise my sister any more"  
"What about you?" the blonde asked "You were the first friend I made at Beacon, I'd rather have you helping me than cutting your hands up training, are you coming? We can wait til tomorrow if you want to talk to you Dad?"  
"No need" Ruby said simply reaching into her closet and withdrawing Crescent Rose in its' collapsed form and sliding it into place under her cloak which Jaune realised for the first time was ragged and torn from battle, the younger girl then withdrew a sword, he recognised it instantly, it was one of Penny's  
"I can pack in ten minutes" Ruby gave him a feral grin "How are we getting to Mistral?"

 **Authors Notes:**

So let's summarise:  
Cinder is wrecked, but she can force herself to talk, she has to considering she doesn't have Mercury and Emerald.  
She took Pyrrha's headband.  
I tried to make Salem even more menacing, I've already shown newborn Grimm to be cannibalistic in this story, newborn Beowolves turn into puppies when she's around.  
Okay, Cinder doesn't actually have the Fall Maiden's powers the parasitic Grimm living inside her does, which is how Ruby utterly wrecked her. That _will_ come into play later in the story.  
Cinder's predecessor will be important as well.  
I said in Vol.3 that Yatsuhashi lives just outside of the walls and has a strained relationship with his family, Jaune lives in the same village.  
Jaune now has Dragonslayer and will be taking Akuo back to Pyrrha's family because I'm sorry Vol.4 I will ship Arkos til the end of time but NO he shouldn't have melted down the last thing her family had of her.  
Also Pyrrha's shield hanging on the Arc family weapon rack, did I accidentally break any hearts with that?  
Jaune's little sister having a crush on Ren, because it can't all be doom and gloom can it.  
Yeah Adam is fucking crazy, he's started talking to Gangrel, Blake, Felix and Velvet's White Fang masks; I got the idea from the Transformers story 'Shattered Glass' where an evil Optiums Prime talks to the corpses of Transformers waiting to be melted down.  
Yang has got no fight left in her, she's utterly defeated.  
Ruby is at the other end of the spectrum, all she wants to do is fight.  
Yeah, Ruby was a dick for what she said about Yang, but she's grieving and lashing out.  
Nora trying to give Yang some hope and being more right than even she knows.  
The world is calling Pyrrha a murderer.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Sun is a flirty douche bag, but to be fair I wouldn't hold him attacking Velvet and the twins against him, there's always raiders in any post-apocalyptic scenario, you have to be on your guard.  
Cardin is a fuck-ass, when I read that I realised I should have had Flax tell him to 'suck a fuck' and make a Donnie Darko reference.  
Neo and Gangrel will be interesting; but not the most interesting thing I have planned for Neo.  
I'd say Neo is scarier than the Meta just because she can blend in with everyday society.

As always thank you to everyone who reads this, with a special thanks to those of you who follow, favourite and review.


	58. 58: New Strategy

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 58: New Strategy**

Ruby grumbled unintelligibly as she was prodded awake by Jaune, before rubbing the last traces of sleep from her eyes and stretching as she rose to her feet from the uncomfortable seat she had slept in  
"We'll be arriving soon" the blonde told her simply, the four of them had gotten lucky and managed to get passage to Mistral on a late night ship, with civilian air travel all but eliminated by the loss of Vale's CCT tower travelling across the water had become unavoidable, the trip had mercifully been uneventful leaving Ruby to fall asleep replaying the furious argument she and Yang had gotten into when she left; she hadn't meant to call her sister a _'coward hiding behind her injuries'_ just as she knew Yang didn't really believe she was _'A stupid little girl running away from the world instead of_ _facing_ _reality'_ but it had still hurt to hear; pushing the thoughts from her mind she followed after Jaune stepping out onto the open deck of the ship, breathing in the salty air surprised at how mild the weather was, her bare arms hardly feeling cold despite the fact winter was upon them  
"Hey guys" the younger girl called to what she supposed was her new team seeing Jaune leaning over the railings taking deep breaths to steady himself, his motion sickness obviously not confined to air-ships; Nora had her arms outstretched as she balanced on the prow of the vessel, Ren's arms around her waist, a small smile gracing his scarred face  
"Hey Ruby, I saw this in a film once, I'm not just queen of the castle I'M QUEEN OF THE WORLD!"  
"I think I've seen that film" Ruby admitted, laughing despite herself "You okay over there Jaune?"  
"I'll manage" he managed to force out between dry heaves before stepping away from the railings looking a little green  
"So we should be in Mistral soon" Ruby nodded towards the landmass clearly visible, taking up the entire horizon "You have the map, what's the plan?" Jaune reached into a pocket in the strap of his rucksack, which looked uncomfortable slung over his weapon and withdrew a folded up map, unfurling it he pointed at a point on the coast  
"Okay this is where first mate Skye said we'd be landing; a port city called Shui-Dun, Pyrrha's home-town is over here" he pointed to another point on the map "She told it me was a little village in the middle of nowhere, Posui-Dao"  
"It looks like it's on the way to the capital city" Ruby noted, Jaune shook his head  
"Only if you were to try going in straight lines, I've been to Mistral before with my family, back when there were only six of us. Mistral isn't like Vale, there's no buffer zone as soon as you're out of the walls of the nearest city if you go off the path you're in Grimm country"  
"There's more than one major city?" Ren asked  
"Yeah, the Kingdom is called Mistral, the capital city where Haven Academy is based is called Anquan-Jia, it's a lot smaller than Vale because not everything is crammed into one place"  
"So public transport?" Nora asked Jaune shook his head again  
"In Mistral? You've gotta be kidding, we're going to be hiking"  
"Sensational" Ruby drawled sarcastically, hand shooting to her mouth when she realised her choice of words "I'm okay, I'm fine" she forced her emotions under control as she saw the concerned stares her friends were giving her  
"So" Jaune continued nervously "I don't know these parts of Mistral but it looks like we can hike to Pyrrha's village in a couple of days and find other settlements to stay at overnight….The capital though"  
"Yeah that's going to be a problem" a new voice drawled out causing the four teens to whip around and face the interloper  
"Stranger danger!" Nora called cheerfully waving at the man whose eye seemed to twitch a little at the name, Ruby audibly gulped  
"H-Hey Uncle Qrow" her uncle stood before her arms crossed over his chest frowning  
"Well squirt, we'll be ashore soon it was a long flight for me to catch up with you so guess who's buying me breakfast before they explain what in Oum's name they're doing"

"No thank you Klein, there's nothing you can get me right now" Weiss answered to the rapping on her door, she was curled up in the large comfortable chair of her bedroom, clad in one of the new outfits she had found waiting for her upon her return to Atlas  
"Good thing I'm not Klein then" Winter snarked as she opened the door "I see Whitley exaggerates, he tells me you don't even bother getting dressed any more and shut yourself away"  
"I didn't for a few days" Weiss mumbled, unable to meet her sisters' eyes "Father said it's a tragedy but its' probably for the best because now I'm home and _among equals_ " she laughed bitterly, Winter grimaced  
"Our father should learn to hold his tongue lest something happen to the mouth it rests in" she fumed, Weiss's head snapped up at her sisters' words  
"You wouldn't assault Father" she said disbelievingly  
"It would be hard to argue that it was unwarranted if I did" Winter countered "But tell me, how have you been coping since Vale? I'm sorry it's taken me a month to come and see you"  
"You're busy with your duties now more than ever, I understand that" Weiss sighed "Honestly, I don't know how I'm managing to stay sane; Father acts as if everything that's happened is nothing more than an impediment to business, Klein tries and I appreciate him so much for it….Whitley, well"  
"Whitley's a pampered little shit who only ever comes out of the manor to strut around like a peacock" Winter grumbled "When my new ship is finished I have half a mind to drag him aboard and show him the real world" Weiss laughed softly, the disdain her brother and sister had for each other was much more tolerable now that Winter lived away from Schnee Manor  
"You have a new ship?" she asked, Winter gave a broad smile  
"Indeed I do sister, I've just come from the ship yard it's being constructed in _The Schleier Der Tranen_ should be ready for it's maiden voyage by the end of the week  
"You're leaving again?" Weiss asked, head hanging dejectedly  
"I'm heading to Vale" Winter explained "The CCT there needs to brought back online as soon as possible….I'll look for him Weiss" before she could say anything else her sister had leapt from her seat and pulled her into an embrace  
"Thank you Winter, thank you, I just need someone to take it seriously, to act like it _matters_ that he's gone"  
"I may have found someone who shares that sentiment" Winter gave her a wry smile "If you hadn't been cooped up in your room you may have noticed the manor has a new member of staff" her words were punctuated by someone knocking on the bedroom door  
"Come in" Winter called, the door opened revealing a tall greying Bear-Faunus with a scar running along his face wearing overalls  
"Klein told me you needed to see me Miss…." he trailed off when he saw Weiss staring at him mouth agape  
"Mister Slate" she whispered "What are you doing here"  
"Call me Bjorn, please" he chuckled closing the door behind him "I'm one of _the help_ now, the protective custody Ironwood arranged….it's here, he's a racist fucker but he's got a sense of humour I'll give him that"  
"You've been here the whole month I've been back" Weiss murmured "And I didn't come and ask you how you were….Mister Slate, Bjorn, I am so sorry"  
"It's no problem lass" he grunted "You were coping your own way; me I've just been keeping busy and trying to keep some faith"  
"Are you managing to?" Weiss asked  
"Aye I am" Bjorn nodded "We've all seen the lists of missing and dead Hunters; Perdu died, those two have been friends for as long as we lived in Vale, for the love of Oum he spent most of the time he wasn't at Beacon asleep on my sofa, Gang offered to buy him a bed. There's two reasons I know my son is still alive, he isn't going to let whatever happened to his best friend go unanswered"  
"What's the second reason"  
"You" Bjorn laughed "When it comes down to it that boy of mine really is as tough as he thinks he is and he is not going to let himself get taken away from you"

"So let me get this straight" Qrow started, leaning back in his chair as he swallowed the last of the bacon and eggs "Your friend is taking Pyrrha's shield back to her family, I get that so does Tai; what we don't get is why you're tagging along" Ruby met his gaze the two of them sat opposite each other in a corner table of a small café near the harbour of the port city, Jaune Ren and Nora had agreed to wait outside  
"I'm going to Haven" Ruby said simply  
"I'm assuming you're not trying to transfer there" Qrow smirked  
"The voice that came over the speakers before the attack started, she had a Mistrali accent"  
"That was Cinder Fall, the woman you took out when you used your powers. She's gone"  
"But Mercury and Emerald aren't, they were students of Haven, I know a lot of what's on their records is probably fake but if they worked for a Mistrali then there's a good chance that they're actually from Mistral" Ruby explained  
"You want revenge" Qrow surmised  
"They killed her" Ruby's knuckles whitened as she clenched her fists "Emerald's Semblance is what made Pyrrha kill Penny….They took her from me and now the whole world thinks Pyrrha is a murderer. I have to do this"  
"I know you do" Qrow sighed "And despite how much you running off has broken his heart so does Tai, I told him after your first attempt at running off you weren't going to just sit around, he doesn't like it but on some level he understands"  
"Look after him for me….And Yang" Ruby's voice was barely more than a whisper  
"And Yang, there's someone else you owe an apology to"  
"I know"  
"I'm not angry Ruby, I'm disappointed, I hoped you'd be better than me"  
"What are you talking about?" Ruby asked, her uncle sighed  
"I told Yang I'd never tell her this story" he ran his hands through his hair "She asked me what the angriest I've ever seen your Dad was. I loved your Mum"  
"Like _loved_ her?" Ruby asked wide-eyed, Qrow nodded  
"Yeah, I was in love with Summer Rose and she never felt the same way, when my sister left she got Tai back on his feet and the two of them fell in love with each other and I supported them because they are two best friends I've ever had….when she died I went to the funeral drunk and told Tai that it was all his fault, if she'd chosen me she'd still be alive; he very nearly killed me"  
"That was kind of a dick move" Ruby noted  
"So was everything you said to Yang, she was still in tears when I left" Qrow growled Ruby's head was in her hands  
"Tell her I'm sorry, I didn't mean any of it. I just need feel like I'm doing something that matters"  
"I will" Qrow reached across the table and gave her hand a gentle squeeze "And Tai can relate to what you're going through better than most, he's going to be worried sick but he'll understand. Just make sure you go home when this is done and apologise. Oh he's half Mistrali as well so the whole taking weapons back to their owners family thing appeals to him, it's why he doesn't have Summer's daggers"  
"My Dad's half Mistrali?" Ruby blinked, surprised that she'd never known that tidbit about her own family  
"On his Dad's side" Qrow nodded "His parents broke up during his last year at Sanctum and his Mum came back to Vale that's why he attended Beacon instead of Haven….When you get to Haven ask for a Professor Nile, he was in your Dad's old class, we did a few missions together before your Dad settled down"  
"Will he be able to help?"  
"He'll be willing to" Qrow shrugged "And now for a little advice from a dusty old bird, if and only if everywhere else is a dead end, go to Doupeng-He Bishou a city on the other side of Mistral consider it the home of the underworld, anything illegal you're looking for can be found there"  
"Home of the underworld?" Ruby asked  
"Literal Hell on Remnant, any foul or disgusting thing you can think of I can guarantee you that you'll find it there for a price" Qrow visibly shuddered at the thought of the place, that alone was enough to make Ruby's mind up for her she would avoid the place unless strictly necessary  
"What are you going to do?" Ruby asked  
"There are other people with abilities, not your silver eyes but they're myths and legends as well….Pyrrha inherited one of those powers before Cinder killed her; after I tell your Dad you're safe I'm going to go and find the rest of them, Cinder worked for someone they'll be searching for the other Maidens" Qrow rose from his seat "Vale was just the start Ruby, the whole of Remnant is a tinderbox right now, just waiting for an idiot with match to set it on fire"

Coco, Fox, Yatsuhashi, Rover and Artemis stood to attention in the makeshift office that Goodwitch was using as their former teacher, now commanding officer entered the room  
"At ease" she said immediately, clearly uneasy at the sight, wearily making her way across the room she made her way to her chair and surveyed the Hunters, all of them looked tired, haunted and battle worn; but more than that they all looked determined  
"The five of you are being removed from your current duties" she began "Mister Daichi, Craven Arc has come out of retirement to assist his wife in protecting your home village; Mister Alistair your Sweep Team is being reassigned as are Miss Blush and Mister Tan's, Mister Vasilias is being sent back to Mistral the boy is in no shape to continue fighting"  
"True" Fox nodded, he had been the one to bring the blue haired teens' degrading mental state to her attention when Neptune began to suffer regular panic attacks  
"Miss Adel your presence on the wall is no longer required as the sentry gun has been repaired"  
"About time" Coco growled "So what's the mission?" Goodwitch glowered at her over the top of her glasses  
"Reinforcements from Atlas will be departing by the end of the week, among them will be a ship commanded by a Special Operative, she will be bringing a team of people able to reconnect Vale's CCT with the other Kingdoms', thus re-establishing Cross-Kingdom communications for everyone  
"But our CCT tower has been getting stripped for parts" Rover pointed out having been part of one of the teams involved in the pilfering of the equipment  
"Indeed it has" Goodwitch smiled "The CCT was taken down by a virus from within, the parts I've had you remove are those that would have been unaffected, the new parts will be brought by our reinforcements to ensure that the operation can be performed swiftly"  
"You're building a new CCT" Artemis exclaimed as the realisation hit her.  
"Exactly" the professor nodded "Teams' GRAP and CFVY have proven adept at working together in the field before, which is why the five of you will be accompanying Professor Port and the Atlesian Specialist to ensure that no harm comes to the technicians while they work  
"Where are they setting up the tower?" Coco asked "Wouldn't the safest place be somewhere on the walls?" the Professor merely smiled before pointing out of the window of her office, indicating to the airborne stadium that still hung suspended above the ruins of Vale  
"The new CCT Tower will be based on Sky-Reach Stadium"

Junior swaggered into the main room of the bunker, which has been put back in order after Gangrel had lunged at Neo the moment he saw her, Junior had been disappointed with the fight overall, two teleporters fighting each other was a lot less brutal than he thought it would be, neither of them managed to land any solid hits on each other  
"What are you so happy about?" the Bear-Faunus growled  
"Neo managed to find a somewhat intact Bull-Head" the mute sauntered in after him giving Gangrel a mocking wave  
"So are we getting out of here?" Miltia asked as she readjusted herself on Sun's lap  
"I thought we were waiting for my Dad?" the Monkey Faunus asked  
"A Bull-Head won't get us that far idiot" Gangrel grunted in exasperation "So we're good to go then?" he asked Junior  
"We should be within a few days"  
"Blake, Thumper get in here!" the two of them eventually made their way into the room  
"What's up?" Velvet asked  
"Tell 'em Junior" the Bear-Faunus smirked  
"We've got a use for all that excess Dust you and the twins stole from Sun"  
"That I gave you" Sun corrected, earning himself a snort from the mobster  
"You were pinned to the floor being threatened with a kick in the dick, trust me you got robbed, anyway as I said I've got a plan for it. I think we can all agree that the Dragon sitting on Beacon needs to be dealt with, it's what's spawning all the new Grimm"  
"So you want to make Dust charges and plant them around Beacon, sink it into its' own foundations?" Blake asked  
"That was the original idea" Junior conceded  
"Which still isn't as bat-shit crazy as what' we're actually going to do" Gangrel laughed  
"Well we can't get close enough to Beacon to actually plant charges" Junior huffed "But as I was telling Slate, we've got a Bull-Head that can be repaired within a few days, we're going to rig charges onto Sky-Reach"  
"What!" almost everyone in the bunker asked  
"He wants blow the engines and drop the stadium onto Beacon, bury the Dragon that way"  
"Gangrel, Junior" Blake massaged her temples "What you've just said is one of the most insanely idiotic things I have ever heard. At no point in your rambling incoherent plan were you even close to anything that could be considered a rational thought. Everyone in this bunker is now dumber for having listened to it. I award you no points and may Oum have mercy on your soul"  
"I think it might work" Sun said nervously  
"And just like that I lost faith" Gangrel snorted  
"So what's the plan?" Velvet asked "How does getting rid of the Dragon get us closer to getting communications back up so we can contact Sun's dad and get to Atlas?"  
"We don't have the resources to fix the CCT" Gangrel said simply "The best we can do is keep dealing with the Grimm with the survivors who've set up near the walls deal with it; they're better equipped than we are right now"  
"That makes some twisted sort of sense" Blake begrudgingly admitted "I suppose you'll want me to help rig the charges?"  
"You were always better at it" Gangrel shrugged "So Blake, it's me you, Thumper and Wukong going up there"  
"Okay but who's piloting the Bull-Head?" Velvet asked Gangrel's brow furrowed, Velvet's question was answered by Neo handing the Rabbit-Faunus her scroll so she could read the message she had typed out  
" _This is going to be so much fun XD"_

 **Authors Notes:**

So let's summarise:  
Yeah Ruby and Yang had a massive argument where a lot of things that they'll both regret were said before she left, but I refuse to put myself through the angst of writing it.  
Ren and Nora recreating the scene from Titanic, you didn't know you needed that in your life until you read that did you?  
Matte Skye name drop. That is all.  
Okay I used simplified Chinese and Google translate for place names in Mistral:  
 _Shui-Dun_ : Water Shield (The port city)  
 _Posui-Dao_ : Broken Blade (Pyrrha's home town, yes the name is a reference to what happened to Milo)  
 _Anquan-Jia_ : Safe Home (The capital of Mistral) I toyed with calling it Ba Sing Se  
 _Doupeng-He Bishou_ : Cloak And Dagger (The utter hell hole)  
A bit of background to differentiate Mistral from Vale was needed.  
Yeah Ruby is not coping, like at all, the word Sensational nearly made her break down because it reminds her of Penny  
Yes "Stranger danger" is going to be Nora's name for Qrow from here on out.  
Weiss has been depressed.  
Winter's new ship is called the _The Schleier Der Tranen_ or The Veil of tears, a reference to Vale.  
Ironwood is racist but he has a sense of humour; oh the Bear-Faunus is dating a Schnee? Let's assign him to Special Operative Schnee; the man who was a member of the White Fang when it was peaceful needs protective custody? Let's make him the new maintenance guy at Schnee Manor.  
Qrow's not angry he's disappointed, that must feel bad to hear.  
Qrow's unrequited love for Summer. Ouch.  
Taiyang is half Mistrali, here's my reasoning: Taiyang Xiao Long is a Chinese name, in the World of Remnant video Mistral had a stereotypical 'Asian' aesthetic and Ruby in Vol.4 seems to have one hell of a tan when the other characters from Vale don't. It just makes sense to me.  
Neptune is also being sent back to Haven, I can imagine him breaking down in an outright war-zone.  
Goodwitch is planning to set up a new CCT tower on the Stadium  
Gangrel and Junior's plan is to blow the stadium up and drop it on the Dragon  
Of course they're going to coincide with each other.  
Blake casually dropped the Billy Madison quote.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter:  
Ruby vengeance, you've seen nothing my friend.  
Dragonslayer; think Crocea Mors, a little bigger, the shield has twin linked flame-throwers built into the underside and the whole thing turns into a jet-pack, but it loses its' ability to collapse.  
Yeah, Adam's Semblance is charged by his emotional state, the angrier or more desperate he is the easier it is for him to use, throughout Vol.3 I made note that his eye seemed to be glowing more and more often, he's going to reach a point where his Semblance is constantly active.  
I have plans for Jaune and Cinder but they won't be for a long time.

As always thank you to everyone who reads this, with a special thanks to those of you who follow, favourite and review.


	59. 59: Sky-Reach

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 59: Sky-Reach**

Winter strode purposefully through the corridors of her new ship, the Schleier Der Tranen was a much larger vessel than her former corsair and was one of the first of a new model, the production of which had been halted so that resources could be spent elsewhere; this left Winter running late, something that was unacceptable to her, seeing that there were no crew present she allowed herself the luxury of complaining under her breath about the indignity of taking wrong turns and walking in circles on one's own ship. Eventually she found her destination and took a moment to compose herself before entering the briefing room, instantly five pairs of eyes turned on her  
"Nice of you to grace us with your presence" one of the assembled Hunters, it seemed unfair to call them students, noted with a glower  
"Coco for Oum's sake don't start this the second she gets through the door" a heavily scarred Huntsman with blades mounted on his forearms chided  
"My apologies" Winter began "I see you're all as eager to get this under way as I am"  
"No communications for over a month, kinda needs to be fixed" a dark skinned Faunus with a mask resting on top of his head observed  
"Indeed" Winter agreed "It's unfortunate that it has taken this long, the Atlesian government had other pressing matters to attend to"  
"Like?" a feline Faunus asked incredulously  
"Like decommissioning our mechanised element and working around the clock to ensure that a repeat of what happened here in Vale can never happen again. Like restoring our fleet to something approaching acceptable numbers, we lost some of our best ships and people. Like patrolling our own skies, the last thing the world saw from Vale did not paint us in a positive light; to the Atlesian council bringing aid to Vale and restoring the CCT serves the purpose of mending relations with the other Kingdoms and providing a chance for us to avoid a war" Winter took a breath and a moment to steady herself realising that she was close to ranting  
"So what do you need us to do?" the first Huntress that had spoken asked "Seems you've got enough fire power here to keep Sky-reach secure"  
"My ship is too large to land on the stadium, we will be taking a Bull-Head and securing the location while the tech team set up an array"  
"I've been thinking" the female Faunus spoke up "Setting up the CCT in the stadium is a flashy way of telling everyone we're back in business, isn't it a little risky?" Winter nodded  
"It would be in the event of a war between kingdoms" she acknowledged "This is only a temporary solution, the only part of the CCT that will be outside is the array itself which will be protected by the stadiums' shielding, the actual inner workings can be set up in the interior of the stadium. Considering the limited number of airborne Grimm species native to Vale and the limited number of staff that will be on site at any given time to attract them the chances of an attack are low"  
"Okay kind of makes sense" the Huntress that had interrupted her accepted  
"Now" Winter continued "When we arrive we split into two teams, I was told that a mister Alistair and a Miss Blush are among the best trackers Beacon has to offer, they will be working alongside myself searching the inner workings of the stadium for any survivors or Grimm that may be present; while Miss Adel and Misters Daichi and Tan set defensive positions and cover the tech team while they work. The second part of our mission will be to sweep through Vale in search of a missing Atlesian agent, Agent Slate"  
"We're rescuing Gang? Sweet" Rover laughed  
"If he is alive to be rescued" Winter nodded, hopeful but prepared for the worst  
"He is" Artemis smiled "He's been seen in the ruins"  
"If we're looking for Gang then we're looking for Velvet as well" Coco said simply  
"Velvet Scarlatina" Yatsuhashi explained seeing Winter's confused expression before she managed to hide it "The fourth member of Team CFVY, she and Gangrel both served as a distraction for us to get civilians to safety during the battle"  
"And I let them go" Fox muttered under his breath  
"So then it's not unreasonable to assume that if we find one we'll find the other?" Winter asked seeing the assembled Hunters nod in agreement she smiled "Then we're agreed, first stop Sky-Reach Stadium then search and rescue"

Neo piloted like a madwoman. Gangrel wasn't sure why that fact surprised him all things considered  
"FLY IN A STRAIGHT LINE YOU IDIOT!" he roared at the mute as she performed what could best be described as a mid-air pirouette, the hastily repaired Bull-Head groaning in protest "We're carrying over a ton of explosives and you're trying your best to make 'em go boom….speaking from experience it's a bad idea"  
"You've been on a Bull-Head that exploded?" Sun asked before looking to the others "He's joking right? Right?" he paled upon seeing Blake and Velvet shake their heads  
"So what's the plan when we get there?" Velvet asked Gangrel growled and thought for a moment  
"Blake knows how to rig explosives, she can show you, with a weapon like yours I doubt you'll have any problems. Me and Sun are going to sweep the place and see if we can find anything useful; there's bound to be some decent equipment we can rip out. Neo is staying on the Bull-Head and keeping the engine running" he turned to face the diminutive maniac "And I swear to Oum if you even think about leaving us up here" she interrupted him by giving rude gestures with both hands while resting her feet on the controls, causing the Bull-Head to veer off course  
"DAMN IT NEO!" Gangrel bellowed before turning to Velvet "You can copy a motorbike with your weapon, why can't you copy a Bull-Head?"  
"Too big" she said simply "I tried an Atlesian Paladin once just out of curiosity and it ran the battery down in less than a minute"  
"Okay" Sun breathed out nervously with a gulp "We're almost there I can see the stadium….How the fuck are you all so calm? Seriously Blake is just sat there reading!" the girl in question merely rolled her eyes, Gangrel gave an evil chuckle and clapped a hand down on the blonde's shoulder  
"You thought you were some kind of big man because you managed to cheat Fagin out of a little bit of money didn't ya; you're the only Faunus here who hasn't had rank in the White Fang and since left. Welcome to the grown-ups table kid"

The unofficial team leapt from the back of the Bull-Head, Coco sweeping the area with her mini-gun as the others stepped off behind her, Rover seeming giddy at the sight of the snow that had accumulated  
"I think we're clear" she called over her shoulder in a hushed tone "I don't see anything"  
"I do" Fox hissed stalking towards the second Bull-Head on the landing platform "Someone else is here"  
"Are you sure this wasn't just left behind after the attack? I mean it looks pretty beat up" Coco asked  
"Engines are still warm" Fox told her simply, Winter narrowed her eyes and followed him  
"Adel's right it looks beat up but it's been repaired recently, a slapdash job that wouldn't be allowed in the air in Atlas. Footprints" she pointed to the ground near the rear hatch of the craft, grimacing to herself she summoned Coco over  
"We have company, they may or may not be hostile. Take care of my people Adel" the fashionista nodded  
"Will do" with that she made to join Yatsuhashi who was helping the technicians unload their equipment  
"Blush, Alistair, on me" Winter hissed, the two Hunters complied, Artemis pausing briefly to plant a kiss on her fiancé's mask  
"What's the plan?" the Faunus asked withdrawing Hakai Suru and shifting it to it's rifle form  
"Use your Semblances, see who else is here. First warning then straight to lethal force, this mission is too important for opportunistic raiders to jeopardize it" the special operative explained, seeing the pair of Hunters nod in understanding she drew her own sword and followed the footprints to a door leading to a staff only part of the Colosseum  
"Let's go"

Neo appeared behind them silently, causing Sun to jump and level his weapons at her in alarm she merely rolled her ghostly white eyes before turning to Gangrel  
"I told you to stay-" Gangrel's irritated snarl was cut off by the mute thrusting a scroll into his hands, he read the message she's typed for him  
" _We have company, another Bull-Head is on the way"  
_ "Who? She took the scroll back and typed another message  
" _How would I know dumb-ass? I came to warn you as soon as I saw it, they have a nicer Bull-Head than us though, I say we steal it"  
_ "What's wrong?" Sun asked nervously  
"We've got company" Gangrel sighed "And I'll bet Lien that you didn't cover your tracks" he gave Neo a glare  
" _Tracks will only lead them to the door we came in through, we can ambush them in here"  
_ "When did we decide we're killing them and taking their stuff?" the Bear-Faunus growled "Come on let's go find 'em"  
"If we're not going to attack them then why are we looking for them?" Sun asked  
"So we can tell them to get off of this stadium before we drop it on a Dragon you idiot" Gangrel's words were punctuated by an inhuman shriek "And apparently to save them from whatever that was, come on looks like Neo gets to kill something after all" the mute gave him two thumbs up and a bright smile before skipping off in the direction of the noise.

Winter brought her sword down vertically while dropping into a crouch, cutting a Griffin neatly in half while Artemis fired a shot from behind her, the round punching a hole through the chest of a Grimm that reared up on its' hind legs  
"Shame we can't take 'em outside and get some room to move" Fox called over to them while ducking and weaving under the frenzied slashes of the Grimm he was fighting before rending the beast apart with his blades  
"Just plough through them" the special operative called back; the three of them had come across the nest of Griffins within minutes of entering the dimly lit hallways of the stadium's interior and were currently fighting not to be overrun, Winter caught a Grimm that lunged at her with a shield Glyph and slammed it into the floor before piercing its skull with her blade  
"Alistair get clear!"  
"Give me a sec!" Fox called as he decapitated a pair of Griffins before leaping away from the fight, Winter set up a series of acceleration Glyphs around the Grimm before turning to Artemis  
"Blush, fire on the centre of that Glyph"  
"Right" Artemis snapped off a single shot which ricocheted off of the glyph through a Grimm before impacting on another Glyph being propelled through another beast, this continued until the bullet whizzed past Winter's ear leaving a rapidly dissipating pile of Grimm on the ground  
"I should have thought of that sooner" Winter sighed as a single remaining Grimm reared up to it's full height, right wing in tatters, before Winter could react it's head was vaporised and it dropped forwards, fading from view as it did so  
"What on Remnant-" Winter's confused mumbling was cut off as three figures strode into view  
"GANG!" Artemis cried rushing forwards pulling her leader into a hug  
"Agent slate?" Winter looked at him baffled, then to the small girl carrying what appeared to a weapon based on a stolen Atlesian prototype and the blonde Faunus she recognised as part of the team Weiss had faced in the tournament "What are you doing here?"  
"Taking the 'Fuck Adam Taurus Society' on tour, what are you doing here?" Winter snorted at the comment before composing herself  
"We're here to set up a temporary CCT communications hub on the stadium" Gangrel's face fell, the Monkey Faunus gave him a worried look while the small girl was doubled over in fits of silent laughter  
"Ah" Gangrel said simply "See we came here to blow the engines on the stadium and crash it….you know what fuck it I like your plan more, Sun go get the others tell 'em there's a change of plans"  
"Others?" Fox asked as Sun nodded and headed back in the direction he had come  
"Yeah, Blake and Velvet" Gangrel said simply "So what are we doing with the Dust we brought?"  
"Leave it here" Winter told him "The Stadium has enough power to stay airborne for months at a time if all other functions are shut down but some extra fuel won't hurt"  
"Fair enough" Gangrel nodded "Who else is here with you?"  
"Atlesian tech support, Rover and the rest of Team CFVY" Artemis answered, the Bear-Faunus raised an eyebrow  
"Where's Squish?"

Sun dropped down into the Bunker to see Junior and the twins waiting expectantly for him  
"I heard a distinct lack of explosions" Junior noted  
"Change of plan" Sun smirked "Atlesian reinforcements showed up while we were there"  
"And by that stupid grin on your face I'm assuming you think that's a good thing?"  
"They've managed to rig a temporary CCT Hub" the blonde Faunus waited a moment for the news to sink in "Cross Kingdom communications should be back online by tomorrow"  
"Oh my Oum, we're going to Patch, we're going to Patch!" Miltia laughed  
"I never thought I'd hear someone say that so enthusiastically" Melanie smirked  
"So what happened to the Dust bombs?" Junior asked, Sun shrugged  
"Atlas technicians took 'em, they're gonna take the Dust out and use it to refuel"  
"They stole my Dust!"  
"No, they stole my Dust that you stole from me" Sun pointed out, Junior glared at him for a moment before busting out laughing  
"You're not bad kid, I don't want you anywhere near my nieces but you're not bad at all, it's gonna be a shame to see you leave when you head home"  
"Hey, where are the others?" Melanie asked  
"Heading to the Halo….the defences, hey I think the name's kinda cool" Sun added seeing the looks he was getting "One of the Atlesian techs dropped me here on the Bull-Head we put back together, they complained about the state it was in the whole time, the others are going to Atlas with the Special Operative, oh and Blake said you need to find someone on Patch for her"  
"Who?" Junior asked  
"Blondie"

Velvet rushed through the settlements that the survivors of Vale had set up at a brisk walk forcing herself not to break into a sprint, the rest of her team around her, the Rabbit-Faunus shot nervous glances at Coco her leader had given her a brief hug and a welcome back but besides that hadn't spoken to her once  
"Here it is" Yatsuhashi said simply pointing to the bar "That's the mess hall" Velvet forced herself to ignore how much her hands shook and the sudden lump in her throat as he she followed the giant of a man inside, straight away her ears were assaulted by a familiar voice  
"Flax you little bastard you're cheating somehow, you must be" Velvet turned and was momentarily stunned to see Cardin Winchester at a pool table losing spectacularly to her little brother  
"If having naturally better eyesight and reflexes is cheating then maybe" he snorted "Seriously you don't even carry a ranged weapon 'cos you know yourself you can't hit the broad side of a Goliath" his comments were met with uproarious laughter from the small crowd that had gathered which, Velvet saw included the other members of Team CRDL  
"Yeah that'll never stop being weird" Fox snorted "He got assigned to Russ and Cardin's unit and they seem to act like they can't see his ears. HEY FLAX!" he called over, the young Faunus turned to face them, the greeting dying on his tongue when he saw his sister  
"VELVET!" he bolted across the bar and pulled his sister into a hug "Where the sweet holy fuck have you been?"  
"I got stranded in the battle" she managed to choke out through tears of joy as she hugged her brother "Adam showed up, injured almost everyone that tried to fight him"  
"Did he do that to you?" her brother nodded towards the remains of her right rabbit ear  
"Yeah" Velvet answered wiping her eyes "Where are Mum and Dad and Poly"  
"One of the refugee camps on the other side of the wall, Dad's part of the engineering team setting up defences there"  
"Fox told me you ran away from home" Velvet's tone became stern  
"Yeah, yeah I did" Flax straightened out "Everyone was a mess when you didn't come back, so I decided to come and get you. I've wrote to Mum and Dad, they're not exactly happy about the fact I joined the army at fourteen but hey, when you go and see 'em they'll get it"  
"She's not staying" Coco's tone was icy "Are you Velvet"  
"What?" Flax's eyes widened  
"I-I'm sorry Flax" Velvet mumbled "I'm heading out to Atlas immediately, the team I'm part of are going after Adam and stopping him, he can't be allowed to do what he's done to Vale to anyone else"  
"The team you're part of" Coco spat " _This_ is your team Velvet, you're part of Team CFVY"  
"Is that what this is about?" Velvet asked  
"This is about us thinking you might be dead for a month, then finding you just for you to tell us you're going to abandon us!" Coco raged, tears welling up in her eyes  
"Coco I-"  
"No!" she spat "Go on, get yourself killed. See if I care" with that she turned on her heel and left, Fox and Yatsuhashi looked to each other then to Velvet  
"We'll go talk to her" Fox gave Velvet a brief hug "In case we can't get her to see sense before you have to leave do you want us to pass on a message?"  
"Tell her I'm sorry and I'd hoped we could give things a chance….tell her I'm coming back no matter what"

"FUCK!" Gangrel's fist collided with the wall with the wall of Rover and Artemis's quarters with a resounding bang  
"Gang" Artemis leaned up and patted his shoulder, since hearing of the death of his partner and best friend the Bear-Faunus had been inconsolable, oscillating between bursts of rage and grief  
"He's gone….he's fucking gone" he sobbed  
"We couldn't find his family" Rover told him forlornly while he sat on the bed with his head in his hands  
"Squish didn't have a family" Gangrel sniffed "His Dad up and left when he was a kid his Mum was a junkie who routinely told him he was a mistake they hated each others guts, that's why he was always at my place"  
"Fuck….How didn't we know that?" Artemis whispered  
"He told me never to tell anyone about it, he said he'd die before he took pity from anyone" Gangrel laughed, before breaking down in tears once again  
"Hey" Rover reached under the bed and pulled out a large steel case which he handed to the Bear-Faunus, Gangrel opened the case and took a moment to realise what he was looking at  
"This is-"  
"Yeah he gave it to me before he jumped off the Bull-Head 'cos he was out of ammo" Rover nodded "I managed to swap the grip out to something your size, Squish might have used it as a rifle but it's barely a hand-cannon for you….He'd want you to have it" Gangrel withdrew the weapon in it's collapsed form before activating it, it was Squish's custom made assault rifle, Breaker  
"Gang, are you gonna be okay?" Artemis asked him softly, he laughed bitterly  
"No. Probably won't be for a long time, but I swear to Oum everyone involved in what happened to Vale, what happened to Squish….they're all gonna die and it might just help"  
"There's something else" Gangrel met Artemis's eyes, then Rover's  
"You're not coming to Atlas with me are you?"  
"No we're not" Artemis admitted wiping tears from her own eyes "Somebody has to stay here and defend what's left"  
"No, no I get it" Gangrel murmured "You're from Vale I'm not, I'm going to home you stay here and defend yours"  
"This isn't a goodbye Gang" Rover told him forcefully as he made his way across the room and clapped a hand on his team-mate's shoulder "You're gonna kill that son of a bitch, then you're gonna come back here and give a speech when me and Artemis get married. Team GRAP isn't over"  
"Yes it is" Gangrel sighed wiping his eyes "There's no Team GRAP without Perdu Callow. But you were right about the rest of it, Missy as always I'm leaving you in charge hold the fort for me will ya" the feline pulled him into one last hug  
"As Squish would have said" she gave Gangrel a mocking salute "Yes fearless leader"

Winter waited on the rear ramp of the Atlesian Bull-head, Blake already seated  
"They're running late" the white haired woman noted through gritted teeth  
"They'll be here soon" Blake told here "They've got goodbyes to say"  
"Haven't you?" Blake seemed to stare off into the distance at Winter's question  
"Not here and it won't be a goodbye" she sighed, before the conversation could go any further Neo sauntered onto the craft a broad grin splitting her face as she threw her scroll to Winter who did a double take at the message  
" _Got bored, started a bar-fight, won a bar-fight picked up a few wallets, let's go XD"  
_ "Who is this is reprobate?" Winter asked trying to hide her shock  
"Neo" Blake answered simply  
"As in the Roman Torchwick's bodyguard?" Neo snatched her scroll back and typed furiously before shoving it back into Winter's hand  
 _"Bodyguard? Are you being serious right now? Roman wasn't my customer he was my everything and the White Fang killed him"  
_ "You want revenge then?" Winter asked, seeing Neo's enthusiastic nod she continued "That I can work with, it may take some legal finesse and disappearing paperwork but it shouldn't be too much of a problem to get the four of you listed as special task-force"  
"Can't we just leave her here" Gangrel grumbled as he climbed aboard, Neo stuck her tongue out while giving him the finger in response  
"Are you okay?" Blake asked seeing his puffy eyes and Squish's old weapon hanging from his hip  
"I'll manage, I'll have to" he turned to Winter "I should have asked earlier how's Weiss been?"  
"You were missing for a month presumed by most to be dead" Winter huffed "It's been rough, that's why you and Blake are coming with me to the manor when we arrive in Atlas" Gangrel nodded silently  
"Sorry I'm late" Velvet apologised as she entered "I needed to say goodbye to my little brother"  
"Well now we're all here we can-"  
"WAIT" Winter was cut off as somebody else rushed onto the Bull-Head  
"Adel what are you doing here?" Winter demanded, Coco ignored her and pulled Velvet into a crushing embrace  
"You came to say goodbye?" Velvet murmured into her shoulder  
"Not a chance" Coco gave a watery chuckle "Fox and Yatsuhashi told me that Rover and Missy are staying here, the four of them make a Hunter team; I'm coming with you….if you'll have me?" Velvet pulled back for a moment before cupping her cheeks and bringing their lips together  
"Agent Slate" Winter turned to Gangrel "Would you be happy to work with Miss Adel"  
"Have done before" Gang shrugged "She's tough as nails and we can always use some heavy artillery" Winter nodded before turning to Coco and Velvet who'd broken apart  
"Well in that case, Miss Adel welcome to what was it Gangrel calls it, ah yes the 'Fuck Adam Taurus Society'"

 **Authors Notes:**

So I watched Vol.4 Episode 04, amazing I write that Tai is half Mistrali and literally the next day. Rooster Teeth decide to say "Nope but the Branwen twins are Mistrali" well played.  
It can be easily inferred that Ren and Nora are apparently also Mistrali, not in this story.  
Raven and Qrow will not be members of the bandit tribe in this story, but I do have a use for the tribe.  
That Oscar kid seems to be the new Ozpin, now I have a better handle on who they are I can figure out if/how to implement them.

So let's summarise:

Winter explains what Atlas has been up to, they're basically running the relief efforts to try and build up some good will with the other Kingdoms and avoid all out war over the Vytal Tournament, restoring Cross-Kingdom communications is a good way to do that.  
Neo is a troll.  
Sun is a pickpocket on a mission with three former White Fang ranking officers and one psychotic killer, he's woefully out of his depth.  
Rover is a Dog-Faunus, when he sees snow he's basically a puppy.  
Neo's eyes are always white now, they have been since Roman died.  
Griffins, one of the few flying Grimm that can actually get inside the stadium, a Nevermore could land on the stadium itself but they're too big to get into all the maintenance and engine room and important shit that I'm assuming is below.  
Winter played pinball with Glyphs and a sniper rifle and was annoyed she didn't think of it sooner.  
Neo's parasol has her Chibi Death Ray integrated into it remember, the pistol version was broken in the breach.  
Junior and Sun are going to patch, they're not the only people (dramatic music).  
Cardin's still an ass-hat but he's somewhat accepted Flax as part of his unit.  
Velvet and Flax reunion was a thing.  
Velvet Coco reunion didn't go so well, but I think she has a right to be a little pissed off.  
Gangrel knows that Squish, his best friend since they were twelve died in the breach, he's inherited Breaker. Since one of his swords was broken in the fight with Adam he couldn't form his bow, now he has a ranged weapon again.  
The official end of Team GRAP.  
"Yes fearless leader" Squish's line to Gangrel in Chapter Six.  
Neo starts bar fights for fun.  
Gang and Blake are going to Schnee Manor, fun times ahead.  
And the 'Fuck Adam Taurus Society' is on the move.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
I hope the feels were just as real this time.  
Ruby as younger Qrow, well remember Qrow's line to Yang in Chapter Forty-six about how he'll be a Hunter 'til it kills him just like his dad, compare that to Ruby and Summer.  
Get ready, it's happening.  
Tai being half Mistrali won't be a massive plot point, it's just a way for him to have somebody he can point Team RNJR towards, just so somebody other than QROW has some semblance of a clue.  
I'm using naming conventions for places as a way to set the Kingdoms apart, everywhere in Vale has a name with a tree in it, Atlas is in German, lower Atlesian settlements have names like "Smoky Forge" and "Mine Deep" I haven't named anywhere in upper Atlas yet, they'll also be in German. Vaccuo uses Arabic, they only place I've named there is "Vulture Bay" so the naming convention will involve animals, Mistral uses simplified Chinese and weapons.  
I hope I explained the CCT Hub a little better this time, the aerial is going where the actual arena was, think of it like I pirate radio station set up protected by a forcefield, the actual important stuff is going in the parts of the Stadium that aren't easily accessible, the only Grimm that could actually get up there and inside are Griffins so since the Kingdoms' aren't actually at war with each other the only major risk is the Dragon waking up.

As always thank you to everyone who reads this, with a special thanks to those of you who follow, favourite and review.


	60. 60: Where The Heart Is

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 60: Where The Heart Is**

Sun perched on the railings of the prow of the ferry his father had procured to move Junior's assets as it finally approached the harbour on the island of Patch, at the sound of a throat clearing behind him he turned to see his father limping towards him, Gut Wukong known around the Nusar-Khalij area of Vaccuo as 'Old three hands' or equally often 'Gut the bastard' stood hunched over at an unimpressive five foot six, blonde hair matted and fading to grey, skin leathery and weather beaten, the man wore the uniform of Vaccuan border patrol juxtaposed with a black pirate hat atop his head and a cruel curved and serrated blade hanging from his hip, the wooden peg that replaced his left leg from the calf downwards thudded against the deck as he lumbered towards his son, fishing a packet of cigarettes out of his pocket his thin lips peeled away from his under-bite revealing fangs as he lit his own before offering one to Sun  
"No thanks, I quit when I went to Haven" the younger Faunus told him with a shake of the head  
"You planning on heading back there?" his father asked gruffly  
"What you want rid of me already?" Sun laughed  
"Don't be stupid boy, your mother's been worried sick for the last month"  
"And you weren't?"  
"You've got enough of a talent at getting yourself neck deep in shit and still coming smelling like roses….but I'll grant you I was a little nervous" the boy chuckled at his fathers admission before sighing  
"Honestly I don't know about Haven, one of my team was killed….I don't know if there's anything for me to go back to"  
"Well helping Fagin and this Junior guy get their joint enterprise off of the ground should just about settle any debts, I'll talk to him and see if he's willing to take the price off your head"  
"He put a price on me?" Sun asked eyebrows shooting into his hairline  
"You ripped him off for three months" Gut grunted  
"Oum's sake, sorry if I caused problems for you and Mum"  
"He had some little shit put a brick through the living room window with a note on it saying I owe him a favour for not sending someone to Mistral to cut your throat" seeing his son's head sink in shame he gave him a reassuring pat on the back "So way I see it is, you can come home and try picking up where you left off, go back to Haven and see what you can make of the situation there or stay here with whichever one of those twins you're shacked up with….don't give me that look boy we both know I'm on the money"  
"I honestly don't know where I go from here Dad" Sun sighed "I know you can't stay in Patch for long, CCT is back up now so head home I'll call you and let you know where I'm going and make my own way there"  
"Okay, we'll be going ashore soon I've got to deal with whatever second rate hired help Junior has waiting for us at the docks" Gut made to leave before turning back and offering Sun some final words "You stay safe out there boy" Sun hopped from the railings onto the deck seeing Junior approach from the direction his father had just left  
"Nearly at Patch" the mobster noted  
"New home, new start?" Sun asked with a smirk  
"Hardly" Junior snorted "I'm a Vale boy born and raised, this is just a temporary base until Vale's worth living in again"  
"So what's up?" the Faunus asked  
"Got a job for ya"  
"Really now, I'm listening"  
"Well firstly there's no way I'm hauling the delivery for Blondie around until we find her place" Junior laughed "Secondly I know all my boys that made it to Patch are capable but I wouldn't mind having someone with a little Hunter training working the doors when my new club opens"  
"A legal….well sort of legal job, Mum will be so proud" Sun joked  
"Only sort of legal? Fuck off I pay my taxes" Junior retorted  
"Yeah man, I'll do it" the Faunus nodded  
"Good choice" Junior clapped a hand down on his shoulder "Now go get Blondie's stuff"

Yang woke up with a crash, heart hammering in her chest, soaked in a cold sweat that left her clothes clinging to her body  
"Where-" her panicked question dying on her lips as she managed to make sense of her surroundings, she was home. Taiyang had left for work earlier in the day, apologising for having to leave her as he always did; she vaguely remembered putting on a DVD to a distract her from the dull ache caused by the nerve connector inserted in the stump of her right arm, judging from her current position she assumed she'd fallen asleep and fallen off of the sofa thrashing about in her nightmare  
"Fucking Adam" she muttered to herself as she pulled herself into a sitting position leaning back against the furniture and willing her breathing to return to normal. Nightmares had become a recurring theme for her over the last month, waking up shaking and terrified as her mind filled in the details of an attack that had happened so fast she barely had to time to register it, turning her sleep to a torturous display of flashes of red light and screams  
BANG BANG BANG  
"Fuck" Yang spat, leaping to her feet struggling to balance and revolted at the scared tone of her own voice, whoever was outside her house pounded on the front door again  
"I'll be there in a sec!" She called out willing her voice to stop shaking as she made her way to the front door, trying to reach for her keys which had somehow once again ended up in her right pocket; opening the door she was momentarily taken aback when she saw Junior in front of her  
"Hey Blondie, I would say it's good to see you but you look a mess"  
"Thanks ass-hole" she muttered "What are you doing here?"  
"Setting up shop, the twins are helping everyone from the syndicate who made it here unpack everything, sweet Oum Vale looks like it needs some sort of night life. Your girlfriend told me you live on Patch"  
"Blake told you?" she gasped "Blake's here?" Junior shook his head and the spark of hope that had ignited at the sound of her lover's name was extinguished  
"She's safe, her, Slate and a couple other are headed to Atlas….they're on the warpath. I did bring you something though" he motioned for Yang to step outside, the blonde followed him out dejectedly to see a familiar blonde Faunus leaning against….  
"My bike?" Yang asked, the ghost of a smile finding its' way to her lips  
"Yeah the suspension was shot when Blake found it, we've fixed that but we couldn't find any yellow paint to touch up all the scuffs on the side….oh she wrote you a letter as well" Yang took the proffered envelope and made her way back into the house Junior and Sun following her, she managed to open the envelope with her teeth and shake out its' contents before unfolding the letter and sitting down to read it.  
 _Yang.  
_ _I'm so sorry for everything I never meant for any of this to happen to you and I promise I'm going to make this right.  
_ _I tried to get you to safety when Adam hurt you, your mother took you from me afterwards I found Gangrel and Velvet. We're going to Atlas to find Adam, he can't be allowed to hurt anyone else this has gone on for long enough.  
_ _When I find a way to send this letter to you I'll send Bumblebee as well, I have the right gauntlet of Ember Celica I hope you don't mind me keeping it but I need something to remember you by, so that when what I have to do starts to terrify me I can look it at it and remember who I'm doing this for.  
_ _If you hate me for what happened_ _and don't want to see me again_ _I'll understand, but this isn't a goodbye unless you want it to be Yang. I promise I'll come back to you.  
_ _I love you firecracker, more than I can put into words.  
_ "You okay?" Sun asked Yang's only response was a single sob, tears falling onto the letter in her hand  
"S-she's gone to get herself killed" Yang cried, Junior sitting next to her and patting her back gently  
"Blake's tougher than you're giving her credit for" he noted as he tried to soothe her "And Slate, whatever history we've had aside is one tough son of a bitch if he's got her back she'll be fine"  
"Adam's a monster" Yang whispered through her tears, voice trembling "He did this to me in a single hit" she motioned to her stump  
"Yeah Gang cut his arm off so he took yours….for a fanatic Adam has got a piss poor understanding of how revenge works" Junior sighed  
"What the fuck man?" Sun asked utterly aghast, Yang gave a watery chuckle  
"I'm not gonna treat her like she's made of glass 'cos I know she's not" Junior told him bluntly before his scroll rang, the mob boss stepped into the next room his slew of curses indicating something had gone wrong getting a series of chuckles from Yang before Sun turned to her  
"CCT is back up, Junior getting a call reminded me, maybe you should call Blake?" Yang shook her head  
"I honestly don't know what to say to her right now" she sniffed before turning the conversation away from herself, she was an eldest child she'd long since learned to put other people's problems first "What about you, I heard about Sage how are you coping?"  
"I'm coping, that's all I can say" Sun's expression darkened "I saw it happen, he went out fighting but fuck it wasn't pretty" Junior stalked back into the living room  
"Hey Blondie, I'm really sorry about this but I have to fix what the idiots that work for me have fucked up already, call me if you ever need to talk or just come to my new club. Come on Sun"  
"Actually can Sun stay here" Yang asked "I don't really want to be alone and Sun's a hunter…."  
"Yeah, no problem" with that Junior saw himself out  
"So, where's everyone else?" Sun asked "I don't really want to answer any awkward questions from your Dad or crazy uncle" that got a genuine laugh from Yang  
"My Dad's at work when he's not at Signal he's on patrol, all the refugees coming in made the Grimm on Patch more active, Nobody ever knows where Uncle Qrow is until he shows up and Ruby….Ruby decided to take off, she's gone on her own personal crusade. It's just me left here losing fights with pickle jars" Sun stifled a laugh at the image before his eyes caught sight of something on the coffee table  
"Hey….what's in the box?" he motioned to a rectangular grey container with an Atlesian emblem embossed on it, Yang removed the lid from the box revealing a gleaming chrome and silver cybernetic arm  
"It came a few days ago, Atlas is handing them out to Hunters who fought in the battle, students are getting priority so Scarlet should have a new hand soon if hasn't already"  
"Scar lost a hand?" Sun looked mortified "Fuck, I'm gonna call him and Neptune later to find out what the fuck is going on; so what's the arm feel like?"  
"I haven't tried it"  
"Give it a go now, this is one of the new Atlesian ones they're pretty much plug and play" Sun suggested with a smile  
"No" Yang whispered with an apprehensive glance at the limb  
"Seriously you can put that on, go to Atlas find and Blake and beat this Adam guys' ass"  
"I SAID NO!" Yang shouted, irises flaring red and Aura flickering into life  
"Whoa!" Sun raised his hands "Just a suggestion"  
"I'm just….I'm just so fucking scared of what happens when I put the arm on" Yang sighed "I'm scared that I'm not going to be good enough again, I'm scared that I'm going to have to pretend everything's back the way it was when I still wake up screaming and-"  
"Hey" Sun cut her off "Look, I don't have direct experience but my dad lost a leg when I was six; Anchor-head got him. You're never going to be the same as you were before but the only way you can really go is forward Yang, you were tough as hell before and I refuse to believe that anyone in the White Fang is scary enough to keep you down"  
"You know" Yang smiled as she replaced the lid on the prosthetic "If you hadn't flirted with my girlfriend right in front of me the first time I met you I'd think you were pretty cool Sun"  
"Erm thanks" he laughed  
"No problem, thanks for staying" Yang sighed "I love my Dad I really do but I think I needed someone like you and Junior to come and give me some encouragement, Dad's happy to let me just stay here where he can protect me….speaking of which if you're going to stay here can you at least button your shirt up. There are some conversations I don't want to have"

The Nikos household stood on the edge of the Mistrali village of Posui-Dao, a simple wooden building that had once looked homely and inviting, currently the ground floor windows had been boarded up and graffiti marred the walls, harsh black writing spelling out the word 'Murderer'  
"Bet I can get one of the first floor windows" a rough looking boy, no older than twelve asserted to his group of friends as he picked a fist sized rock from the ground, preparing to hurl the projectile he found his wrist caught a vice like grip, his fellow miscreants eyes widened before they fled the scene, the captured youngster turning around to face a blonde man staring down at him, blue eyes blazing furiously a man with a scarred face and a magenta streak in his billowing hair stood behind him, they were flanked by two short women, one hooded and clutching a sword at her hip while her eyes glinted menacingly, the other a redhead unfolding an oversized hammer  
"I've never broken a kids' legs on purpose before, guess who's going to be a pioneer today" the redhead growled  
"Nora no" the blonde ground out "It'll only confirm it even more to the people here that Pyrrha was what they thought she was" his hand moved lightning from the boys' wrist to the back of his neck as he proceeded to drag him towards the Nikos household and knock on the front door; moments later the door was opened and the four Hunter shared a collective gasp, the resemblance between Prasinos Nikos and her daughter was uncanny, her hair was a glossy shimmering black and she had a few crows feet scattered around her eyes but other than that it was as if Pyrrha had never left the world  
"Missus Nikos" Jaune forced his emotions under control "This one just offered to clean the graffiti from your house; my name is Jaune Arc, I came to return Akuo to Pyrrha's family" Prasinos looked at the golden shield mounted on the young man's arm and pulled him into a crushing hug  
"You're the one she spoke about aren't you? Oum bless your soul boy, bless all of you come inside" Team RNJR stepped inside leaving the young vandal trembling on the doorstep as Ren whispered to him as he passed  
"If anything else happens to this house I'll come back here and you'll be the first person I find"

"So you mean to tell me that my daughter died because she was next in line to inherit the powers of a myth Pyrrha's mother looked around the former students  
"I saw the Fall Maiden's power with my own eyes" Jaune nodded  
"Somebody used Pyrrha" Ruby hissed venomously "They made her kill Penny, as a way to trigger the attack on Vale. They murdered the girl I loved and desecrated Pyrrha's memory"  
"You poor girl" Prasinos took Ruby's hand in hers, the young girl's eyes lowered unable to meet the vivid green that reminded her of Pyrrha  
"We'll get 'em" Ruby growled out "They were listed among the dead but we know they're not, we're going to Mistral to find out what we can" the older woman wiped the tears from her eyes  
"Maybe so child, but not tonight. Tonight you stay here and rest the path to Haven is treacherous at the best of times, with all that's happened the Grimm and bandit tribes have been becoming more active and I wish to better know the friends that my daughter spoke so highly of, and the young man who captured her heart"

The limousine approached the monumental gates which opened just enough for their vehicle to enter the grounds  
"Now that's just showing off" Gangrel noted to himself, Blake gave a small smile next to while Winter sat facing him  
"Gangrel must you comment on everything we pass, it's becoming bothersome"  
"I've never been this far into Upper Atlas….Honestly I can count the times I've been past the divide on one hand" the Bear-Faunus admitted "That and I'm nervous"  
"Faunus in Schnee Manor nervous or 'Weiss is going to strangle me' nervous?" Blake asked with a small grin  
"If it's any comfort to you my Father will not be here tonight he has several important meetings to attend and will not return until tomorrow"  
"That's something I suppose, will Velvet be okay at the barracks?" Gangrel asked referring to the military base Velvet, Coco and Neo were currently at until a more permanent base of operations could be found for them  
"I will personally vouch for every officer there" Winter told him "The military is probably one the least racist institutions in the Kingdom, we all bleed the same colour"  
"Can we put that on T-shirts?" Blake laughed as the limousine came to a halt in front of a needlessly ostentatious manor constructed from white stone  
"Whatever smart comment you intend to make" Winter warned Gangrel catching his expression "Don't"  
"So, do we need to use a separate entrance? Or is us using the front door okay?" Blake asked, Winter's expression looked guilty for a moment  
"Under normal circumstances you would be expected to use a side entrance, but you're with me" she told them apologetically as she pushed the double doors of the manor open and stepped inside, Blake and Gangrel following her  
"Good day Miss Schnee ah, I see you have guests" a portly and balding man greeted them  
"Good day Klein" Winter gave him a bright smile "Would you be so kind as to fetch my sister"  
"Of course ma'am" the man left, as Gangrel eyes followed him he caught sight of something else  
"Oh for Oum's sake, who has a marble sculpture of a King-Taijitu in their hallway? You're just trying too hard"  
"That's exactly what I said when I first saw it" a deep voice chuckled behind them, Gangrel whipped round at the sound  
"Dad?"  
"Aye son, glad to see you're still with us" Bjorn laughed pulling his son into a hug  
"What are you doing in Schnee Manor?"  
"I'm one of _the help_ " the older Faunus sneered  
"Where's your pride old man?" Gangrel joked  
"My pride and joy just walked through the door" Bjorn beamed  
"YOU DOLT!" a harsh cry pierced the air, Gangrel turned just in time to be tackled, Weiss clutched onto his shirt  
"You've been missing for over a month" she sobbed into his chest, utterly overcome with emotion "I've missed you so much, what on Remnant happened to you? I-I was starting to lose hope before Winter said she was heading to Vale" the Bear-Faunus wrapped his arms around her and held her close before leaning down to whisper to her  
"Weiss, I was injured and stranded but I will always make way back you. I promise" he scooped her into his arms and planted a gentle kiss on her lips "Remember I'm your giant teddy bear" Weiss returned the kiss smiling at the name she had given him  
"And I love you too much"

Breath misted from beneath the hood pulled low over the figures' face as the first ship of the day approached its' destination, raised voices and machinery could be heard from this distance and the lights of the harbour pierced the pre-dawn gloom. The figure folded their arms across their chest each hand finding its' way into the opposite sleeve of the loose fitting robe they wore, checking the weapons mounted upon their forearms, a twisted smile finding it's way to their face as fingers ran along the recently sharpened blades, Aura sealing the wounds the edges drew across flesh  
"We'll be on Patch in a few minutes" a voice behind the figure announced, the mass of robes turned to face the captain of the ship  
"Good" the figure said simply, words trailing off into sinister laughter that chilled the hardened seafarer to the bone, bidding his goodbyes to his disturbing passenger the captain had the faintest glimpse of gleeful yellow eyes beneath the hood.

 **Authors Notes:**

Sun's Dad, Gut Wukong: Yes he's a reference to Peter Dinklage's character in Ice Age 4, the nickname 'Old three hands' come from the fact his Faunus attributes are monkey feet, one of which he's had amputated.  
Sun's Dad was first mentioned as a corrupt border patrol officer, so he knows how much illegal stuff Sun does and can't really criticise him without being a hypocrite.  
Junior's Black Bear Syndicate lives on, they've just relocated to Patch, Junior and Fagin will still be working together to form a Cross-Kingdom crime family.  
Yang is obviously traumatised by losing her arm to Adam  
In the wake of people's reactions to Tai in episode four I feel I have to justify this, Tai isn't a bad parent for going to work when Yang is injured, he's a single parent with bills to pay who can't be everywhere at once.  
Junior seems like the sort of person who won't sugar coat bad news but will still offer as much support as he can, he has two nieces roughly Yang's age that live with him, he's a crime boss, extrapolate where the twins' family are, Junior has some experience consoling people.  
Blake isn't going to fuck off to Atlas without at least saying something, the letter was obviously written before-hand, also she gave Yang the Bumblebee back.  
I think Sun's suggestion to Yang to put the arm on and go find Blake here can be seen as an equivalent to him thinking Blake was on a one woman rampage in canon.  
Anchor-Head, Hammerhead Shark Grimm.  
Team JNPR's reaction to vandalism of Pyrrha's home.  
They told Pyrrha's Mum everything, she deserved to know.  
Yeah Upper Atlas has separate entrances for 'them'  
I refuse to write Klein as a racist, he is too pure.  
Father Son reunion followed by Gangrel Weiss reunion  
Yes Weiss so Gang and pretty much failed to even process the fact that Blake was there.  
We have someone else arriving on Patch, wonder who that could be

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
I think the "Fuck Adam's shit up train" was the actual train that caused the Breach.  
Always be worried about Neo, the Yandere can't be contained only redirected.  
I'd be lying if I said I didn't enjoy the emotional responses on some twisted level.  
Velvet and Coco, well they did say they'd give it a shot after the tournament. Velvet got her ear cut off by the only person she's ever had a serious relationship and Coco is an insecure mess under all that bad-ass, so let's find out.  
Now I know I've done some heart-wrenching shit (And trust me I will continue) but I do have something planned for this volume that you will love.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	61. 61: Pain And Grief

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 61: Pain And Grief**

" _The scroll you are trying to reach is currently unavailable"  
_ "Oh for Oum's sake Ruby!" Yang shouted in exasperation in response to the monotone computerised voice that answered her, since hearing that the CCT had been restored she had been trying at regular intervals to contact her sister to no avail, she had thought to try and call any of the people she was travelling with to similar effect  
"Can't get through?" Sun asked as he entered the living room where they had both fallen asleep on the sofa in the night before, bringing a pair of trays containing breakfast with him having made himself at home in the kitchen  
"No" Yang admitted "Did you manage to get through to your team?"  
"It might just be where they are, a lot of places in Mistral have really bad reception to the point where people just turn their Scrolls off to save battery unless they need it" Yang felt the bundle of nerves in her stomach unwind a little at Sun's explanation before he continued "Yeah I got in touch with Scar and Nep, they're both done. Scar got his cybernetic hand but his parents never wanted him to be a Hunter in the first place he told he can't deal with his Mum crying every time he brings up coming back to Haven so he's out, Neptune was at the Halo but they sent him back apparently he was having constant panic attacks, it was too risky to send him on missions….Fuck, I really dropped the ball I was meant to lead Team SSSN so why am I the only one left?" he flopped down on the sofa next to Yang head in his hands  
"You did what you could Sun"  
"I ran off to try and distract the Nevermore flock that attacked us, if we'd have all stayed together we might have made it out"  
"Can't second guess yourself like that in the field though" an older blonde sighed as he entered the room  
"Mister Xiao Long" Sun bolted to his feet nervously  
"Call me Tai" he laughed "Most parents would be concerned if they came home from work and found their daughter passed out on a guy with his shirt unbuttoned….But I know for a fact you're not her type"  
"Dad" Yang groaned  
"I'm assuming it was you that brought her bike back from Vale, I took it round back and put a sheet it over by the way Yang" her father continued "Anyone who does something like that for my sunny little dragon is always welcome in my house" Sun smirked at Yang upon hearing the nickname, she steadfastly refused to make eye contact with him  
"You're a teacher aren't you Mister….Tai?" the Faunus asked, seeing the older man nod he continued "It's just that I told my Dad I don't know what I'm doing with my life from here, I got offered a job on Patch yesterday but I still want to be a Huntsman….have you ever considered taking on an apprentice?"  
"Nothing personal but I don't have a lot of spare time to teach anyone right now, I work at a school and have patrols….and I need to stay here for Yang" his daughter took a deep breath  
"Dad" she started nervously "We know that Ruby is going to Haven, my partner….my girlfriend is heading to Atlas, if I had to guess she'll try and get in contact with the other member of Team RWBY; you don't need to worry about me I can bring everyone home"  
"Yang, you're not ready"  
"Maybe not yet" she admitted "Sun, would you help train with me until I am?"  
"Uh, yeah sure" the Faunus replied, Yang turned to her father expression nervous but determined  
"I need someone to help me set up my prosthetic before I can use it, wanna give me a hand….and a forearm?"

"Ruby! Ruby, a little help here!" the scythe wielder looked up to see her friend in the air, weapon converted to its' jet-pack form, distracting a trio of Horned Owl Grimm, known locally as Reapers from the civilians on the ground. Team RNJR had continued onwards from Pyrrha's home village only to find the next town on the route to Haven, a significantly larger settlement known as Gui-Quan recovering from a bandit attack, the Grimm had converged on the source of the negativity within an hour of their arrival.  
"Get on the ground Jaune, you can't fight in the air" Ruby called up to the blonde before triggering her Semblance and running up the side of a stone house and shifting Crescent Rose to its' rifle form, the world around slowing to a crawl as she let off a trio of shots each of which found their way into the skull of a Grimm, Jaune soared to the ground landing in a crouch Dragonslayer shifting into its' weapon form as he did so, a pack of Beowolves rounded the corner only to be engulfed in jets of flame  
"My sisters are geniuses, I love this thing" the blonde laughed  
"Where are Ren and Nora?" Ruby asked as she rushed into place beside him, her scythe rending through the upper half of a Grimm that was still twitching  
"Stopping the Ursas that showed up on the other side of town"  
"Go help them" Ruby told him twirling her scythe as the sound of more snarling Grimm reached her ears "I'll finish up here" Jaune gave her a quick nod before taking to the air once more, his jet-pack had no weapons but was an excellent method of transportation for the Hunter with no landing strategy  
"Come and get me" she whispered as the first of a new pack of Beowolves rounded a corner growling at her, her hands tightened on Crescent Rose as the whole pack came into view, a dozen of them all snapping hungrily as the approached spreading out as if to flank her, without warning Ruby rocketed forwards, rose petals behind her as she phased through the head of the back, solidifying behind it and bringing her scythe around in a broad arc  
"Four down" she muttered to herself before bringing her weapon over her shoulder, the blade cleaving the skull of a monster that attempted to pounce on her from behind  
"Five do-" she was cut short as a Grimm tackled her, Ruby managed to clamp her hands around its' snout and place a boot against its' underbelly as she was flung back, using her momentum to throw the Beowolf over her before rolling to her knees and lunging back into the fray, drawing Penny's sword as she did  
"Nine down" she counted as she slashed through Grimm with ease before bringing herself skidding to a halt, the three remaining Beowolves regrouped and stalked towards her, Ruby's face morphed into a cruel smirk before she vanished in a burst of speed and petals yet again, relieving a tenth Beowolf of its' head  
"ARGHH" she cried out as she felt fangs clamp down around her forearm, her Aura stopped the attack from tearing the limb away but she still dropped her sword, letting out a primal roar Ruby grabbed the Beowolf by its' rear leg and held if over head before bringing it down on her knee as she triggered her semblance, the high velocity impact shattered its' spine and the beast faded into darkness as it was torn asunder, the final remaining Grimm lunged at her, Ruby caught it and forced it to the ground, left hand around its' throat as she focused her Semblance speeding up just her right hand  
"Let's see if this works" she breathed out as she phased her hand into the monsters' chest, then releasing her Semblance a wave of cold shot through her as her hand solidified inside the Grimms' body, the Grimm let out a pained shriek and flailed for a moment before lying limp and starting to dissipate, staggering back panting heavily Ruby clutched her arm the numbness eventually beginning to subside  
"Ruby….are you okay?" she saw Jaune looking at her a worried expression on his face  
"I told you to go help Ren and Nora"  
"Why so you could test that move out?" the blonde asked "Ruby….you're not planning on doing that to a Grimm are you? you're going to do that to a person" Ruby looked at him, silver eyes defiant as she retrieved her weapons  
"Just leave me alone Jaune" before he could reply Ruby had sped off into the town.

A young girl, no older than sixteen watched from the mountains studying the town of Gui-Quan. She was lithe, her slender form belied her strength something that cost many people their lives when they underestimated her, her dark hair was cut short, several necklaces made of the bones and teeth of those who had crossed her people adorned her neck and the flesh that her bloodstained white outfit left on display was a patchwork of scars and tattoos that displayed her heritage; her vivid yellow eyes narrowed as she saw the horde of Grimm that should have laid the town low in the wake of her peoples' attack be beaten back by four individuals, straightening out from her crouched position she turned towards the cave that her people had set up camp in  
"Rodakino" an older member of her tribe greeted her, bowing his head in deference as she entered  
"The cattle have prevailed, they'll have Hunters scouring these mountains by nightfall" she proclaimed loud enough to get the attention everyone present  
"Then we must leave!" a voice called in response  
"What hunters would they send, we killed many?" another countered  
"We kept one" another voice sounded out, Rodakino held a hand in the air and her tribe fell silent  
"Bring the Hunter to me" there were a few moments of scrabbling before a bound man in armour was brought before her, blood soaking through his clothes from a wound in his side that would prove fatal, she placed a hand under the mans' chin and forced his head up to meet her eyes which had began to blaze with a vibrant magenta light that her own people recoiled from  
"Your peoples' allies did not arrive from the capital, who are they?" she demanded, her prisoner struggling as her hand became uncomfortably warm yet remaining silent  
"Speak cattle" Rodakino hissed "And you may live long enough to send them a message"  
"Suck my nuts" was the only response she received before the Hunter spat a mouthful of blood in his face, Rodakino merely laughed  
"You have a warriors spirit, may it serve you well in the next life" she removed her hand as light seemed to coalesce in her palm, forming a miniature sun with a howl of pained exertion Rodakino became engulfed in magenta light and evaporated the Hunter in a wave of light and heat, leaving nothing but the molten remains of his armour behind. Steadying herself she turned to her people  
"We must leave, we find out who these new allies are, they cannot be allowed to threaten our way of life. Kill the other cattle, butcher them for whatever meat you can before we leave"

"Shit! Shit! Shit! That burns so bad!" Yang howled clutching her right bicep as pain flooded through her arm "Fuck!" she growled out through clenched teeth, her breathing becoming shallow  
"Yang it's okay, it'll pass in a second I promise" Tai told her, his tone betraying his concern; the instruction manual for the cybernetic arm had warned of some pain when the limb was first activated but neither of them had been expecting it to be this extreme, eventually Yang took several slow shuddering breaths the irises of her eyes slowly returning to their usual colour  
"Oh my Oum, that….that was a thing" she managed to gasp out, voice shaking  
"So….Does it work?" Taiyang asked, eyes darting nervously to her arm, Yang held the limb up mechanical fingers flexing in odd jerky motions  
"Kinda" she answered "Everything feels numb, but I can move it a little….the manual said it'll take up to six hours for it to fully sync up" there was a moments silence between the father and daughter, Sun having returned to Juniors' bar to start his first days' work for the mobster  
"Want me to get you some painkillers?" Tai asked, Yang shook her head  
"I'll be okay. Y'know what, I'm cooking tonight" she laughed "Call it a first test of what this thing can do"  
"The instructions didn't say it can work miracles Sunny" her father teased  
"Jerk"  
"Yang you have literally burned cereal before"  
"Oh come on" she laughed "That was the day I after I unlocked my Aura, that doesn't count" the conversation was interrupted by the buzzing of Yangs' scroll  
"That might be Blake or Ruby" she told Tai while fishing the device out of her pocket, sighing dejectedly when she saw it was a text message from Sun  
" _Hey just a heads up, some weirdo was asking around for Ruby in town. I told him I don't know anything….real creepy looking guy"  
_ "Anything important?" her father asked, she showed him the message "Any idea who it could be?" he asked expression darkening  
"Well creepy isn't exactly the best description" Yang pointed out "Might be reporters now that the CCT is back up….My fight in the tournament is probably still being talked about locally, asking for my sister to get a story about me seems like the sort of thing a hack journalist would do"  
"You'd be surprised" Tai told her "I'm not saying beating someone to a bloody pulp on TV was a great idea but when Qrow explained why I told anyone that asked me the same, you and your sister are pretty much universally loved in Patch nobody really holds it against you"  
"Good to know" she sighed before jumping slightly at the sound of someone knocking on the front door  
"I'll get it" Taiyang rose to his feet and opened the door, revealing a slender man with manic yellow eyes and a single long braid of hair, wearing a white outfit covered in old faded bloodstains, bladed weapons mounted on his forearms  
"I'm here to collect Miss Ruby Rose" the man chuckled as he attempted to step inside Taiyang grabbed him roughly by the shoulder and threw him back over the porch and onto the ground, Tyrian landed in a crouch weapons activating  
"Yang stay in the house" Taiyang ordered before stepping out onto the porch and closing the door behind him, cracking his knuckles as he looked down at his quarry "I am a single father to two beautiful daughters, I have been waiting for years for the day a creepy little bastard like you came to my house"

Nora knocked on the door of Ruby's room at the inn, having asked the innkeeper to let her know when her friend returned  
"Ruby? Ruby are you okay? I know you're in there" there was no response, putting her ear to the door she could make out the sound of….Singing?  
"You got wires, going in. You got wires coming out of your skin. You got tears making tracks. I got tears that are, scared of the facts" the younger girl could be heard sniffling  
"Ruby I'm coming in" Nora warned her, with that she opened the door that Ruby had thankfully left unlocked, she didn't especially want to kick it off its' hinges  
"Hey Nora" Ruby gave her a bright and obviously fake smile as she removed her headphones and wiped her eyes, Nora strode across the room and pulled her into a crushing hug  
"If you need to cry then cry Ruby, just let it all out" at the gingers' words Ruby gave up any pretence of being okay, breaking down and bawling into her friends shoulder  
"I miss her so much Nora! I woke up today and for the first time the fact she's gone wasn't the first thing I thought of….I-I felt like I was letting her down" Nora clutched her tighter  
"It's okay Ruby, it's okay. Penny wouldn't want to see you in pain like this"  
"No it's" not she cried "I don't want to forget her, I don't want to just be a vague memory I want the pain, it means I can still remember her!"  
"Ruby" Nora told her sternly, while still patting her back softly "You are not letting Penny down by healing, it's part of moving forwards"  
"I DON'T WANT TO MOVE ON I WANT PENNY BACK!" her pained scream was muffled by Nora's clothing  
"I know" the older girl whispered, wiping tears from her own eyes "I want Penny back because I hate seeing you like this, I want Pyrrha back. I want my family back; this is the world we live in Ruby really bad things happen to really great people and all we can do is keep trying to make them proud"  
"I'm sorry for running off from Jaune" Ruby whispered  
"Don't be" Nora told her "Jaune gets it, he spent most nights at home on the roof of his house because it reminded him of being with Pyrrha at Beacon, when me and Ren lost our parents I was a little ass-hole….So let me see"  
"Let you see?" Ruby asked, Nora pulled back and gave her a knowing smile  
"Ren went to look for you, he saw you through the window of a tattoo and piercing place, apparently the reason nobody here was really ready for the tribe that attacked is that this town usually does business with them, the tattoo place got half of their customers that way according to the innkeeper" Ruby sighed and wiped her eyes  
"It's so I never forget her" she mumbled before pulling back her right sleeve and exposing the inside of her wrist, her Aura had already healed the reddened skin, the tattoo was all black, a simple silhouette of two blades back to back, Nora recognised what is was immediately  
Penny's Emblem.

Tai hit the ground with a resounding thud that knocked the wind from his lungs, forcing himself to his feet he he clutched a rib that he was fairly certain had been cracked and stared at the madman who had come to his door  
"I understand your need to protect your family, truly I do" Tyrian cackled "But I will take what I came for. I need Ruby Rose alive, you however can be gutted with impunity" Tai rushed forwards, his furious haymaker halted when Tyrian launched himself forwards landing inverted on one hand and delivering a kick to the blonde mans' face, flipping back onto his feet Tyrian caught Tai by the ankle and hurled him into the air and delivering a spinning kick that landed firmly between his shoulder blades, Tai surged back to his feet tackling the madman by the midsection and unleashing a barrage of punches  
"You have a warriors spirit, may it serve you well in the next life" Tyrian sneered as he planted his knees into Tai's ribs and crossed his arms over the blondes' neck, Tai leapt back narrowly avoiding having throat slashed by his opponents weapon as the blades unfolded, Tyrian back-flipped to his feet before back-flipping again, his foot connecting with Tai's chin the blonde man falling back unconscious, Tyrian cracked his neck and stalked towards his prey laughing to himself, before being flung to the ground, rolling back to his feet he saw another blonde, eyes burning a vivid red, the gauntlet on her left arm smoking  
"Get away from my Dad you monster!" Yang bellowed  
"Child I will feast on your flesh" Tyrian snarled, his blades unfurling as he stalked towards her  
"CAW!"  
A large bird with glowing red eyes landed between the pair before a crimson flash of Aura revealed their true form  
"You!" Tyrian gasped his face displaying a mixture of surprise and fear  
"Leave here. Do not return" Raven hissed respirator distorting her voice, her hand clutching the hilt of her sword, Tyrian's eyes darted from her mask to her weapon before he left out a feral snarl and pulled a capsule from his belt before forcefully slamming it into the ground, when the smoke cleared he was gone. Raven turned to Yang  
"Bring your father inside"

Tai came to with a start  
"YANG!" he leapt to his feet, slowly realising that he was in his home and had been laid on the sofa  
"Dad, it's okay I'm here" he turned to see his daughter in the doorway separating the kitchen and living room  
"Oh thank Oum" he sighed  
"Dad erm, there's someone else-" she was cut off as Raven came into view, simply barging past her  
"You've gotten sloppy" she noted  
"Raven?" Tai paled  
"Eloquent as always"  
"Don't you dare try and joke like you used to!" Tai roared, overtaken with sudden rage "YOU LEFT YOUR FAMILY BEHIND AND LET US THINK YOU WERE DEAD, HOW DARE YOU COME HERE AND TALK LIKE NOTHING HAPPENED!"  
"I did what was needed" Raven stated flatly "It was for the best"  
"For the best!" Tai looked outraged "Forget the fact you left me, you left our daughter"  
"I left her in the most capable hands I knew, clearly it wasn't enough" Tai took several deep breaths and forced himself not to lunge at her  
"Take that mask off Raven, the least, the very least you can do is look me in the eye and explain yourself" Yang tried to step into the living room, Raven simply held her in place and ensured that she wouldn't be able to see before raising her free hand to the side of her helmet, the armour plates began to shift and fold away; what little colour remained in Tai's face drained  
"Does this explain enough?" Raven's voice sounded agonised without her mask  
"Oh my Oum, who did this to you?" the mask reformed itself  
"I did. Where's Summer's daughter Tai?"  
"What the hell do you want with Ruby?" Yang demanded  
"To protect her. The same way I protected you when I got you to safety in Vale, the same way I protected you when I took Adam Taurus from the battlefield during the breach"  
"Real mother of the year" Yang sneered "Me Ruby Dad and Uncle Qrow were fine without you, why come back now?"  
"I'm glad you were, but the world is changing and Summer Rose's daughter must be found. I left to protect you all" she turned to Yang "Protecting you is no longer enough, now you need to be….Armed"  
"She's in Mistral" Tai said softly  
"YOU FOOL!" Raven spat "There are few worse places for her to be right now" with that she stalked across the living room and out of the front door, opening a portal on the porch  
"WAIT!" Raven stopped and turned back towards the house to see Yang sliding her gauntlet back onto her arm "I don't trust you anywhere near my sister, if you're going to Mistral I'm coming with you"  
"Yang-" Tai was cut off when Yang threw her arms around him  
"Dad I love you and I promise I'm coming back but I have to do this, I'm going to get Ruby then I'm going to go to Atlas and get Blake and Weiss. If Raven's right and something is coming then Team RWBY are facing it together"  
"This portal will close in a few moments Yang, choose which side of it you want to be on" Raven ordered. Tai pulled Yang closer and kissed the top of her head before turning to Raven  
"If anything happens to either of my daughters so help me Oum I will find you" Raven simply nodded silently as Yang exited the house and made her way next to her  
"Goodbye Taiyang" Raven said simply as the pair of them stepped through the portal.

 **Authors Notes:**

I had to go back to the last chapter and add a scene at the end because I forgot to write. Because I'm an idiot.

This story is now over QUARTER OF A MILLION WORDS

So let's summarise.  
So Yang has the robot arm now, she's still traumatised but she's making puns again that's always a good sign.  
Jaune's new toy in action.  
Pissed off Ruby in action, she broke a Grimm in half across her knee.  
Also Ruby has now weaponised her phasing, guess who she's planning on using that on.  
I said I had plans for the tribe didn't I.  
In my head the hunter she killed was the same Hunter from Vol.4 Episode 02.  
"Suck my nuts" was a walking dead reference.  
Rodakino us Greek for Peach, yes she's the Summer Maiden, yes her tribe are cannibals.  
Yang can burn cereal.  
I like the idea of Patch as a pretty insular island community that look after their own, the residents reaction to finding out Yang beat Mercury half to death was pretty much "Fuck it, she's one of us so he probably deserved it" I'm not saying that's a good mentality, but it is prevalent in a lot of places.  
Compare Tyrian's appearance to Rodakino, I'll say no more.  
You know you love Tai's line to Tyrian.  
The song Ruby was singing was "Wires" by Athlete, go listen to it and tell me if your heart doesn't break a little.  
Yeah Nora is more than pancakes and insanity her and Ren have lost everyone except each other I can imagine her being there to support Ruby.  
Tai fights like a more experienced Yang.  
Tyrian fights like Eddy from Tekken on bath salts.  
I did say my Raven would be ignoring where Vol.4 is taking her.  
Yes Raven made an arm pun, more puns will be incoming.  
I put the whole Sun wanting to be Tai's apprentice thing in there so that Tai has got someone to love, 'cos damn it that man has a big heart and no luck.

Thank you to Drake187 on their review of the last chapter:  
The _Polar Bear_ ship is unsinkable my friend.  
Yang is in gear, your bet was right but I bet you didn't see it happening like that though.  
In Sun's defence he was stranded in the ruins with no communication just like Gangrel was, so he didn't have chance to find out what had happened to his team.  
Assassins' Creed wannabe was Tyrian, Salem sent him to find Ruby why wouldn't he go to Patch.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	62. 62: Atlas Shrugs

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 62: Atlas Shrugs**

They had needed to get out, they had been confined to the military base Winter had docked the Schleier Der Tranen at, the noise becoming unbearable for Velvets' sensitive hearing causing her to subconsciously massage her injured right rabbit ear, it was at that point that Coco had suggested that the two of them go out and see some of Atlas which had led them to their current destination, a sprawling shopping centre that accounted for several stories of the city, a maze of pristine white surfaces artificial sunlight and flashing neon signs that occupied the highest freely accessible levels of the sprawling and colossal structure that had been built into the hollowed out mountain that formed the capital city of Atlas _'Eisenstadt Prime'_ everything above the mall was deemed part of upper Atlas and was guarded by a military presence and gigantic blast doors that could be sealed at a moments notice  
"Wow, Adam really wasn't joking about this place I can see the amount of looks I'm getting" the rabbit Faunus sighed as she and coco made their way throughout the shopping mall  
"Fuck 'em" Coco told her firmly, her hand slipped into Velvets' within seconds a voice jeered out to them  
"Hey lady you don't have to hold their hands, you can buy them a leash and a muzzle!"  
"LISTEN YOU LITTLE MOTHER-" Coco found her tirade cut short as Velvet squeezed her hand tighter  
"Coco don't bother it won't make a difference" the Faunus sighed  
"They're not talking about you like that and getting away with it"  
"Coco don't worry" Velvet stood back straight, shoulders back and chin up in an expression of pure defiance "A year ago I would have cared but y'know what I'm done. I'm a Huntress, I've served beyond the front lines, I'm a veteran of Vale none these bigoted little piss-ants have opinions worth hearing. But if you want to send them a message…." she trailed off and wrapped her arms' around Coco's shoulders, pulling her down into a searing kiss, the two of them could hear the shocked and disgusted whispers of racist Atlesians but paid them no mind  
"I missed you so much" Velvet murmured as she seemed to melt against Cocos' body  
"Break it up or I'm arresting you both for public indecency" the pair of them turned to see an armoured Atlesian police office holding a military grade weapon  
"You're going to arrest a pair of Huntresses?" Coco sneered "Good luck" the officers' grip visibly tightened on his weapon and Velvet tugged her partner away  
"Come on, its' not worth it" she sighed the two of them smiling to themselves as they made their way through the mall without a destination in mind  
"You're shivering" Coco noted  
"Yeah, this is a thin jacket, I knew Atlas was cold but I didn't expect it to be this bad" she admitted  
"Come on" the fashionista "We're going on a shopping spree"  
"I don't have that much money Coco" the Faunus sighed, remaining rabbit ear drooping forwards "Everywhere here looks a little upmarket"  
"My treat" Coco said simply "I promise I won't peak when you're in the changing rooms"  
"You're going to have me try every out outfit in every store we go to and turn this into a pet project aren't you?" Velvet asked  
"Of course"

"Gangrel, Gangrel you really need to wake up" Weiss told the sleeping Bear-Faunus, her voice a bemused whisper; Klein had prepared separate rooms for Blake and Gangrel, he had naturally forgone sleeping in his own room and joined Weiss in hers the two of them falling asleep holding each other for the first time in over a month  
"Gangrel, oh for Oum's sake this is preposterous" she huffed as she tried to free herself from the arm he had wrapped around her, his response was to pull her closer, a deep rumbling emanating from his chest  
"Morning babe" he managed to slur out, kissing the top of her head as his amber eyes opened a fraction  
"How are you so tired?"  
"I don't deal with winter, seriously I could just stay here with you all day" he mumbled, eyes closing again as his hand trailed down her body, causing her to let out a shuddering gasp as he reached the soft skin of her thighs beneath the nightgown she wore  
"Not that I'm entirely opposed to that idea" she breathed out before kissing him softly on the lips "We really-oh my" whatever Weiss had intended to say was cut short as his fingers traced a sensitive spot on her inner thigh causing her to moan softly into his mouth before deepening the kiss  
"Well I'm awake now" Gangrel said with a grin as they broke apart  
"Teasing Gangrel? Really?" Weiss pouted as she slipped the straps of her nightgown off of her shoulders before guiding his hands to her exposed breasts, back arching as his calloused fingers caressed them before pulling back and climbing out of bed "I will happily respond in kind" the Faunus flopped back down onto the bed cursing under his breath but with a bright smile adorning his face before the sound of knuckles rapping against the bedroom door demanded their attention  
"Weiss your father has returned home and wishes to speak with you" Klein informed her "It would appear Whitley has informed him of the guests"  
"Very well, please inform Father I'll be with him shortly" she listened to the man whom calling a butler would be a huge disservice to leave before turning to Gangrel who had finally rose from the bed "This is bad, this is very bad"  
"Your little brother snitched" Gangrel gave an irate growl "Mind if I give him a jab in the mouth?" he stopped talking upon seeing Weiss leaning against the wall clearly upset at the situation and made his way across the room and wrapped his arms around her waist  
"He's going to be furious, he's going to throw you and Blake out, he's-"  
"Babe" Gangrel cut her off kissing the top of her head "Me and Blake were going to head out anyway, we can't really set up a base of operations here….just come with us"  
"He'll never allow it"  
"Allow?" Gangrel asked incredulously "You told me when we started dating that you weren't going to let him control they way you live your life"  
"I know" Weiss sighed "It's easy to say those thing when I'm on another continent to my Father but now I'm back here….will you come with me?"  
"Of course I will babe"

Blake prowled through the streets of Eisenstadt Prime having left Schnee Manor as soon as she woke up, pulling the new coat she had purchased tighter around herself, the lower levels of the city had no heating and she knew from experience that if she ventured lower still there would be almost no lighting in the residential areas. Blake had never been to the capital before, she and Gangrel hailed from another one of the seven large mountain cities but she still knew enough to try and dissuade Coco and Velvet from venturing into the shopping district near the divide when had messaged her asking to join them, hand flying instinctively to the hilt of Gambol Shroud as a pair of Atlesian Knights passed her  
"You look surprised that they still use those" a voice commented  
"After what happened in Vale…." Blake trailed off when she caught sight of the speaker "Neon?" the older Feline looked different, clad in grey sweatpants and a black hoodie that Blake recognised as belonging to her late boyfriend her face drawn and pale  
"Hey Blake, I heard you were missing after what happened"  
"Me and Gangrel were caught out in the ruins, he only just heard about Squish….Oh Oum, Neon are you okay?" the usually vibrant Faunus shook her head  
"No….I don't think I'm gonna be okay for a really long time" she took a deep shuddering breath "I've spoken to Flynt a few time, I don't know if I'm going to back to the Academy when it re-opens"  
"I'm sorry to hear that Neon; he would have wanted you to carry on….he'd have probably had a really smart-ass way of phrasing it" Neon let out a small laugh at Blake's comment  
"I know he would, we had a life planned out together we were going to go Freelancer together and be Hunters for hire in the settlements between cities that Atlas doesn't bother sending the Hunter corps to, look out for the people nobody else gives a fuck about….Doing it without him just seems wrong somehow"  
"If you ever need to talk Neon get in touch"  
"I might do eventually, right now I just want some distance from everything. How come you're in Atlas anyway?"  
"Gangrel and I are both from the Rauchigschmiede district of Eisenstadt Dritte, the air-ship we came back on stopped at a military base on the outside of the mountain"  
"So you've come home?"  
"It's not really home any more. We came back to Atlas to help deal with the White Fang, I don't suppose you'd know anything that could help us?" Blake asked, Neon thought to herself for a moment  
"Flynt is from the Bergwerk-Teef district of Eisenstadt Dritte, there's a new nightclub near there he tried to get me to come to"  
"White Fang owned?"  
"No, Flynt said it was Faunus owned but there seemed to be just as many humans there partying. I can get you the details if you want?" Blake nodded, withdrawing her Scroll and sending a message to Gangrel that they may have something to work with.

As Weiss and Gangrel approached Jacques Schnee's study raised voices could be heard from the corridor  
"You are simply being unreasonable Father!" a voice the recognised as Winters' shouted  
"Unreasonable am I? Because I won't have filth in my house!" a thin and reedy voice demanded "Bad enough you make a fool of yourself running off to play soldier pretending to be a man and consorting with Subs but you just had to encourage your sister to do the same!" Weiss wore the most furious expression Gangrel had ever seen as she opened the door and stormed inside  
"I see your time with the foreigners and savages has made you forget your manners" Jacques spat  
"How dare you?" Weiss demanded  
"How dare I? How dare you have this monster in my home!" he indicated behind Weiss to Gangrel who had entered the study "I mean look at him!"  
"I know I look like an Ursa with thumbs, I've been told" he drawled with a roll of his eyes  
"Speak when you're spoken to Sub" Gangrel visibly bristled at the racial pejorative  
"Enough!" Winter bellowed "Father this is an Atlesian Spec-Ops Agent who works alongside myself and Weiss's boyfriend you will speak to him with proper respect"  
"Hold you tongue Winter, I'm not one of the weak willed men that crew your ship and you've embarrassed the Schnee name enough for a lifetime. Weiss what do you have to say for yourself?"  
"You disgust me Father" Weiss raged "You are a deplorable bigot in every sense of the word, a closed and simple minded pitiable excuse of a man whom Mother would never have married were she not pressured to do so"  
"Now you listen here!"  
"No Father _YOU_ listen, you cut me off from the Schnee accounts and made your position clear. Allow me to clarify mine, I denounce any claim to the Schnee Dust Corporation or the Schnee fortunes, I am my own woman and I will not abide by the vile and outdated values you live your life by. Winter, Gangrel come, we're leaving"  
"Don't be preposterous child, you can't possibly leave" Jacques scoffed  
"She's eighteen you can't stop her" Winter noted acidly before following  
"Glad we got to know each other a little better Mister Schnee" Gangrel smirked, unable to help himself from throwing a parting shot before catching up with Weiss, who had stormed down the hallway and pulling her into a hug  
"I can't believe I just said that to him" she whispered, shaking with rage while her voice betrayed her anxiety  
"That was possibly one of the nastiest verbal smack-downs I've ever heard….including the one you gave me when we first met" Gangrel chuckled softly  
"It was impressive" Winter agreed "I see you brought Myrtenaster with you  
"I was expecting dealing with Father to go badly" Weiss admitted "I always feel a little more confident with it on my waist"  
"I'll have Klein pack the rest of what you'll need and send someone to collect it"  
"Where are we going?"  
"General Ironwood has assigned a base of operations to Gangrels' black ops unit in the lower sectors of Eisenstadt Dritte" Gangrel gave a broad smile  
"Home sweet home"

Weiss refused to admit just how nervous she was. Schnee Manor was built on the top of the mountain the capital city was housed within, she had spent her whole life living above the labyrinthine urban hive but had rarely ever ventured inside and had never been to Lower Atlas in her life, the architecture was amazing to her each floor was two stories in height, buildings taking up the entirety of the space between the floor and the ceiling, broken and flickering light fittings were built into the ceiling, each level of the city accounting for an entire district  
"You've never been this far down before have you?" Gangrel asked as he saw the way she was staring intently out of the car window as they descended down another level  
"No" Weiss admitted  
"I suppose its' the same way me and Blake felt when we first left Lower Atlas" the Bear-Faunus shrugged "I don't think I'll ever forget the first time I actually saw the sky"  
"You never saw the sky?" Weiss gasped  
"We grew up in Rauchigschmiede" Gangrel explained "Way down, actually under the base of the mountain, by the way Winter where are you taking us?"  
"Ground level, Riesengrundstein. We'll be there soon"  
"Not somewhere I've actually been" the Bear-Faunus shrugged "But I think Blake might have been here couple times, her and Adam hit a few trucks coming in and out. This is the place that all the freight comes through"  
"Which is why we're giving you the old Spec Ops safe house here" Winter informed them as the car came to a stop "You're far enough away from your old home town that you shouldn't be spotted unless you want to be and Riesengrundstein has thoroughfares to the other mountain cities as well as the other settlements, the three of them exited the vehicle Weiss and Gangrel following Winter to the door of an unremarkable house with its' windows covered by steel sheets  
"This is a safe house?" Gangrel asked, regretting his words when Winter opened the door a revealed it to be reinforced with several inches of steel  
"Indeed" she grinned as she turned and handed them both a set of keys "Agents Belladonna, Scarlatina and Adel are en route from the capital. One of my crew is bringing Neo"  
"I've got a text message from Blake, she thinks she's got a lead for us" Gangrel informed Winter  
"Then use this time to Settle in, I must return to my ship. I'll expect to be kept informed of any progress you make" with that Winter turned and left, leaving Gangrel and Weiss to stare around the sparsely decorated safe house  
"So" Gangrel turned to the former heiress "I didn't wake up expecting us to move into our own place today"  
"Dolt" Weiss laughed "We're still living with four other people, its' not that far removed from having dorms at Beacon"  
"Worse when you consider one of those people is Neo" the Bear-Faunus pointed out "But still, its' our own place….So are we claiming the biggest bedroom or not?"

Gangrel, Weiss, Coco, Velvet and Neo followed Blake through the streets; she had arrived at the safe house and explained to the others what she had heard from Neon, Gangrel agreeing with her assertion that almost all nightclubs in Lower Atlas were owned by criminals and used as legal fronts had suggested that they go and speak with the owner of the establishment; this had led them to their current situation  
"Here it is" Blake nodded to the venue from which bass-heavy music could clearly be heard "Club Depth"  
"Nice little set up they've got here" Gangrel nodded approvingly as they made their way towards the door "Whoever runs the place has definitely got some money behind them"  
"Better than the place I met Adam" Velvet smirked thinking back to the converted warehouse being used as a nightclub in Vale  
"I haven't seen you dance before" Coco noted, Velvet gave her a wink that left her tongue tied  
"Well you two go have fun, you'll know if we need back up" Gangrel told them as he handed the bouncer on the door enough Lien for the six of them, only to be told that Neo looked too young to enter.  
"Neo have you got ID?" Gangrel asked, sighed upon seeing her shake her head "Of course you haven't, head home" he then gave a her a wink and a look that conveyed the message _'sneak in through the back'_ the remaining members of the group made their way into the nightclub, ears instantly assaulted by thumping music and bass that could be felt in their chests, Velvet and Coco immediately broke off and way their way to the dance floor  
"Let's go talk to the staff" Gangrel motioned to the bar, wrapping an arm around Weiss's waist as he did so  
"What can I get you?" the bartender, a Faunus with tusks jutting from his lower lip asked  
"A double brandy, two vodkas and go get me the man in charge" Gangrel grinned  
"Excuse me?"  
"Go get the man in charge, tell him there's two former White Fang officers and a Schnee here that want to talk business" the bartender thought for a moment before opening a door behind the bar  
"Come with me, I'll take you to Mister Umi"

Ringo Umi, an Octopus Faunus reclined in his chair, making himself comfortable as he surveyed the odd trio of guests that had been brought to the soundproofed office in his nightclub, his short sleeved shirt exposing the suckers along the inside of his forearms and his yellowish rubbery skin, the pure liquid blackness off his eyes was hard to discern any emotion from  
"So, two ex Fang and a Schnee….you've got my curiosity, okay mister ex Fang, give me your fucking name"  
"Gangrel Slate. This is Blake Belladonna, I assume you know who Weiss Schnee is"  
"Everyone knows who Weiss Schnee is, next time you come here wear a hood or a hat you stand out to much" Ringo told Weiss before turning his attention back to Gangrel "Slate, slate….well fuck me you're Bjorn 'stone paw' Slates' little boy"  
"You know my old man?" Gangrel asked, utterly confused  
"Yeah I toyed with the idea of joining the Fang once, he tried to get me to come to a rally before you all turned into a bunch of maniacs….he was a decent enough guy, so I'll give you some of my time, what do you want?"  
"The same thing you do, to stop the White Fang" Weiss answered  
"But I think myself and a Schnee might want that for different reasons"  
"Adam Taurus, the current head of the White Fang is a fanatic, he was partially responsible for the fall of Vale and he means to do the same to the other kingdoms, starting with Atlas" Blake explained  
"Yeah I know who Adam Taurus is" Ringo laughed, iridescent blue rings forming across his skin as he did so "I'm surprised he hasn't sent someone round yet to try and tell me to fall in line, he's taken over most of the Faunus businesses. So come on lets' not talk around the subject what is it you actually want from me? Supplies? Muscle?"  
"We've got hunter training and a contact for military grade hardware if it really comes down to it" Gangrel smirked, giving away just enough of the truth to be convincing "What we need is information, anything that will help us take the White Fang apart" Ringo nodded slowly thinking to himself  
"I had a little business set up in one of the abandoned mines outside of the city" he spoke slowly "I want you to go there and find out why none of my people are coming back. Do that for me and I've got some information for you that could break the White Fang"  
"So then why haven't you acted on it?" Weiss asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion  
"I'm not the right person to use the information, now do we have a deal?" the three Hunters shared a look  
"We have a deal"  
"A pleasure doing business with you; now go enjoy your night. Nobody comes in club and doesn't spend Lien"

It was the early hours of the morning when they retuned to the safe house, Weiss nuzzling into Gangrels' bare chest wearing his T-shirt and nothing else, repositioning herself so that she was on top of him she brought her lips down to his, kissing him slowly and moaning softly when his hands made their way under the shirt she had claimed as her own  
"The others will all be asleep" she whispered softly as they broke apart, capturing his earlobe between her teeth and gently teasing "And its' our first night in our own place" Gangrels' hands travelled up her sides and began caressing her breasts and gently teasing her rapidly hardening nipples between his thumb and forefinger; Weiss pulled back straddling him as she pulled the T-shirt over her head and discarding it  
"Oum you're beautiful" Gangrel murmured taking in the sight of her naked body before pulling her down towards him into another kiss, their hands roaming across each others bodies, Gangrels' breath catching in his throat as Weiss's hand slipped below the waistband of his boxers  
"I want you" she whispered into his ear as she began to stroke his length, letting out a groan of pleasure when his own hand drifted between her legs teasing most sensitive area while sliding a single finger inside her, Weiss trailed kisses down his neck and collarbone hips bucking wildly against his hand before she pulled down his shorts  
"Take me Gangrel" she whispered huskily as she positioned herself above him, guiding him into her as his hands found her hips, letting out a wordless gasp as she lowered herself onto him, Gangrel gave a few slow gentle thrusts listening to her gasps and moans as she rode him, her nails digging into his chest, he moved a hand from her hips and began to tease her clit  
"Oh Oum, oh yes right there" she moaned out, rocking her hips against him spurring him onto to thrust into her harder and faster, reducing her to whimpers of pleasure back arching and eyes rolling back as her orgasm hit her, the sound of Weiss utterly unravelling drove him over the edge  
"Baby, I'm gonna-" his words were cut off with a grunt as he came; the two of them lay their panting for breath, arms wrapped around each other as they basked in their afterglow. The moment was ruined by someone in the next room banging on the wall  
"You're a pair of ass-holes" Coco's irate voice informed them.

 **Authors Notes:**

So let's summarise:  
The inspiration for Atlesian cities was taken from Hive Cities from Warhammer 40K. It's a towering hive, anything above the mall is the levels that are considered 'Upper Atlas' that are not freely accessible, the lower down you go the worse off an area is and it goes deep underground. Schnee Manor is built on top of the mountain that the capital is built inside, the mountains have military bases and defences built into the outside and there are settlements between them  
The name Eisenstadt Prime is German for "Iron City Prime"  
Atlas is racist.  
Velvet takes no shit any more.  
Coco and Velvet time skip outfits, you know you want them.  
Lazy morning teasing is great.  
So Neon is back in Atlas, she probably won't be important to the rest of the story, she may show up in any huge battle scenes in Atlas but that's about it.  
Atlas is still using the mechanised troops to patrol the streets in lower atlas, because who cares about the proles right?  
Jacques Schnee is a dick, I felt unclean after writing him.  
Epic verbal smack-down from Weiss is epic.  
Eisenstadt Dritte = Iron City Third, there are then Iron Cities all following the naming convention that make up the heart of Atlas.  
Riesengrundstein, the district that the new home base for Gang/Weiss/Blake/Coco/Velvet/Neo = Giant Anvil.  
Ringo Umi (Umi being 'Sea' in Japanese) is a Blue Ringed Octopus Faunus that lights up, I think that is a fucking brilliant idea for a character.  
The information he has will be a game-changer.  
'Polar Bear' smut, y'know that is? Overdue!

Thank you to Drake187, 6TailedNinja and Air Force Muffin for their reviews on the last chapter:  
It was indeed a thing.  
Everyone seems to be thoroughly unnerved by Rodakino, the cannibal Summer Maiden….Good hold onto that feeling.  
Yeah Ruby is a force of nature when she's pissed off. She's not the only character getting a buff.  
Jaune better be capable, it'd be an insult to Pyrrha's memory if he wasn't at this point.  
I like the idea that Yang's puns are actually a Branwen thing, I've already said that she gets her anger from Tai. Besides I have some pretty funny ones lines up for Raven.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	63. 63: Search

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 63: Search**

Yang stumbled out of the portal that Raven had torn into reality doubling over and struggling to breathe, the masked woman striding out alongside her  
"That, that was a thing" the blonde gasped as she struggled to reorient herself, the first time she had been carried by Ruby's Semblance had been jarring this however was just unnerving  
"Pick yourself up" Raven demanded as the portal closed behind her her tone, as far as Yang could discern through the distortion of her respirator, was one of mild annoyance. Sparing Raven a glower Yang took in her surroundings, they stood atop a cliff made of chalk white stone, woods in the distance behind them; the cliff-face overlooking a city, she could make out defences along the walls that reminded her of the first time she had seen Vale through the haze of smog that hung over the buildings  
"Where are we?" Yang asked turning to Raven "And why isn't it winter here?" she asked as she realised the weather was far warmer than it should have been considering the time of year  
"This is Mistral, why did your sister come to the Kingdom?"  
"She's looking for a pair of students from Haven, they were listed among the dead after Vale fell but we know they're not" Yang explained  
"Why?"  
"They were involved in what happened, one of them used their Semblance to make Pyrrha Nikos kill Penny Polendina, Ruby's girlfriend. Uncle Qrow said Ruby plans to go to Haven to find answers"  
"There are no answers for her in the capital" Raven said simply "If she's hunting the enemies' pawns then things are simpler than I thought, do you know the people she is searching for by sight?"  
"Yeah, I've fought one of them, Mercury Black myself"  
"Marcus Blacks' son….Child I assure you that if you walked away from a fight with him its' because he was instructed to lose" Raven shook her head "Regardless starting tomorrow we will be heading into the city below to search for the people your sister is hunting-"  
"Can you please stop saying that" Yang growled "Ruby doesn't hunt people"  
"She travelled to another continent with the CCT down just to track people down with the intent of avenging a loved one. She's hunting them" Yang gave an irritated huff which was ignored "We will search for people your sister is hunting by day, if she's even half as competent as Summer was she'll make her way here eventually, it makes more sense to let her come to us than search the Kingdom blindly"  
"Only by day?" Yang asked, Raven turned to her then indicated to the city below  
"That is Doupeng-He Bishou; more commonly known as hell on Remnant. You will never go there at night"  
"Oh come in can't be that bad"  
"Have you ever seen the organs of Faunus children being sold in a marketplace before?" Yang visibly paled at Raven's words "This city was built away from the laws of the capital, even the tribes that roam between Mistral's cities tread carefully here, come" with that she turned away from the cliffs and began walking towards the woods  
"Where are we going?"  
"I have a cabin in those woods, it's where we'll be staying. Before you go into Doupeng-He Bishou you need to be trained"

Coco drove the armoured van that Winter had procured for them, Neo in the passengers' seat while Weiss, Gangrel, Blake and Velvet were hidden from view in the rear of the vehicle  
"Damn, the outside of Atlas is even bleaker" Coco noted as she took in their surroundings, they had exited the city and were approaching the abandoned mine that Ringo had told them he wanted investigating; snow fell heavily from the overcast sky painted the world in the white and greys that the Atlesian flag was inspired by  
"It's actually not so bad in the summer" Weiss defended only for Gangrel to let out a snort  
"Where you live maybe, some parts of Lower Atlas actually start to cook"  
"So what's the actual plan?" Velvet asked getting everyone back on topic  
"Weiss, Neo, Coco; you're staying in the van and covering it"  
"Gangrel I'm a Huntress I don't need to be protected" Weiss insisted  
"I know that, but this is a job for me and Blake, we're going underground the place is going to be too dark for you to see most Faunus gangs keep their bases dark on purpose specifically to deal with any humans that try and them, realistically it's probably going to be Grimm infested. We've done this before" the Bear-Faunus reasoned  
"Fine" Weiss begrudgingly accepted "But stay safe"  
"We will" Gangrel nodded "Velvet if we need to split up stay with Blake; I can't use my Semblance to get myself out of trouble if I have to worry about leaving someone behind"  
"What makes you so sure it's Grimm?" Coco called back to them  
"If it was a tunnel collapse in the mine then the people Ringo sent after would have come back, if it was raided by police they'd have made an example, if it was the White Fang Adam would have used it to start off a wave of attacks, he likes to go for theatrics whenever he can. The mine being attacked by Grimm is the only thing that really fits" Blake answered  
"So what kind of Grimm are you expecting?" Weiss took a moment to consider Velvet's question  
"Mainly Boarbatusk and Ursa at ground level, there are very few Beowolf packs left in Atlas and airborne Grimm are almost non-existent here, I don't know what lives underground though"  
"Possibly Deathstalkers, probably creeps and infinipede" Gangrel sighed "Hopefully no Shadow-stalkers"  
"Shadow-stalkers aren't real" Weiss laughed "They're just a story to scare children into behaving, eat your vegetables or the shadow…." she trailed off upon seeing the haunted expressions on Blake and Gangrels' face  
"They're real. We've seen them" Blake said simply  
"Erm, what are shadow-stalker and infinipede?" Velvet asked  
"Infinipede are giant burrowing bug Grimm, some of them can grow up to half a mile long, about a hundred pairs of legs that end in sharp points, the armour plating on their bodies generates electricity when they move that they can launch as a weapon so unless you're name is Nora Valkyrie don't get caught by one" Velvet looked a little disturbed, remembering her last experience with a Grimm that had a ranged weapon, the Gojirex she had seen at the spawning pool beyond the front lines  
"What about Shadow-Stalkers?" she asked  
"They're fucking scary" Gangrels' voiced dropped to a hushed whisper "Body built kinda like a flightless bird with arms instead of wings, about six foot tall, long tail with a blade on the end, each foot has one claw raised up like a giant hooked knife, they've got a bony crest on their heads….you'll know them if you see one"  
"They don't sound scary, more like a giant Grimm turkey" Velvet laughed  
"If that turkey could hunt in packs and co-ordinate" Blake retorted "I don't mean like Beowolves, they'll try and flank you but they're not that smart. Shadow-stalkers can communicate, they figure out where you're trying to run to then split up and cut off exits. If swear they can actually think and plan ahead" her feline ears lay flat against her skull and her hands visibly shook  
"Fuck it, that's the worst case scenario" Gangrel sighed shaking his head "We're a recon team that's all"  
"We're here" Coco informed them as the van slowed to a halt before clambering into the back of the van and wrapping her arms around Velvet "Be careful"  
"I'll be fine Coco" the rabbit-Faunus murmured into her ear as nuzzled into her  
"Coco I want your foot on that gas pedal until we get back, Weiss get ready to throw up a glyph in front of that entrance, Neo can I rely on you to shoot at Grimm and not 'accidentally' shoot me in the chest?" the mute typed out her response and held it up for him to see, the single eye visible beneath the brim of Romans' old hat bright with mischief  
 _'Probably XD'  
_ "Good enough" he shrugged before turning to Weiss  
"You just stay safe down there" the heiress whispered to him as she planted a soft kiss on his cheek"  
"That's the plan" he chuckled "I'll try and stick to it for once"

Punches rained down on his face, before a fist in his stomach forced the air from his lungs. Watts would have doubled over gasping for breath but the ropes tying him to the chair would not allow for such movement  
"Enough" a voice from behind the group of attackers ordered, the half a dozen masked Faunus dressed in the uniform of the White Fang stood aside and allowed the individual whom Watts assumed to be their leader to come forward, a Tiger-Faunus who wore no mask black and orange dreadlocks tied back exposing feline ears, yellow eyes glaring malevolently as she levelled the ornate ornate double barrelled shotgun with his forehead  
"Now this is the part where you start telling us the truth" Cheshire cooed "This is not a part of town for you to be wandering around alone little human"  
"I have been telling you the truth the entire time you brute" Watts spat, blood flowing freely from his nose and lips as he spoke, Cheshire responded by striking him across the face with the barrel of Shere-Khanage  
"Watch your mouth human, we don't take kindly to your kind having an attitude here"  
"My apologies" Watts drawled, sarcasm dripping from every syllable "I represent the head of your organisations' business partner. You no doubt saw the broadcast I made possible and the little jaunt I took some of Atlas's fleet on"  
"Anyone can talk" Cheshire sneered "I'm not convinced, why would someone as smart as the person you claim to be have to wander around Lower Atlas, showing up at random bars talking loudly about the White Fang until you got our attention. Y'know what I think you are? Police"  
"The head of the White Fang is High Commander Adam Taurus" Watts said quickly as he saw Cheshire's finger begin to tighten around the trigger "The police do not have that information, Spec-Ops do, they're deliberately not distributing it to the public because they don't want him to be seen as martyr to the cause when he's killed or captured" Cheshire's eyes narrowed as she considered for a moment before lowering her weapon  
"Go on"  
"I was sent by my employer to make contact with Mister Taurus after Vale fell, since the CCT has been brought back online I've had no luck finding him, eventually I decided to come and find him in person" Cheshire laughed at the explanation  
"You think you can just walk into a bar and find him? Stupid human. Prove you're worth his time, come back here with something we can use"  
"Such as?" Watts asked, forcing his tone to not betray his infuriation with the Faunus  
"Anything we can use, something we couldn't find out without you. Go back to the bar we picked you up at and if you're not all talk you might get to meet the man in person" she then turned to her cohorts "Put him back where you found him" Watts' watched Cheshire leave before the sack was slung back over his head and his bindings were slashed before he was dragged roughly from the room, one of the grunts taking the opportunity to steal his watch as they dragged him back to the car he had been thrown in the trunk of when they had accosted him.

"So why are you so scared of Shadow-stalkers?" Velvet asked, voice low as the three of them prowled through the darkness, eyes having adapted to the lack of light within minutes of entering the mine; fortunately they hadn't had to split up so far "I mean you're both Hunters, what's so special about this kind of Grimm"  
"When I was eight, Gangrel would have been ten" Blake started "Adam tried to get everyone to sneak out with him, there was a firework display happening and he wanted to sneak all the way Rauchigschmiede up to surface to watch, he said he knew a short cut all we had to do was climb up through some old sealed maintenance shafts, turns out the reason those shafts had been sealed off was because a pack of Shadow-stalkers had found their way into them and were picking off the workers; Atlas didn't bother sending Hunters because it wasn't deemed important enough so they were just closed off to keep the Grimm trapped in there instead"  
"Oh Oum" Velvet whispered realising where the story was going  
"Yeah, me Gang and Kai went with Adam and started climbing up….Thank Oum Luna and Felix told some responsible adults what we were doing, one of them was a retired Hunter"  
"Hey" Gangrel whispered "Do you see that?" he indicated ahead, there seemed to be a light coming from up ahead  
"Yeah, there's definitely a light at the end of the tunnel….I'm not sure if that's as good of a sign as the old saying makes it out to be" Velvet quipped as the trio readied their weapons and pressed onwards coming to the end of the tunnel  
"Whoa" Velvet breathed as she took in the giant crater "What happened?"  
"This mine has been abandoned as long as I've been alive but if I had to guess the SDC used a Dust based explosive to excavate, and it reacted with some of the Dust already here….Wouldn't be the last time they kill a few of their own workers out of sheer incompetence" Gangrel's tone turned bitter at the last few words  
"Those are ultraviolet lamps" Blake noted pointing to the source of the light "And a lot of….plants?"  
"It's a weed farm" Gangrel realised "A really big weed farm"  
"Is-is that blood?" Velvet motioned to a large stain on the floor below  
"Yeah it is" Blake narrowed her eyes and took a better look at the scene "There are remains of bodies hidden out of view behind the plants, they were all dragged there, you can tell by the stains"  
"Something came in here, killed all the workers didn't touch the drugs Ringo is having produced here and left a light on for us so we'd come this far into the mine…." Gangrel trailed off, he and Blake shared a look before both of them turned to Velvet  
"Run!" the three of them turned and bolted back down the tunnel towards the slope that lead to the exit; the hissing and screeching of the Grimm that followed them being all the confirmation needed that they had been correct in their assumption; Blake sent a shadow clone behind behind as she fired Ember Celica while sprinting forwards  
"They're in front of us!" Velvet screamed as a pair of Shadow-stalkers charged towards them  
"I've got 'em" Gangrel answered before teleporting, re-appearing above the Grimm and swinging his sword in a wide arc, removing both of their heads, as he landed he transferred his sword to his left hand, drawing Breaker with his right  
"DOWN!" he roared as he began firing shots into the rapidly approaching pack of monsters, one of them leaping into the air and swiftly eviscerating Blake's shadow clone, she and Velvet rushed past him  
"Gang come on!" Blake called looking over shoulder  
"Go! I'll catch up!" he roared back as he continued to unload rounds, waiting until the last possible moment to teleport, a Shadow-stalkers' bladed tail tearing through the space he had occupied as he re-appearing at the end of the tunnel, running up the slope leading towards the exit  
"Gang get out of the way!" he looked up to see Velvet, Leporidae Rampant at the ready forming a copy of Coco's mini-gun in her hands  
"Move!" he roared back "I need a line of sight!" as Velvet stepped aside Gangrel teleported once again exiting the mine, his hearing instantly being filled with the sound of gunfire and the screams of dying Grimm coming from the mine  
"Where's Blake?" he demanded  
"She's in the van!" Velvet shouted back over the cacophony of her weapon  
"Then come on!" Gangrel grabbed her by the shoulder and pulled her back to the vehicle  
"Weiss get that entrance sealed!" he roared as he jumped into the back of the van "Coco get us the fuck out of here!" Weiss focused arm outstretched, as she formed a barrier in the form of a glyph in front of the entrance, the glyph eventually failing as the speeding van moved the glyph out of her range, moments later the first of the Shadow-stalkers lunged out of the mine, shrieking and snarling after them before turning and returning to its' nest  
"It just broke off?" Weiss looked to Gangrel, Blake and Velvet the three of them pale and soaked with sweat  
"It knew it couldn't catch us" Blake explained, voice trembling "So it went back to its' nest, they'll just wait for a slower victim" Gangrel sheathed his weapons and closed the back of the van before collapsing  
"Well we know why Ringo hasn't heard from his people. I say we tell Winter to try and have this place sealed….or bombed"

Yang unleashed a devastating combo, the scarred and calloused knuckles of her left hand shattering the trunk of the tree as they impacted against it  
"That's an Atlesian cybernetic limb it's not made of glass, start throwing some rights" Yang turned and saw Raven who had apparently been watching her train, Yang turned her attention back to the trees, selecting another one to take the brunt of her blows she continued with her left  
"So you're just as stubborn as your father" Raven's voice managed to come out as a bemused snort even through her respirator "Though I suppose if you weren't you would have bled out before I took you from that Faunus girl and told her to go kill Adam Taurus" Yang's right fist shot forward, utterly destroying the tree trunk  
"That was my partner and girlfriend!" she spat turning to face Raven eyes again, eyes burning red; Raven looked from Yang to the shattered tree  
"Ah so you're pine-ing after her" Yang's eyes reverted to their natural colour  
"Did you just?"  
"Yes I did" Raven cut her off "Now was she your girlfriend or is she your girlfriend, because there's no point standing around moping about things that are gone"  
"If only you weren't one of the things I'd stood around moping after" the blonde spat furiously  
"So like your father" Raven gave an annoyed sigh "Send him a message and let him know you're still safe" at her words an idea occurred to Yang  
"Why don't I just send Ruby a message and tell her I'm in Mistral we can arrange to meet her somewhere?"  
"Because the enemy has people who will be watching the CCT, her scroll will be being monitored" with that that she turned and made her way back towards the small cabin, leaving Yang alone in the clearing with the trees she had felled, she gave one last irritated stare in the direction Raven had gone before withdrawing her scroll and typing a message to her father  
" _Hey Dad I'm in Mistral with Raven (No idea what you saw in her to be honest) just letting you know I'm safe. Hope you're okay. Love you"_ Thinking for a moment she typed a second message, this one addressed to Sun  
" _Hey, just making sure you haven't gone bananas on Patch yet. Can you do me a favour? I'm not on Patch any more, can you go and make sure my Dads' okay? Pester him until he decides he does want to train you or something, I just don't want him to be at home on his own right now"  
_ With the messages sent she stared at her background image on her scroll, one of her and Blake before realising that the signal in her current location was good enough to make a call she chewed her lip nervously for a few moments before making a decision.

Blake lay sprawled out on her bed, she and Neo had been left sharing one of the three bedrooms of the safe house and she was trying to force all the old memories that the sight of the Shadow-stalkers' in the mine had resurfaced to the back of her mind. The mute whom Blake had come to realise was not quite as insane as the had originally thought was currently downstairs trying to convince Coco to order a take out, a buzzing sound brought her to her senses and made her leap from the bed in fright before realising that it was the sound of her scroll, looking at the device her heart leapt into her throat at the sight of the caller.  
 _Yang  
_ Heart hammering Blake answered the call  
"Blake? Blake can you hear me?" at the sound of her voice she realised just how much she had missed her lover  
"H-hey firecracker" she replied nervously, the mix of emotions welling up inside her finding their way into her voice "I'm sorry for everything, Yang I'm so-"  
"Stop" Yang cut her off "I got your letter, I know why you left Blake….I thought you were dead for a month, I-I thought I was never going to see you again. But it's okay"  
"It's not" Blake mumbled, wiping her eyes that were rapidly filling with tears "Adam-"  
"I know exactly what Adam did to me Blake, I wake up shaking at least twice a night remembering it" Yang sounded tearful "I have a prosthetic, I'm in Mistral"  
"Mistral?"  
"Yeah Mistral, Ruby and the rest of Team JNPR have gone after Mercury and Emerald we know they're alive despite what the reports say; some other people are looking for her so I've gone to get her. When I'm done here I'm coming to get you"  
"Yang you can't I'm in lower Atlas-"  
"And you're going after the White Fang….You think I'm letting you go up against him without me? Not a chance, you're my kitty-cat, only I get to destroy the pussy"  
"Yang for Oum's sake" Blake gasped, before chuckling "I've missed you so much"  
"I've missed you too" she murmured back "And I swear when I get to Atlas you better have the best date ever planned to make up for going missing" Blake rolled her eyes at Yang's comment  
"Will do….in fact I know how much you like clubs, there's a place we've found the owner might have information, the owner is like the Junior of Atlas"  
"Sounds nice, I'm looking forward to it" Yang chuckled before cursing "Blake my scroll doesn't have much battery and Mistral has bad reception almost everywhere, if I can't call you I'll try and text. I love you Blake"  
"I love you too Yang"

Hazel took his place at Salem's table eyes downcast, refusing to meet her gaze, Salem herself stroked Cinders' hair absent-mindedly while she considered her lieutenant  
"You have returned Hazel, without that which I sent you to retrieve….I am disappointed"  
"My apologies mistress" the large mans' voice rumbled "None of my connections in any of the Kingdoms have heard anything that leads towards any of the remaining Maidens"  
"And you dare return here empty handed?" Salem's eyes flashed  
"No mistress" Hazel produced a photograph "This was taken by one of my agents who works on the walls of Doupeng-He Bishou in Mistral. An old friend has resurfaced" Salem took the photograph and examined it, it showed the cliffs that the city was built against, at the top of cliffs small but clearly identifiable was a portal  
"Tyrian's attempt to capture the silver eyed warrior has proved fruitless" Salem hissed "He will return to his people, find them and use your own assets in Anquan-Jia to prepare the capital for their attack"  
"Mistress?" Hazel asked confused  
"I will be concentrating my efforts on reawakening my dragon, I have my own suspicions as to Raven's intentions….Mistral will be the next kingdom to fall, the hammer blow will be against the capital"  
"Yes mistress" Hazel said simply before turning to leave, Salem to turned to Cinder continuing to stroke her hair as if she were a pet  
"Soon my child, soon you will have all the power that your predecessor refused, soon Remnant will fall" Cinder remained silent, her vocal cords had begun to heal, the false maiden however hadn't spoken since the last time she caught sight of her reflection, seemingly traumatised, he skin had paled somewhat, freckles that hadn't previously been present forming across her shoulders, she had cut her hair short after the tips had started to turn a deep red but it was the eye that had sent her into shock, Cinder still wore the ebony mask but it was no longer to hide her scarred face instead it was to cover her left eye which had regrown healed beyond what Aura could naturally achieve, the eye that instead of being a burning gold was a bright vibrant green.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so I saw the World of Remnant video on Faunus, I agree with Canon on a few things but I disagree on them with a few:  
Blake has cat ears AND cat eyes, therefore Faunus do not strictly have to have only one trait.  
Two different kinds of Faunus breeding does not turn into a Faunus Lucky-dip, you're either one of your parents breed or the other.  
Menagerie wasn't given to the Faunus, it's the original Faunus homeland. As for what happened to it, that may come up in a later chapter.

So let's summarise:  
Yeah Doupeng-He Bishou, Hell on Remnant. Raven has a cabin in the woods nearby, because why wouldn't Raven have a cabin in the woods nearby.  
Also Doupeng-He Bishou is basically the deepest recesses of the dark-web IRL  
Her plan is basically, why track Ruby all over Mistral, the people she's looking for are probably here, let her come to us.  
Yes Gangrel is a little overprotective of Weiss, but his point is valid. Faunus have better night vision and fighting Grimm blind in a confined space is a bad idea.  
Infinipede, giant electric centipede Grimm. You didn't you needed that in your life until you read it.  
The fact that they generate a charge was based on 'Tyranid Mawlocs' from Warhammer 40K  
Shadow-stalkers are basically the Raptors from Jurassic Park crossed with a Xenomorph from Alien, crossed with a Grimm. Seriously google Xenomorph Raptor, I also liked the idea that there are kinds of Grimm that the rich people of Upper Atlas don't even believe are real because they don't have to see them.  
"Like a giant turkey" was a Jurassic Park reference.  
Watts was sent to find Adam, he got Cheshire instead, so where's Adam?.  
Shadow-stalkers' are smart Grimm, they set traps. Also they're literal nightmare fuel for Gangrel and Blake.  
Yang has her arm, she's just scared to break it.  
Yang is a dick to tress, that's probably where Ruby picked up the habit from.  
Yang puns + Neo's attitude + Blake's dead-pan delivery = Raven puns.  
Not the actual reunion but you know that call made you happy.  
I'm just going to let that last scene sit there with no comment.

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Indeed people fucking in the next room is annoying.  
I just imagine Lower Atlas as a really dystopian mix of Steampunk and Cyberpunk aesthetics.  
Yeah if you like Ringo now, wait til he really starts contributing.  
I knew you'd appreciate the smut scene.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	64. 64: Thickening Plots

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 64: Thickening Plots**

"Are you sure this is really necessary?" Weiss asked indicating to the hoodie she was currently wearing, clearly unused to such pedestrian clothes  
"Yep" Gangrel smirked before pushing the peak of the snap-back she wore lower over face before his hand found its' way back into hers "Ringo was right, you do stand out in a crowd….in the best possible way, but still"  
"Dolt" she pulled her hood further forward to hide the blush creeping across her face  
"You two are insufferably cute" Velvet noted dryly before a smirk crossed her face as she saw Weiss's expression "Oh _now_ you mind the whole world knowing"  
"Velvet!" Weiss exclaimed, face flushing an even deeper shade of scarlet as the trio made their way through Lower Atlas towards Club Depth  
"So what's happening with you and Coco then?" Gangrel asked, the Rabbit-Faunus shrugged  
"I'm not even sure, I mean we both like each other we keep ending up making out but we're not official or anything"  
"Sorry I had to bring you out tonight" the Bear-Faunus sighed "You could have had the house nearly to yourselves, but you and Blake have the easiest weapons to sneak into a club and she's a little jumpy right now, seeing Shadow-stalkers again probably brought up some bad memories"  
"What about you? Are you okay?" Velvet asked, he gave a half-hearted shrug  
"I'll manage" he turned to Weiss when he felt her hand tighten around his "So how much do you think Neo is annoying Coco right now?" he asked, changing the subject  
"On a scale of one to ten" Velvet started thoughtfully "Probably twelve"  
"I'll admit I'm still a little uncertain about keeping her around us, she did attempt to kill me in retribution for Roman Torchwick's arrest" Weiss pointed out  
"Yeah I thought she was going to kill me in my sleep and leave my body somewhere in the ruins of Vale" Gangrel admitted "But honestly she wants the whole White Fang dead, I don't think she has any spare hate left to spend on anyone else"  
"That's a depressing way to live" Velvet noted idly "We're here" Weiss and Gangrel had become aware of the muted sound of music emanating from their destination, Gangrel called over to the bouncers, an overly muscular human and Ram Faunus, the third turned his head one eighty to face them, revealing a pair of intense amber eyes; an Owl Faunus  
"We're here to see Ringo, tell him it's Slate" the three bouncers regarded them suspiciously for a moment before the Owl Faunus nodded to the human who promptly entered the nightclub  
"Ugh, they're playing that Faunus rap that Whitley listens to" Weiss sighed with a shake of the head  
"Oh Oum, your little brother as well?" Velvet chuckled "Flax has got every album by Notorious D-O-G, Aesop Rocky, Faunus With Attitude and Bucky O'Hare"  
"No he hasn't" Gangrel smirked the pair turned to face him "Bucky is actually from this Flynt's part of town I used to see him around pretty often; his first project was a mix-tape that he selling out of his car….it's a shame my copy was in my dorm at Beacon or I'd let them copy it"  
"No you would not!" Weiss told him firmly, the conversation was cut off as the third bouncer returned  
"Okay, you're allowed in, but if you want to stay after your meeting you pay to get in the same as everyone else"

Ringo waited, fingers drumming impatiently on the surface of his desk moments later Gangrel Slate entered his office, with his was Weiss Schnee who had at least had the sense to keep her distinctive hair covered this time and a Rabbit-Faunus with a ruined ear who had not been with him the last time he visited  
"Who's the new recruit?" he asked, obsidian eyes narrowing  
"Thumper. She was here last time but she stayed downstairs" Gangrel explained  
"How many people are in this little crew of yours?"  
"At the moment just the six of us" the hulking Faunus shrugged "So we checked out that weed farm that you had set up in the mines…." he trailed off  
"And?" the Octopus Faunus demanded "What's the deal, who hit it?"  
"Grimm" Velvet said simply "A pack of Shadow-stalkers"  
"Sorry, your people are dead" Gangrel told him, Ringo rose from his feet fluorescent blue rings glowing beneath his skin as he paced the office before eventually lashing out and punching the nearest wall  
"FUCK!" taking several deep breaths he tried to force his anger back under control, the glowing Rorschach test adorning his body showed just how little he was managing "I lost twenty good people, the lost money I can replace but….Fuck!"  
"You need a minute?" Gangrel asked "I've been where you are right now" Ringo shook his head slowly, making his way back to his desk and withdrawing a folder from a locked drawer as he sat down, pulling a series of photographs from the folder each of them showing a complex, covered in the thick snow of Atlesian winter  
"What is this?" Weiss asked  
"I'm surprised you don't know considering who your family are" Ringo noted dispassionately "It's a government black site, it's for prisoners that need to be removed from the place that people who are removed from society go, but the government are scared to kill. They call it _'The Chasm'_ "  
"And what are we supposed to do with this information?" Gangrel asked, eyes narrowing in suspicion that he was being played  
"They're holding the old heads of the White Fang there" Ringo explained enthusiastically, iridescent rings flaring back into life across his skin "Everyone they captured, from back when the White Fang was sane"  
"Where are you going with this?"  
"You wanted information that would help stop the White Fang? This is it you have a Schnee on your team, if you can hit this place and break out the old leadership all the non-violent ones that way you can actually mount a viable resistance to the White Fang"  
"That's preposterous!" Weiss exclaimed  
"No" Gangrel said slowly, turning the idea over in his head "It makes sense, but we'd need to arrange a meeting with Ironwood and your dad"  
"He won't come to the table" Weiss said flatly "He feels that he has nothing to gain from negotiations"  
"Then I'll lay it out for him in the simplest possible terms, we create a peaceful alternative to the White Fang, run by Faunus who are actually respected in our community and have a history of fighting injustices against us and he deals with them; or when we kill Adam Taurus things will only get worse"  
"Worse?" the former heiress asked, eyebrows raised  
"He'll die a martyr and the issues that created the White Fang still won't have been fixed, all that's going to do is rally more violent and desperate people to the cause"  
"I like this idea" Velvet added "It sounds like what you want to do is have another group achieve the White Fang's original goals to completely undercut the appeal of joining them"  
"Exactly" Ringo beamed "See I never joined the White Fang but I always believed in the original vision you had, you just went so far off track"  
"Amen to that" Gangrel sighed solemnly before turning to Weiss and Velvet "So are we agreed then?"  
"It's a good idea, I have my doubts about my fathers' willingness to be reasonable" Weiss sighed  
"I'm with you on this Gang" Velvet chewed her lip nervously "The only problem I can see is what's going to happen when Adam gets wind of this?"  
"He'll act and when he does he'll just underline our point" Ringo answered "It'll be a group of peaceful activists that actually get some results being attacked by a group of terrorists who were involved in the destruction of a Kingdom, you'll probably get some of the super old racists on the council siding with you just because the Fang are against you" Gangrel took a deep breath before turning to Weiss  
"Call Winter first thing tomorrow, tell her our plan is to attack a prison that doesn't officially exist in order to start a White Fang civil war"

Jaune tensed up, hand instinctively reaching for the sword component of Dragonslayer  
"It's just me" Ren's soft voice informed him as the scarred Hunter made himself comfortable on the log that was being used as a makeshift bench. Team RNJR had set up camp just off of the path on the route to Haven, a river to one side of them, dense forest on the other  
"Go back to sleep if you want I probably won't sleep anyway, I'll cover your watch" Jaune sighed  
"You can stay here if you want" Ren sighed "But you're not covering my watch….What's bothering you?" Jaune showed his scroll to his team-mate, he had been watching a video of his dance with Pyrrha at Beacon, after Team JNPR had upstaged almost everyone else on the dance floor, the dance ended with Pyrrha kissing him to applause and cries of 'about time' from the onlookers  
"I miss her so much Ren, and I've got no idea where we go from here" his voice shook with tears that threatened to fall "Ruby's full of hate and fire right now, honestly I wish I could be the same….I just feel empty, empty and scared because whatever comes next I know I'm not gonna be ready for it without Pyrrha"  
"You'll be ready" Ren told him, his tone quiet but firm "Because I refuse to believe that you are the sort of person who would let the effort she put into making you the man you are be in vain, whatever happens from here you'll be ready because we'll be right here next to you" Jaune's eyes close as he willed tears not to fall  
"Thanks man….she unlocked my Aura y'know, I wouldn't even have made it through initiation without her"  
"Nora unlocked mine" Ren admitted with a grin "Completely by accident. She unlocked her own Aura naturally when she was twelve, she 'booped' me on the nose and accidentally cracked my skull my own Aura unlocked to heal it" Jaune was bent double forcing his laughter to remain silent to avoid waking the sleeping girls  
"It's a shame I don't have any drinks" he gasped "Or I'd offer a toast to the red-headed women in our lives" Ren snorted  
"We were the densest men to insult Remnant with our presence weren't we?" he sighed "Nora and I were best friends as kids, we both lost our parents when our village was hit by the Grimm….tiny place in the middle of nowhere, closer to the front line than Vale city, we were both thirteen when it happened. I spent a couple years just hating everything and Nora was the only person who'd put up with me….we were surrounded by people who never lost anybody telling me that grieving was just me having an 'emo phase' she was the only really positive thing I had in my life"  
 _Crack  
_ "What was that?" Jaune demanded in a hushed whisper as his his right hand reached to his sword mounted on his back, shield already mounted on his left he scanned the area for any sign of movement; Ren withdrew the Storm-flowers, moving into position behind Jaune covering his blind spots  
"You see anything?" the blonde asked nervously  
"No, which means it's not Grimm they would have just attacked us by now"  
 _Whoosh  
_ "Oh shit!" Jaune yelled as an arrow clattered off of his shield his instant reaction was to send twin jets of flame in the direction the attack had come from, lighting the surrounding area enough for him to see roughly a dozen individuals descending from the trees, weapons drawn  
"BANDITS!" he called, hopefully loud enough to wake Nora and Ruby  
"They're on this side as well!" Ren shouted over the sound of machine-gun fire  
"STAND DOWN!" Jaune roared to the bandits as he unsheathed his sword "I don't want to hurt you but I will if I have to!" he was answered by a massive man charging towards him, necklaces made of teeth and bones swaying as he ran, every inch of visible flesh covered by scars and tattoos  
"I'll mount your skull and eat your heart!" the challenger screamed as he swung a serrated sword at Jaune's neck, the blonde raised the shield but the attack never came. The sword flew from the bandits' hand bouncing as it hit the ground with a clang, the attacker stood rooted to the spot twitching before coughing up a mouthful of dark viscous blood and looking down to see the sword buried to the hilt in his chest, holding that sword, eyes glowing silver in the darkness beneath her hood and surrounded by floating rose petals as her whole body vibrated with her Semblance; was Ruby  
"Oh my Oum" Jaune mouthed silently as Ruby retracted Penny's sword, it was only when he saw the lack of blood staining the mans' clothes that he realised exactly how Ruby had killed him  
"BUTCHER THEM ALL!" another of the bandits' screamed, Jaune grabbed Ruby who was stood staring, seemingly in shock, at the man on the ground in his death throes  
"Into the forest!" he ordered pulling the younger Huntress along with him as he launched streams of fire at any attackers who drew close; Team RNJR Sprinted into the darkness until the sounds of their enemies grew distant behind them.

Emerald skulked silently through the smog filled and crowded streets of early morning Doupeng-He Bishou, preying mostly on the few people with the lack of sense to commute to the city for work; the residents were usually more than competent enough to deal with even the most cunning of thieves and would no doubt cause a scene that would attract what little law enforcement existed in the city and she could hardly spare the money it would cost to bribe them; suppressing a yawn she shoulder barged into someone, their expression marking them out as a visitor to the city  
"I'm so sorry" she gasped, eyes wide "I've just pulled a night shift, I'm on my way to college right now I should have watched where I was going" her words came out at a hurried and nervous pace before she rushed off, smirking to herself as she rummaged through the wallet she'd extracted from his pocket, eyes widening with see almost five hundred Lien in small bills  
"Well he's here for something illegal then" with a shrug she threw the wallet in the nearest trash-can  
"Well aren't you a model concerned citizen" a sarcastic voice behind her growled, spinning and drawing the Artful Dodgers she deployed their blades, deciding against opening fire in the middle of the street "Regular Emerald in the rough right?" Emerald's eyes narrowed at the sight of the speaker, vivid red eyes blazing, golden yellow hair tied back and sporting a cybernetic limb she hadn't had when she'd been tricked into beating Mercury half to death, was Yang Xiao Long  
"Careful now" Emerald smirked "You're in a crowded street, you don't want to add another assault charge to your wrap sheet" Yang's eyes narrowed, her expression furious  
"It'll be murder" she said simply before aiming the remaining half of Ember Celica and firing, the shot passing seemingly through Emeralds' body and blasting the brickwork of the building behind her, Yang cursed to herself as the illusion faded and she got a glimpse of mint coloured hair ducking around a corner  
"What!" she spat venomously "Don't look at me like you've never seen crazy before when you live in this city!" that got a genuine laugh from some of the crowd, the blonde girl with the foreign accent may have just had a conversation with thin air and attacked a building, but at least she had a sense of humour about it.

"Hey" Mercury said simply as he heard her enter the workshop "One of the guys told me they saw you a minute ago"  
"We need to go" Emerald told him without preamble "We need to get out of this city" he put down the handgun he was working on; since the fall of Vale they had been living in Doupeng-He Bishou, the stolen Atlesian Raubvogel Bull-Head they had arrived in, with its' transponder already removed had been stripped and sold for parts making them enough to put a deposit on a small one bedroom apartment and some falsified identification for the pair; it wouldn't pass inspection in any of the other Kingdoms but it had been enough for them to set up a bank account and Mercury to get a job, the workshop he was currently employed by tended to deal with stolen goods and supply weapons to the local gangs meaning that very few questions were asked. Emerald had returned to working as a pickpocket, it was a far cry from idyllic but it was the closest to a peaceful, healthy or normal life Mercury had ever known and he was loathe to let it go  
"It was less than two months ago that I was saying that about Vale and you were determined to stay there" he pointed out as he turned to face her, expression softening when he saw how obviously worried she was "Fuck, Em what happened?" he asked taking her hand in his  
"Yang Xiao Long is here" he took a moment to process  
"She saw you?"  
"Spoke to me, I managed to use my Semblance and get out of there" she told him  
"She didn't see you come here?" Emerald shook her head "Then we don't have a problem" Mercury told her  
"Merc she knows who we are!" she hissed  
"So does everyone I work with" the silver haired teen chuckled "I was on TV remember? Everyone here made the connection, I told them I was done with the Hunter lifestyle after the tournament and let everyone think I was dead since I don't have a family to go back to, it's insane how easily they accepted it"  
"It probably wasn't even the craziest story they heard that week" Emerald chuckled as she wrapped her arms around Mercury's waist melting into his body  
"True" Mercury snorted "I only ever came here a couple times when Marcus had jobs….he always threatened to sell me off, coming back here I realise he might now have been joking" Emerald grinned slightly and planted a soft kiss on his jaw  
"So what are we going to do about Yang?"  
"Nothing" he said softly "If she came here it's because she already knew we were still alive, but she can't prove it, she doesn't know where we live she doesn't know where I work. We'd be easier to track anywhere else than we are here" he finished with a gentle kiss on her forehead  
"I don't want to head back out there though" she murmured  
"Well" Mercury grinned hoisting her onto his workbench and running his hands through her hair "My manager isn't going to be around today and I'm ahead with my work….So make yourself comfortable"

"Oh for the love of Oum" Gangrel growled, with a rumble deep in his chest that made Weiss nuzzle into him, he reached around fumbling for a few moments before he found his scroll, whose noise had awoken him, eyes narrowing a little when he saw the caller  
"Fagin" he said bluntly, suppressing a yawn  
"You sound like shit" the Rat Faunus informed him bluntly  
"Fuck off, I had to deal with Shadow-stalkers yesterday"  
"Never a dull moment with you is it?" Fagin's smirk was almost audible "I just got back to Vaccuo, me and Junior had a little sit down in Vale since it's considered neutral now he's based on that little island….firstly you're an ass-hole when you told me you were gonna give me the Kingdom you didn't say some assembly required"  
"Is this conversation going somewhere, I don't appreciate being woken up in the winter" Gangrel near snarled  
"Shouldn't have spent the whole night nuts deep in the ice princess then, the cold might not bother you so much" Fagin snorted "I got back to Vale and Adam's been in touch" That got the Bear-Faunus to wake up and pay attention  
"What does he want from you, people?"  
"No, that's what I was expecting people and ammo….He won't need me to send Dust when he's in Atlas we perfected stealing it from there years ago. It's weird man he's telling me to stockpile non-perishable food, drinking water and medicine"  
"When does he want it?"  
"He didn't give me a time frame or a specific amount" Fagin seemed genuinely concerned at the deviation from Adam's usual tactics "He just wants as much as I can supply and he'll let me know when it needs to be sent"  
"Okay, you know the drill fuck up his plans as much as you can" Gangrel murmured  
"Yeah, will do….Take him out Gang for Oum's sake, something about this bothers me" with that he hung up, Gangrel collapsed his scroll and let out a long sigh  
"Morning" Weiss mumbled, having been woken up by the conversation "I assume that was important"  
"Yeah it was" he admitted as he pulled her closer, relishing the feeling of her skin against him "It was from the head of the White Fang in Vaccuo….This sounds crazy but it sounds like Adam's getting ready for a siege"

"You failed!" Rodakino spat to those members of her tribe who had returned from the ambush the previous night  
"One of them killed Skotadi in a single strike!" one of them spat back, rising from position kneeling at her feet to tower over her, several of the tribe surrounding them readied their weapons, halting at a single gesture from the young girl, who pulled a pair of short handled axes from their sheathed on her back  
"You forget your place Fengari" her tone was almost amused as her yellow irises were engulfed by the blazing magenta light of her powers, the blades in the hands beginning to heat "You knew that they were hunters and you knew that they were capable, your failure is your own"  
"Do not speak to me as if you were our chieftain child, your powers do not give you that right" she let out a feral scream and swung both axes at his cheeks, Fengari ducked and was hauled back from the fight before it could truly begin by a robed figure that had arrived at the camp silently, Rodakino forced herself into some degree of calmness and replaced her weapons as the figure lowered their hood  
"He is right child you aren't the chieftain of the Poli-Trogon" Tyrian smirked as he removed his robes "I am"  
"Tyrian" Fengari dropped to one knee at the sight of the man "I meant no disrespect I-"  
"Rodakino has much to learn, you were merely helping her to learn it" Tyrian's words rolled over any objections "Now, go to the edge of our camp you will find a city dweller by the name of Hazel. Bring him here unharmed, he is a friend to us….he will be helping us sack the capital!" with his last words the entire tribe let out a chorus of cheers and war-cries, someone passing the insane warlord a skewered hunk of meat, identifiable upon closer inspection as a cooked human forearm by the hand and fingers still attached  
"Child" Tyrian paused to swallow his first mouthful of the grisly meal "While our guest is here you will not use your powers, you will not speak of them, you will not draw attention to yourself am I understood" Rodakino glowered before finally nodding, Tyrian cackling at the sight  
"Come child, I know you enjoyed a taste of the power you will one day inherit from me but you could at least pretend to be glad that I'm home" she split into a grin that matched his before wrapping her arms around his shoulders  
"Oh course I'm glad you're home father"

Somewhere, there was a dark room kept artificially cold enough for ones breath to mist in front of them, the room was currently without light save for the occasional flickering and flashing on the displays of countless banks of machines whose purpose an outsider could only guess at. With a series of mechanical bleeps something disconnecting with a faint whooshing sound and the tiny pinpricks of light were joined by two more sources of illuination as a slender figure rose up from the cold steel slab that they had been laid upon in the centre of the room, a figure with deep green eyes.

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Weiss in a snap-back and baggy hoodie, there's probably fan-art of this and I definitely want to see it.  
This chapter starts at the same time as the last scene of the previous chapter.  
Faunus rap, you know it would be a thing. Also the rappers are all puns and play on actual artists, except Bucky O'Hare (And if you get that reference congratulations, you're old)  
Whitley Schnee is the Martin Shkreli of Remnant.  
Of course Atlas has unofficial black-sites for political prisoners.  
I feel like the White Fang Civil War option is the only way to feasibly tackle the problem, because as it stands they have legitimate grievances and they are the only group that's had any real success in dealing with them, removing Adam Taurus without addressing the problems that made people rally behind just paves the way for a worse fanatic.  
Renora back-story, because it's different to canon, where it seems to be heavily implied that they are originally from Mistral, which I think would surely have been mentioned in the first three volumes considering Pyrrha is from there as well.  
SHE JUMPSTARTED HIS AURA WITH A BOOP.  
Ruby didn't just stab that guy, she phased Penny's sword into his chest then left it there.  
And before anyone complains about Jaune, go back to the first few chapters Velvet didn't like hurting people, she still doesn't. It's different to killing Grimm.  
Yang knows for sure that Merc and Em are in the city, but now they know she's there. Raven is the wild card in the situation.  
Domestic Merc and Em, because I ship them that hard.  
Adam gearing up for a siege, be afraid be very afraid.  
'Poli-Trogon' tribe or 'City eater' tribe in Greek; make it nice and obvious what they are.  
Also Tyrian is the chieftain.  
Also Tyrian is the Summer Maiden's Dad….I kind of hinted at it but nobody really seemed to catch on.  
But Hazel was told to search for the other Maidens on Salem's behalf, Tyrian's daughter is a Maiden. Hazel is currently with Tyrian's tribe.  
Well there's only so many people with green eyes.

Thank you to 6TailedNinja for their review on the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	65. 65: Intrigue

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 65: Intrigue**

Gangrel and Weiss sat on either side of Winter in the pristine meeting room aboard her ship, the Schleier Der Tranen hovered in the air above Eisenstadt Dritte, casting a menacing shadow from the late afternoon sky over the major thoroughfare into the hive city  
"That information you gave us about a shadow stalker nest checked out" Winter told them, in an effort to pierce the oppressive silence "That's a potential problem dealt with and a lot of contraband removed from circulation"  
"When does my information not check out?" Gangrel growled, evidently tense. Before Winter could retort the doors to the meeting room slide open with a slight whooshing sound and two figures strode in  
"General Ironwood sir" Winter greeted the man with a salute as she rose from her seat "Father" her tone towards Jacques Schnee was bordering on hostile, the moustachioed man didn't deign to respond  
"At ease Winter" Ironwood gave her a nod as he made his way into his own seat while Gangrel a raised eyebrow "Still no respect for authority I see Slate"  
"Not for yours" was the dead-pan reply  
"Gangrel please" Weiss gave an exasperated sigh  
"Can we get to the point please" Jacques sneered "I have better things to do than surround myself with disappointments and animals"  
"Jacques!" Ironwood barked "Whatever dispute you have with your daughters is not my concern, but they are here as representatives of the Atlesian Military and you will show them proper respect" Jacques gave a barely audible huff, as Winter made to speak Gangrel cut across her  
"Okay let's get straight to the point 'cos I want to be here even less than you do. The head of the White Fang, the same head that personally oversaw the destruction of Vale is back in Atlas and he's preparing for a siege, do we have your attention now?"  
"I-that's" Jacques sputtered  
"Good. Now we have a plan to not only stop the White Fang from going to war with Atlas but completely neutralise them. You're going to co-operate" while Jacques Schnee continued to look utterly stunned by the information General Ironwood looked across the desk to the three people opposite him  
"Winter, what is this plan?"  
"It's more agents Slate's plan than mine sir, he could better explain it" the general gave the Bear-Faunus an expectant look, Gangrel slid a single photograph across the table which Ironwood looked furious at the sight of  
"How do you know about this?"  
"You have a security leak" Gangrel shrugged "Now if I can get this information how long do you think it will be before Adam Taurus gets his hands on it? Here's the plan we're going to fake a breakout, we're going to spring the former leadership of the White Fang; specifically Sienna Khan and Obsidian Eadala"  
"This is madness James!" Jacques roared "This is what you demanded I come and subject myself to is it?"  
"Silence father!" Weiss demanded, stunning everyone with her vehemence  
"Slate continue, I'm intrigued" Ironwood admitted  
"I know Sienna Khan, myself and Adam Taurus were both raised in the care home she owned she advocated for the White Fang using violence _in self defence_ we can all agree Adam has gone beyond that, but Adam is officially only the acting leader if Sienna were to get out of the Chasm Adam loses a lot of his legitimacy in the eyes of the Fang. If I know Sienna Khan she will go after Adam mercilessly for what he's turned her vision into"  
"You want to set the White Fang against each other" Ironwood realised  
"That's the first part" Gangrel sighed "Between putting forward a challenge to his authority and having my contacts inside the White Fang disrupt as much of his plans as possible we buy ourselves some room for the other part of the plan, this is where Obsidian and Mister Schnee come in"  
"You have my attention boy" Jacques huffed  
"Obsidian Eadala was the original leader of the White Fang, well the last of the original leadership left, he's strictly against violence. We're going to convince him to set up a new group in the image of the original Fang, advocates for Faunus rights and workers rights in general and this time you're going to come to the table and negotiate Schnee, you're going to put Faunus on equal pay to humans across the board in the SDC and advocate for legislation that forces other companies to do the same, you're going to actually have some health and safety regulations in your facilities and stop using 'Faunus have enhanced senses' as an excuse to cut corners. Basically I'm asking you to be a decent person"  
"I will not negotiate with savages and terrorists!" Jacques bellowed slamming his fist down on the table  
"We're not asking you to!" Gangrel spat "We're asking you to help ensure that there will never be another White Fang!"  
"I have had my fill of this nonsense" the Schnee patriarch stated flatly as he rose from his seat and made to leave, halting when he heard the sound of a weapon unfolding behind him  
"Stand down!" Ironwood roared  
"Gangrel what are you doing?" Weiss gasped, mortified. Jacques slowly turned back to face Gangrel who had an oversized hand-cannon aimed at his chest. Ironwood had his own pistol drawn Jacques' blood ran cold when he realised neither his daughters had moved to defend him  
"I'm offering you the end of the end of the White Fang, peace for Atlas, better human and Faunus relations and the equality that we were promised at the end of the war" Gangrel growled "I haven't come this far, seen so many of good people killed or jailed just for you to decide you're not interested Schnee. Join or die"  
"Slate drop your weapon" Ironwood demanded "Last warning"  
"Gangrel please" Weiss implored, Gangrel let out a low snarl before collapsing Breaker to its' dormant form and resting it on the table  
"I assure you!" Jacques seethed "I will never-"  
"Jacques" Ironwood interrupted "It's time to swallow your pride and come to the table. You can come willingly or not"  
"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!"  
"I would and I will" the General sighed "You're an old friend but my first priority is and will always be the safety of Atlas and its' people, all of its' people. We have been provided a viable solution to a very real threat, if you are unwilling to see sense I will petition the Council to have the SDC seized in its' entirety"  
"This will not be forgotten James I assure you!" Jacques raged  
"I don't suppose it will. Nevertheless I will do what I must now do we have an accord?" a vein pulsed in the Schnee's forehead  
"We have an accord"  
"I'll keep you informed as to the status of our operations" at Ironwoods words Jacques turned and left the General turned to Winter "I have other urgent matters to attend to Schnee. I'm leaving this operation in your hands, try and keep your….agent under control" with that General Ironwood strode from the room leaving an utterly livid Winter to turn to Gangrel  
"Get off of my ship" she spat "You'll be informed when we're ready to progress, now get out of my sight before I gut you where you stand"

Yang sat in the lotus position outside of Raven's wooden cabin, focusing her Aura as per the masked Huntress's instructions upon returning from Doupeng-He Bishou. Her entire body glowed with golden light, the flames of her Aura compressed around her the blazing of red of her irises visible beneath her closed eyelids; she'd been in this position for hours, much longer than she had ever trained her Aura before preferring to allow it to develop naturally  
"You look like concentrating this long is physically painful for you" came a dispassionate voice from behind her, Yang forced herself to ignore her and continued focusing her Aura  
"Still I suppose this is an improvement from you stomping around and nearly destroying my home because you failed to capture a target….You have Yanger issues" at Raven's pun Yang's temper finally snapped  
"SHUT UP!" as she shouted her entire Aura seemed to surge forward into a jet of white hot flames issuing from the palm of her left hand leaving nothing but ash and smoke in their wake. Stunned her eyes returned to their usual amethyst  
"Well you can be trained it seems" Raven noted  
"You knew I could do that?" the blonde turned to face her as she rose to her feet  
"You are your fathers daughter. I taught him to use a similar trick but it was a lot less precise, focus your Aura and try again" Yang nodded and complied her body once again enveloped in golden light and flames  
"Focus it through your left hand to a spot out of your reach" Raven instructed, Yang did so and was left with her mouth hanging agape when once again a jet of flames burst from her hand  
"Oh my gosh that's incredible" she managed to gasp out  
"Well it makes up for my failure to procure you a new weapon" the Masked huntress noted with a sigh that the respirator distorted into static  
"What's wrong with Ember Celica?" Yang snapped immediately on the defensive  
"You only have half of it. I did find something else instead but before I discuss that, show me exactly what you are capable of child"  
"What?" Raven gave an annoyed growl at Yang's confusion and merely assumed a combat stance and waited for Yang to do the same  
"No weapons"  
"You want to fight me Raven?" Yang asked a cocky grin forming on her face as she brought her fists up  
"You'll never call me mother willingly will you?"  
"I had a mother" Yang spat, eyes instantly blazing red "Her name was Summer Rose" a fraction of a second later the blonde was sent crashing to the ground, Raven stood in the space she had previously occupied with her right elbow extended. Rolling to her feet Yang let loose a jet of flames from her hand only to realise that her target was no longer there  
"CAW!" Yang had no chance to react before the bird that was flying directly at her chest vanished in flash of crimson and became Raven again who proceeded to deliver a spinning heel kick that sent Yang flying backwards; she followed this up by grabbing her by the ankle while still in mid-air and slamming the blonde down with enough force to crater the ground beneath her. Yang barely managed to roll to the side in time to avoid a fist in her throat  
"Don't call yourself Summer Rose's daughter" Raven raged "I knew Summer, she would have at least fought back. This is an insult to her memory!" Yang launched herself forwards with a wordless scream of rage, the heat from her Aura enough to reduce the ground beneath her feet to magma. Raven effortlessly ducked under her wild haymaker, her own left fist impacting against Yang's bottom rib sending her back struggling for breath  
"Abysmal" Raven sighed before unleashing a brutal left handed punch to the back of Yang's head that left her sprawled out on the floor  
"So what does that prove?" Yang demanded forcing herself not to cry, she would not cry in front of Raven "That I'm still a cripple I already knew that!"  
"I would have beaten you if you had your own hand" Raven stated bluntly "It proves you're not ready yet"  
"Ready for what?"  
"I've found Mercury Black"  
"How?" Yang asked as she dragged herself to her feet  
"As I said, I was trying to procure you a new weapon. I know this city there is someone I know who could manufacture a suitable weapon, I found him in one of the less reputable bars this morning. Too drunk to be of any use"  
"Who's already drunk at that time in a morning?" Yang wondered aloud  
"People who sold modified military grade assault rifles to a gang of children younger than yourself the night before and wish to clear their conscience the only way they know how" Raven let her words hang in the air for a moment before continuing "Also my brother on any given weekend"  
"So how did that take you to Merc? He's working in a bar now?" Yang demanded incredulously  
"You have an annoying habit of interrupting" Raven grumbled "Mercury Black is working as mechanic at my contacts workshop. The man may have been too drunk to work but he was just drunk enough to talk about the Hunter who'd been on TV he has working for him now, a kid who's trying to lay low and start a new life for himself. The fool called him by his name"  
"So what are we waiting here for!" Yang made to leave only for Raven to physically restrain her  
"You haven't been paying attention. Your last fight with Mercury Black ended the way it did because he allowed it to, you are not ready. Furthermore Emerald escaping you today will make them wary, we wait a few days"  
"Fine" Yang snarled through clenched teeth, accepting the logic  
"In the meantime you will continue to train until I'm satisfied that you will actually survive an attempt to capture them. I have no intentions of delivering your corpse to Taiyang" she withdrew her sword and prepared to strike  
"Again and this time we use weapons!"

Blake crawled silently through the too small ventilation shafts of 'The Chasm' having been sent confirmation from Gangrel that the General had given their mission the green light and the SDC were reluctantly on board; Winter had given her more detailed schematics of the prison and the exact location of her target. The corridors below were dark even to her enhanced senses but were mercifully empty of guards; she was more than capable of bypassing them Adam had taught her the art of infiltration well and she had been a devoted and dedicated student after all, but it was easier to avoid them altogether if possible. Dropping down to the ground the stalked towards the single cell at the end of the corridor  
"Mister Eadala" she whispered, in response a pair of eyes opened behind the reinforced bars and bulletproof glass of the cell door. Iridescent lime green with vertical slits for pupils, drawing nearer she saw that he was a dark skinned man his tall and wiry physique having a frail look about it accentuated by the ill-fitting and ragged grey prison jumpsuit he wore with a hole roughly cut into it for the long snake like tail that was currently coiled behind him while he sat cross legged upon his metal bunk; his face was thin and heavily lined, what hair he still had left the bushy beard he sported were liberally streaked with grey  
"It's been a long time since I was Mister anyone, my name is Obsidian. But I do not know you young one" his voice was cheery despite the wheezing quality it possessed, as if each breath took more life than it gave  
"My name is Blake Belladonna, former ranking officer of the White Fang"  
"Well that makes two of us Miss Belladonna" Obsidian smiled, his lower jaw splitting revealing a pair of long fangs behind which a forked tongue could be seen "But that was a long time ago back when they were a saner group"  
"That's why I left" Blake explained "The world needs saner leadership especially the Faunus"  
"As much as I support your endeavours to find it I must admit I'm at a loss as to what brought you here"  
"The current leader of the White Fang is preparing to lay siege to Atlas, the head of the SDC is willing to negotiate but not with the White Fang" Blake explained  
"And how did this information find its' way to your ears?"  
"The eldest child of the Jacques Schnee is a member of the Specialist Operatives, a member of the group I represent is another former White Fang officer currently working alongside her to prevent the White Fang from destroying Atlas the same way they helped destroy Vale….His name is Gangrel Slate"  
"Young Bjorn's boy" Obsidian gave a solemn sigh "I remember the day he was born Bjorn was the proudest father, it wasn't long before I was first imprisoned….such a shame what happened to Athena and the Taurus's" Blake's gasp interrupted the old Faunus' train of thought "Something the matter?"  
"You knew Adam Taurus's parents?"  
"Miss Belladonna when I was a free man I knew every member of the White Fang's name, face, livelihood and family because we were a family"  
"Adam Taurus is the current head of the White Fang, he took over when Sienna Khan was brought here"  
"That poor child" Obsidian sighed "That poor broken hate filled child, I see Sienna from time to time when they let us out for meals the shame she feels for this monster she played a part in creating consumes her….what is it you would have me do?"  
"We're going to break you out" Blake stated simply  
"I will have no part in violence" she raised her hand to cut him off  
"It's going to be staged" she explained "Enough to deny any accusations of this being orchestrated by the government, when you get out we're going to get you a platform that the whole world will be watching where you will denounce the White Fang in its' current form and extend an olive branch to the SDC and call for all Faunus that want a better life to rally behind you"  
"In short you want me to do what it was I always intended; bring hope to our people without bloodshed" seeing Blake nod Obsidian smiled, his mandible stretching wide "Miss Belladonna I would be honoured"

The frail balding man walked as briskly as he could through the corridors of the complex without breaking into a run that his ageing body would only punish him for, he had done so immediately after receiving a message from his assistant, one Antonia Arc stating simply 'She's awake'. Turning the final corner and making his way to the end of the corridor he pressed his palm to the fingerprint scanner that granted him access to the most private room of the top secret facility.  
"Professor Polendina" Doctor Arc greeted him breathlessly, Geppetto Polendina stared around the room, the lights having been turned on and took in the cold steel slab her body had been resting on and the banks of machines and computers filling the room; then he saw her. Leaning against one of the machines as if for support and wearing an outfit he'd never seen her in before; a forest green hoodie that stopped at the bottom of her ribs and matching shorts, a black T-shirt under her hoodie, black knee high boots with armour plating; the whole ensemble highlighted with silver and pale green detailing. A heavy silver belt hung low on her hips sporting twin holsters inside which were her new weapons, her old pink bow was still present but she wore it at a slight angle. Her face was the same as ever, pale, freckled and smiling her green eyes filled with warmth  
"Salutations Father….Toni got me some new clothes"  
"Penny" Geppetto rushed across the room and pulled his daughter into a hug which she returned with gusto "You're awake" the old man cried into her shoulder  
"She also seems to be much more….aware than she was before" Antonia noted searching for the right word, the Professor gave his assistant a curious look prompting her to continue  
"She seems more natural in her interactions, less well….socially awkward"  
"I have an estimated eighty seven point three three of all previous data from my previous body" Geppetto's heart broke at the way she shuddered in his arms at those words  
"But Father, I feel….different"  
"Side effects of your new body" the Professor assured her "There have been certain changes made to your design, you've seen your new external weapon system. Other differences will become apparent to you as you become accustomed to your new body"  
"I remember dying" Penny whispered as she finally extracted herself from her fathers' embrace, her voice a scared whisper "My Arc reactor was damaged, Ruby was-Where's Ruby!" Penny demanded suddenly intense  
"I believe I have an idea" a new voice answered, everyone turned to face the door where General Ironwood stood.  
"Salutations General" Penny snapped to attention smiling leaving the General to chuckle and wonder to himself if miracles may still be possible in the world  
"At ease Penny. To answer your question I have reason to believe that Ruby Rose is making her way across Mistral with the remaining members of Team JNPR in search of your killer"  
"Team JNPR?" Toni asked incredulously "That's my younger brother's team. Pyrrha Nikos was his partner"  
"Pyrrha Nikos did not attack Penny willingly, those responsible for the fall of Vale had an agent in the crowds whose Semblance allows them to cause other to hallucinate" Ironwood explained  
"Now you see here Jimmy!" Geppetto Polendina roared as he crossed the room and jabbed a finger into the part of the General's chest that was still comprised of flesh and blood "I will not have you come here the moment my daughter wakes up and try to whisk her off on some covert mission, she is not one of your Operatives!"  
"Father, please calm down" Penny asked placing a hand softly on his shoulder  
"Thank you Penny" Ironwood gave her a small smile before continuing "I have it on good authority from Ruby's uncle that Ruby Rose is en route to Haven Academy in Mistral's capital; I'm tasking you with a mission to bring her safely to Atlas. Ruby is special"  
"Agreed" Penny smiled  
"Although for different reasons" Ironwood said gently, a small blush crept across Penny's face "In the battle that followed the….events at the Vytal tournament a Dragon Grimm, unlike anything I've ever seen before was unleashed a giant mobile spawning pool that Ruby Rose single handedly left in a fugue state from which it is yet to recover. We have reason to believe that Atlas will be the next target I would rather have someone with those capabilities here if possible"  
"What about the rest of Team RWBY?" Penny asked  
"Miss Xiao Long was injured and is currently recovering. Miss Schnee and Belladonna's locations are currently classified but rest assured they are safe"  
"Father I won't be gone long" Penny smiled brightly "And when I come back I can introduce you to Ruby, you'll love her I know you will she's amazing" Geppetto smiled at her exuberance despite himself  
"Mistral is a long way from here Penny"  
"Not necessarily" Ironwood beamed the two men shared a look for a moment  
"It survived Vale?"  
"It was never in Vale" the General answered "You asked me not to give her it until her eighteenth birthday, it's currently in a hanger I can have it brought here within a few hours"  
"What are you two talking about?" Penny asked, Geppetto withdrew his Scroll and brought up a set of images and schematics which he showed to Penny  
"Well a lot of parents will pay for their child's first car when they turn eighteen, I decided I could do so much better than that so I made this for you" Penny's eyes widened as she took in the design she was looking at  
"Sensational"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay firstly this story has over one hundred reviews now, what the actual fuck? I love this fandom.

Now let's summarise:  
Jacques Schnee is and will always be a dick.  
Sienna Khan will be making an appearance soon, I kinda hope she shows up in canon soon so I can get an idea for how to write her.  
So the plan is now officially off of the ground.  
Did Gangrel go a little too far there? Maybe so, let's see how Weiss takes it.  
Raven Puns are the key to unlocking Yang's power.  
Also Yang has an Aura based Flame-thrower now.  
Yang might be back on her feet but she's not back to her old level just yet and she's nowhere near ready to fight Raven.  
Raven found Merc.  
Ventilation shafts are gift that just keeps giving to writers.  
Obsidian Eadala, I based him on Kaa from the Jungle Book and one of nutty but well meaning gospel street preachers in my city.  
Yes Antonia 'Toni' Arc is Jaune's second oldest sister. Penny runs on an "Arc Reactor" I swear if I have to explain that pun to anyone….  
PENNY IS BACK MOTHERFUCKERS.  
Her new outfit was inspired by this post on Tumblr:  
post/153024097199/concept-art-for-an-alt-outfit-for-penny-if-she

Thank you to Drake187 and 6TailedNinja for their reviews on the last chapter (Also Drake187 you are my hundredth reviewer….throws confetti)  
Well I do use the Tyranids as part of my inspiration for the Grimm so the Space Hulk analogy may be apt, though I wouldn't say the Shadow-Stalkers are quite that smart.  
But seeing as you get Warhammer 40K references, think less Were-Pyrrha and more Lucius the Eternal.  
Well there's a reason Raven told her she would never be going there at night, let's see if that holds up.  
Okay yeah Ruby killed someone, it was swift, painful it was delicious….but seriously come on, they were under attack and the guy was swinging a sword at Jaune's neck when she killed him.  
Nobody seemed to catch the connection between Tyrian and Rodakino but I specifically wrote their descriptions and dialogue in the first chapter they appeared to mirror each other.  
Bringing Pyrrha back like that would indeed be a cop out, I do not write cop outs.  
I'm not going to bring back Nuts & Dolts just to fuck it up the same way again; I have plenty of ways to break your hearts and stab your soul with the fragments.  
I see your Ramsay Bolton quote and respond with Negan "You can breathe, you can blink, you can cry….hell you're all gonna be doing that"

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	66. 66: Harder Better Faster Stronger

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 66: Harder Better Faster Stronger**

"RUBY GET DOWN!" Jaune called to her as a Grimm that the blonde was pretty sure was called a _'_ _Leok_ _aiser'_ pounced from behind; a two meter long mass of muscle with bone armour along its' spine and forelimbs and protruding spines upon its' shoulders, the Lion Grimms' mane was comprised of jagged bone ridges that shifted like armour plates  
"Got it" Ruby's voice was utterly toneless as she stepped backwards into the beasts attack, shaft of Crescent Rose catching it by the forelimbs and slamming it into the ground in front of her before opening its' exposed belly with the blade of her scythe. Jaune, seeing that Ruby had her situation under control flew off in search of Ren and Nora; running into the forest had been a bad decision on his part that had rendered his flame-thrower too risky to use. Seeing his team-mates he dove to the ground and shifted Dragonslayer to its' sword and shield mode skewering a small Grimm with too many limbs as he landed  
"Why would their be a little monkey Grimm?" Nora demanded as she brought Magnhild down on Grimm after Grimm as they approached in a twisted parody of an arcade game "MONKEYS ARE SUPPOSED TO BE CUTE!"  
"Where's Ruby?" Ren asked as raked the ground around him with the storm-flowers  
"Right here" came her reply as she raced into view cleaving through a nearby tree, her attack revealing a chameleon Grimm with a barbed tongue that Jaune didn't have a name for  
"What the…." the blonde trailed off as he deflected a leaping spider-monkey with his shield only for Ren to annihilate in a storm of bullets  
"I saw its outline move" Ruby explained "I trained with Squish back at beacon I know what to look for"  
"Um guys" Nora called her voice slightly nervous, Jaune swung his sword low and removed the head of the last of the smaller Grimm which remained to screech its' defiance rather than run. Turning to see what had gotten Nora's attention he gave an audible gulp, Leokaiser a full pack of them stalking out from the trees  
"I count eight" Ren noted calmly  
"Two each, yeah we can do that….yeah" Jaunes' tone made it clear he was struggling to convince himself  
"ARRRGH" Ruby charged forward with a war cry that nobody her size should have been able to produce, Crescent Rose bisecting the first Grimm to leap at her, the second exploding, a pink mist in its' wake  
"SMASH!" Nora laughed gleefully as she returned her weapon to its' hammer mode and charged forward, the two of them fighting back to back weapon crushing or carving any Grimm that approached, Ren readied his pistols and aimed the last Grimm expiring before he could fire  
"Go team" Nora laughed as she skipped back over to Ren and Jaune, had anyone else said that Jaune would have suspected they were being sarcastic.  
"Yeah go team" he agreed leaning against a tree, bone deep weariness setting in "Just please no more" they had escaped, a term Jaune would only use for the situation ironically, into the forest over a day ago their tents and camp destroyed leaving them to rely on what was in Ren's backpack when he had managed to grab it; this thankfully included ammunition bottled water and tinned food, it did not however contain a map  
"Indeed" Ren sighed "The amount of Grimm in this forest is too high"  
"Yeah about that, I think I've got an idea of where we are" Jaune told them all eyes turned to him so continued "Pyrrha knew a bit about Haven's initiation because she was originally going to go there; it's kinda similar to Beacon, in that it involves getting sent into a forest. The path we were following was the safe way to Anquan-Jia"  
"And this is the forest that Haven's students train in" Ren surmised  
"Yeah" Jaune nodded "This is Hong-Zhao forest, if we push through it we'll actually get to the walls of the capital sooner it's just a risk I didn't want to take before"  
"So let's go" Nora grinned, Magnhild balanced over her shoulder "We've got Grimm in front of us, bandits behind us….we've come this far we may as well keep moving forward"  
"I want to agree" Jaune sighed "But even in this forest we shouldn't have been coming across as many Grimm as we have. It's like they're all congregating"  
"It's because of me" they all turned to face Ruby who had spoken "Grimm are attracted to negative emotions….they know I'm a murderer, I'm what's drawing all the Grimm" the other members of Team RNJR shared nervous looks, they had all seen what Ruby had done to the bandit but none of them had brought it up yet, preferring to wait until they were out of the literal and proverbial woods  
"So what are you suggesting?" Ren asked  
"We split up" Ruby mumbled, her voice dangerously close to cracking "If I'm what's drawing the Grimm then I'm going to head off in another direction and get them away from you while you go to Haven"  
"Not gonna happen" Jaune told her bluntly  
"Agreed" Ren nodded  
"Sorry Ruby but you're stuck with us" Nora planted a hand firmly on her shoulder  
"I killed someone!" she cried the first tears falling thick and fast down her cheeks "I came to Mistral because I wanted to kill someone, what's wrong with me?"  
"You killed someone who was trying to kill us" Jaune pointed out as he wrapped an arm around her, Ren and Nora joined them  
"I know what grieving and wanting to make everyone responsible suffer feels like" Ren admitted softly "I think we all do"  
"So come on" Nora sighed "We're going to fight our way through this forest and into the capital, all four of us….right after this Team RNJR group hug"

Penny had flown through the night towards Mistral. Her 'eighteenth birthday' present from her father had turned out to be her own personal fighter, something that had once been an Atlesian Bull-Head but the plethora of new and enhanced features added to the craft left it in a class all of its' own.  
"Approaching Mistrali airspace" the synthetic yet clearly feminine voice of her craft's AI, known as P.E.A.R.L informed her, cutting off the blaring trap music she was playing as it spoke. The AI being just one example of technology usually reserved for capital ships being worked into the craft.  
"Disengage cloaking" Penny instructed, peering out of the side of the cockpit and watching in awe as the Bull-Head's hull rippled into existence  
"Shall I bring the primary weapon online?" the AI inquired tonelessly  
"No!" Penny exclaimed "We're not attacking Mistral"  
"Understood. But they seem to be preparing to attack us"  
"What?" Penny's head snapped forwards, in the distance a squad of five Mistrali fighters could be seen heading rapidly towards her  
"They are trying to communicate with us shall I open a channel?"  
"Yes" Penny cried, desperate to avoid an international incident  
"Unidentified aircraft this is captain Lan Se of the Mistrali air fleet, identify yourself and prepare to land" a harsh voice demanded  
"Salutations Captain this is Atlesian Operative Polendina" Penny gave the man her new designation "Bound for Haven Academy at Anquan-Jia. Unfortunately I am unable to land" her tone was apologetic yet resolute; she would not be stopped this close to seeing Ruby again  
"You are piloting a military craft in Mistrali airspace without clearance" Captain Lan Se barked "Prepare to land, last warning comply or you will be fired upon"  
"P.E.A.R.L" bring secondary weapons online, manual control. Try and contact Haven Academy's headmaster" Penny instructed before answering the captain "I'm sorry Captain but I cannot comply I'm searching for a missing Hunter Team, time may be of the essence"  
"You were warned" with that the channel went dead  
"Mistrali craft are firing on us" P.E.A.R.L warned Penny's eyes narrowed as she saw a barrage of air to air missiles heading in her direction  
"Secondary weapons are combat ready" the AI informed her, Penny grabbed the controls instinctively knowing how to operate the wing mounted multi-barrel rail guns just as she had known how to pilot the craft. She managed to target individual missiles their detonations catching other projectiles in the blast but leaving the fighters themselves unharmed  
"Have you managed to contact Haven?" Penny asked as she began a complex series of evasive manoeuvres, flitting between the five Mistrali craft in a way that few human pilots would be able to match  
"Negative" P.E.A.R.L replied "I recommend the primary weapon"  
"Nope" Penny stated flatly, popping the P in a way she'd subconsciously picked up from Ruby "I am not firing a photon accelerator at them" she then barrel-rolled the craft allowing another stream of missiles to pass her before blasting them from the sky as they began to double back  
"Captain Lan Se" Penny tried to hail the Mistrali fleet receiving nothing but static in return  
"I've raised Haven Academy" P.E.A.R.L interjected "Patching you though to the Headmaster now" moments later a deep rumbling voice sounded through the comm.  
"This is Professor Viridian Nile, to whom am I speaking?"  
"Atlesian Operative Polendina" Penny answered as she dragged her craft out of the path of another salvo "Currently being harassed by Mistrali fighters under the command of Captain Lan Se. I'm in Mistrali airspace looking for Hunters who were en route to Haven Academy"  
"No foreign Hunters have arrived at Haven since the fall of Vale" the voice growled "But one of the Hunters patrolling the roads to the city recently found a destroyed camp, it's possible…." he trailed off  
"Possible?" Penny asked  
"They may have entered the Hong-Zhao forest"  
"Contact Captain Lan Se and order him to break off I'll search the forest"  
"No" Professor Nile's voice sounded concerned "With many of the local Hunters being redeployed to the coast following the fall of Vale and the Academy being closed the forest will be at its' most dangerous. Hong-Zhao is home to a small spawning pit, there is currently no telling what you may find….wait for a moment" Penny marvelled at the gall of someone telling her to simply wait while she was being fired on, moments later P.E.A.R.L spoke  
"Mistrali fighters are breaking off"  
"Operative Polendina" the captain's voice growled through the comm. "We just received word from Haven. Master Nile says you check out and that your lost Hunters may be in Hong-Zhao, we're to accompany you on a search and rescue mission and then escort you to the Academy"  
"Sensational"  
"And I'll freely admit that was some damn good flying soldier"

The skies had opened sending forth a deluge of water that was frigid despite the generally warm climate of Mistral, reducing Team RNJR to shivering while they trudged through oozing mud that squelched underfoot  
"Bet you feel an idiot for wearing sandals instead of boots like the rest of us eh Ren?" Nora chuckled  
"No comment" Ren smirked while paying close attention to the ginger the thunderstorm was allowing her slowly charge her Semblance the air around her crackling and reeking of ozone  
"Erm guys" Jaune noted "Is it just me that's noticed that everything here is dead" the four of them stopped for a moment and took a long look at their surroundings realising that Jaune was indeed correct, the canopy of trees that rainwater was making its' way through was dead and blackened the usual ambient sounds of the forest were muted  
"You're right" Ruby agreed before deploying Crescent Rose in its' rifle form "What do you think we should do?"  
"It's creepy but I say we just keep going unless we get a concrete reason not to" Jaune reasoned readying his sword and shield "Weapons ready guys" Ren and Nora silently nodded and drew their own weapons as the team continued making their way deeper into the dead forest, stopping when they came to something that filled them with a sense of indescribable dread  
"What _is_ that?" Nora asked as the four of them stared into gaping crater filled with bubbling and rippling tar like liquid darkness  
"I'm, I'm not sure" Jaune gasped "But I've heard stories from my Dad, Victoria even my Granddad when he was still alive. I've got an idea what this but I hope I'm wrong"  
"It's a spawning pit" Ruby growled as she shifted her weapon to scythe mode "Me and Yang used to sneak downstairs and listen at the kitchen door when our Dad thought we were asleep whenever Uncle Qrow was around, we heard the stories….Qrow actually told us a few when he was drunk as he got older, this is a spawning pit, this is where Grimm come from"  
"That's what I was afraid of" the blonde admitted  
"Then let's smash it!" Nora exclaimed as she shifted Magnhild from Grenade Launcher to Hammer form, eyes glowing as electricity crackled and sparked around her  
"Nora no!" Jaune cried out too late the hammer was brought down on the surface of the darkness at the same time as Nora let her Semblance loose, a thunderclap sounding throughout the clearing and lighting shooting across the pit with enough force that the viscous darkness rose up in a wave before collapsing back in on itself  
"I think we just fucked up" Jaune said with a nervous laugh  
"We?" Ruby asked incredulously as the surface of the spawning pit became turbulent  
"You know when I said 'unless we get a concrete reason'" Jaune cried "THIS IS A CONCRETE REASON!" he fired twin jets of flame into the first Leokaiser to pounce from the spawning pit, Ruby sheared another in half as it rose from the depths of the pit  
"SPIDER-MONKEYS" Nora screamed as she unloaded grenades into the rapidly appearing swarm "So many Spider-Monkeys"  
"Nora switch to the bigger Grimm" Ren called as he machine gunned the fast moving beasts  
"Deathstalker!" Jaune called out as he leapt into the air shifting Dragonslayer to its' jet-pack form to avoid the claws and stinger  
"Got it!" moments later a grenade from Nora had reduced the front half of the Grimm to a smoking wreck before it began to dissolve  
"Nice save No-arrgh" Jaune cried out when one the hoard of Spider-Monkeys that had managed to slip through the killing field that Ren's weapons created ran up a tree and leaped on the blonde's back, reaching back he tried and failed to grab one of the multitude of clawed limbs scrabbling at him  
"Jaune hold still" Ruby called out, he managed to stabilise his Jet-pack for a few moments and was nearly deafened by the sound of a high calibre round whizzing by his ear, turning in the air he saw that Spider-Monkey had dropped to the ground, headless.  
"SSSKEEEONGK"  
A terrifying shriek pierced the air as something truly monstrous breached the surface of, setting nerves on edge like the sound of leather gloves on the strings of a double bass  
"What in Oum's name is that!" Jaune screamed as he took in the sight of the towering Grimm clambering from the pit, it's tail shattering trees as it swung  
"Bigger than we can deal with" Ren called back as he jabbed the blades of the Storm-Flowers into the spine of a Leokaiser that had turned to roar back at the towering Gojirex  
"Agreed, fall back!" Jaune ordered, then it turned to him the blonde's heart stopped for a moment as malevolent glowing red eyes focused and saw him. The Gojirex opened its' mouth again with a scream before a missile impacted against it.

"Well if there's hunters anywhere in the forest it'll be there" Captain Lan Se noted gruffly at the sight of the screaming monstrosity "Bombs away team!" he ordered, Penny saw a series of contrails leave the Mistrali fighters and a series of explosions blossom against its' hide  
"Crikey!" one of the pilots called over the comm. "She's a beauty!"  
"Take a picture and frame it Irwin" one of the others answered  
"Thermal imaging detects four individuals on the ground, Grimm do not show up clearly on my scans but with all available information it's likely they are engaged in ground combat" P.E.A.R.L informed Penny  
"Prepare the primary weapon" Penny replied as she rose from her seat "Captain I'm switching to autopilot focus on the Gojirex I'm assisting with ground combat"  
"Understood Polendina" with that said the rear hatch of her craft opened and Penny leapt from the craft drawing her weapons from her hip-holsters as she somersaulted landing in a crouch on the skull of a Deathstalker with enough force to crush its' skull, her hood covering her face as she rose to her feet withdrawing her new weapons; twin long barrelled plasma pistols that spat bolts of glowing light into the remaining Grimm punching fist sized holes through skulls and chests and severing limbs without resistance; a roar behind her alerted her to a Leokaiser; Penny brought her arms behind her head her pistols reforming into a pair of swords identical to the ones she used to wield save for the blades having a matte black finish, bringing her arms over her head she uncrossed the blades tearing the Grimm in half at the same time as her craft fired its' Photon Accelerator directly into the chest of the Gojirex bathing the whole clearing in an eerie green light. Missiles from the Mistrali fighters blasting the fading body of the Gojirex as it collapsed backwards to ensure it was indeed dead. Penny sheathed her weapons as Team RNJR came into view around her Jaune clutching his ear and bleeding from some small scratches on his face, Ren's hair untied and plastered over his scarred face, Nora leaning heavily on Magnhild, all of the dirty exhausted and bedraggled. Then she saw Ruby, her cape had been ripped off at some point in the battle, Penny could see it lying on the ground nearby, she saw one her old swords hanging from her hip; Ruby had grown a little taller they were almost the same height now and had acquired a slight tan in Mistral, she looked just as thoroughly worn out as the rest of her team. She was more beautiful than ever and Penny's face split into a bright smile as she lowered her hood  
"Salutations"  
"It can't be" Penny barely registered Jaune's stunned gasp as she saw Ruby's face morph from one of confusion to one of pain and sheer loathing as she gripped Crescent Rose tighter  
"Who are you?"  
"Ruby it's me-"  
"Penny died!" Ruby screamed "The real Penny Polendina died in my arms"  
"Ruby General Ironwood took my body to my father, he managed to transfer my Aura into a new body" Penny took a step towards her Ruby readied her scythe, tears streaming down her face  
"GET AWAY FROM ME!" were Ruby's last words before she sped off in a burst of rose petals  
"Is it really you?" Jaune asked  
"It is" Penny nodded, forcing back tears as she picked Ruby's cape from the ground "And I'm so sorry about what happened to Pyrrha"  
"We all are" the blonde said softly  
"My ship will take you all to Haven. The auto-pilot will do the flying"  
"Where are you going?" Nora asked, Penny held up the mud stained cape and set off after the trail of petals  
"Finding her"

"I'LL EAT THEIR SOULS!" Salem screamed as she exited her trance, the Beowolves that sat behind her throne curling up and whimpering in fear as the entire room around them shook  
"Mistress?" Cinder rasped out in a panicked whisper  
"The Silver eyed warrior is in Mistral" Salem snarled bringing her rage under control as webs of cracks began to appear in the crystalline furnishings of the room "My spawning pool there is lost….so many of my children" her voice took on an edge of something akin to grief  
"Mistress" Cinder snarled, eyes glowing with the power of the Fall Maiden "Send me"  
"No my child" the alabaster skinned witch hissed softly "I will not risk you willingly again. Hazel and Tyrian are poised to strike, my great Dragon will compensate for the loss of the spawning pit" Salem seemed to loose interest in Cinder mid sentence speaking almost to herself as she absent-mindedly scratched behind the ear of a Grimm. Cinder silently seethed, hands wreathed in golden fire as she stalked out of Salem's chamber; eye patch burned away revealing her vivid green left eye. The False Maiden in her rage failed to notice the way that every metallic object she passed began to crumple, a faint darkness surrounding it.

The rain had finally subsided when Penny found her, curled up at the base of a tree hugging her own knees and weeping  
"Ruby" she said softly, she looked up Silver eyes filled with tears dark hair plastering her face  
"You're not her, you can't be her...You're just a copy" the words stung Penny, the mechanical girl strode forward and pulled Ruby to her feet, wrapping her cape around her  
"Ruby look at me!" Penny insisted "You know what I am. My original body was damaged beyond repair but my Aura generator wasn't powered by my main reactor. I still have most of my memories. Everything that made me who I was is still Ruby"  
"I want to believe" Ruby sniffled "I want to but I can't I saw Penny die"  
"You saw me go into system shut down, effectively I went into a coma. Everything about my existence is top secret so nobody could let you know I was still functional….I only came back online yesterday, the worst part of being deactivated was being away from you" her arms wrapped around Ruby's waist and she pulled her closer  
"I-I" Ruby stammered  
"I'm still the same girl you ran into and wanted to be friends with, the same girl that could have learned to dance in seconds but didn't because I wanted to learn with you, the same girl whose face you tried to kiss every individual freckle on and the same girl who loved you and still loves you because you made me feel real Ruby" Ruby pulled back and looked at her as if she were seeing her for the first time, hands finding their way to Penny's cheeks  
"It's you" she breathed out "It's really you" with that she collapsed into the ginger girls' arms holding her close while Penny kissed the top of her head softly  
"I love you Ruby" she murmured into her wet hair  
"I love you too and I'm never letting you go again" she cried before pulling Penny into a searing kiss.

Authors Notes:

This story is now three months old (04/12/2016)

Regarding Vol.4 Episode 5 (Spoiler Alert)  
Menagerie is the Alola Region, although I probably won't be using it in this story and if I do the back story will be a little different.  
Sun annoyed the shit out of me today.  
Blake's parents are cool, I won't be using them but I feel like a lot of her Dad's character can be folded into Gangrel's Dad.  
Adam's faction of the White Fang are extremists that broke away from Sienna Khan's command; I may have been sort of right by accident.

Okay now to summarise:  
Yes the chapter title is a reference.  
Leokaiser is also a reference.  
You thought Spider-Monkey Grimm wouldn't make a comeback, you have been mislead.  
Ruby fucked up, Ruby has realised how much she fucked up.  
Penny likes Trap, I haven't mentioned it for a while  
Yes Penny is an Operative now, on paper she level with Winter in rank; she could effectively recruit Team RNJR as agents the same way Winter has the Black-Ops team.  
Penny has her own personal ship now. It's basically a stupidly upgraded Bull-Head, not even close to the level of Winter's ship. The AI is called P.E.A.R.L I'll admit I haven't actually decided what that's going to stand for yet  
P.E.A.R.L will probably take on a character of her own, I'm currently imagining her as something like Gideon in Legends of Tomorrow.  
Viridian Nile is the teacher at Haven Tai told Ruby to go and see, he's since been promoted to Headmaster. He'll appear properly next chapter and I have a pretty cool design for him.  
Nora Smash!….Nora no….NORA YES!  
Gojirex, you didn't really think I wouldn't bring those beasties did you?  
Also Ruby doesn't have control of her silver eyes yet. So far she used them on the Dragon and her eyes had started to glow when she killed the bandit, think of it like going Super Saiyan, the first few times you have to be insanely angry  
Yes that fighter pilot was a Steve Irwin reference.  
Yeah I think we'd all freak out if we saw someone we literally saw die back on their feet kicking ass.  
Also Penny makes one hell of entrance.  
Salem can see through the eyes of some of her larger Grimm, if you're a fan of Warhammer 40k think of her as the manifestation of the Tyranid Hive Mind.  
You make think you know where I'm going with Cinder. But I can still shock and horrify you, trust me.  
Nuts & Dolts – Status: Rebuilt, because WE HAVE THE FUCKING TECHNOLOGY

Thank you to 6tailedninja for their review on the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	67. 67: Be Prepared

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 67: Be Prepared**

Winter had arrived at the safe house early in the morning gathering the Black-Ops team in the combined kitchen and dining room. Gangrel eyes roamed the utilitarian space, Winter had maps and paperwork scattered across the table which Blake pored over while sitting next to her, Neo sat on the counter legs swinging absent-mindedly, Coco was currently making Velvet a cup of insanely strong coffee to help with the lethargy that she struggled with during the winter the Rabbit-Faunus herself was sat at the table with her head in her hands; Rubbing his eyes Gangrel decided he would probably benefit from some caffeine in his own body, the train of thought however was disrupted when Weiss arrived taking one look at him then silently pulling a chair to sit on the other side of Winter, she hadn't spoken to him since the incident involving her Father the day before.  
"So now we're all here, what's this about?" Gangrel asked suppressing a yawn.  
"The plan is proceeding sooner than expected" she informed them stiffly "And there have been some changes"  
"Last minute changes to a plan, what could possibly go wrong" Coco grumbled as she made to sit down, Velvet moved and allowed Coco to sit down before repositioning herself on the fashionista's lap  
"Agreed" Winter admitted "I'm not happy with it either but Ironwood and Father have gone over my head to orchestrate this"  
"Father?" Weiss's eyes flickered nervously to her sister  
"Indeed we will be timing our prison break to coincide with the charity concert the Schnee Dust Company is holding in the capital; police will be preoccupied and we can use the concert as misdirection until Obsidian's transmission interrupts the broadcast and sends his message to the whole of Remnant"  
"That seems completely out of character for Father" Weiss noted suspiciously "Allowing the Company to be publicly taken advantage of like that"  
"There are a few reasons primarily though because Ironwood's threat of having the council declare a state of emergency to combat the White Fang and simply seizing whatever assets he needs is very real" the elder sister answered pausing to let a slow sigh "Also a condition he insisted upon that Ironwood has granted is that you perform at the concert, the headline act was always a surprise anyway so it's a simple matter to put you in the original artists place"  
"This has got set-up written all over it" Gangrel growled  
"I'll do it" Weiss sighed "But I have no intentions of going back to the manor"  
"Weiss-" the Bear-Faunus halted at the frosty look she gave him "Just stay safe okay?"  
"I will be providing additional security" Winter informed them "I agree that Father may be unscrupulous in trying to turn this situation to his advantage"  
"Neo goes with you" Gangrel said simply, both Schnee sisters looked at him confused "She'd be no use on our side of things anyway" he added the mute behind him casually making a rude hand gesture before returning to her third bowl of brightly coloured and sugary cereal  
"Gang's right" Blake interjected "It needs to be Faunus that perform the prison break for practical and political reasons"  
"What do you mean?" Coco asked  
"Politically because Obsidian's message can be easily undercut if Adam ever found out it was humans that broke him out of prison, he could just call him a pawn who agreed to do the governments' bidding in exchange for his freedom" Blake explained  
"And practical?" Velvet asked  
"It's a black-site" Winter admitted with a grimace "Not everyone in there is a Faunus, it's kept dark for sensory deprivation purposes"  
"Atlas….is a really messed up place" the Rabbit-Faunus shuddered  
"Agreed" Blake grinned  
"So we understand each other then?" Winter asked her stern gaze "The concert is Saturday night I will arrive here to escort Weiss and Neo. Coco will be the driver for the strike team"  
"We get a cool name like 'Strike team' and I'm sitting in the car" Coco laughed with a mocking pout  
"Gangrel, Blake and Velvet" Winter continued as if she hadn't heard her "Will be breaking into the chasm and freeing Obsidian Eadala, Sienna Khan and as many low risk prisoners from this list as possible to throw off suspicion. These documents contain names and cell numbers of prisoners whose escapes are deemed acceptable losses, this map has police checkpoints and patrol marked out"  
"They look like they've been updated a little since I last did anything like this" Blake noted  
"I wouldn't know" Winter admitted rising from her seat and handing Weiss a CD "To practice" she said simply  
"Right" the younger Schnee gasped, realising that as it was Thursday she drastically needed to prepare herself for her now upcoming concert as she grasped the disc and bolted towards her room.

Watts had returned to the seedy little bar in a disreputable part of a Lower Atlesian hive city with information as instructed and been unceremoniously bundled into a car with tinted windows and a bag thrown over his head and his scroll taken from his position and switched off as he was checked thoroughly for any for tracking or listening devices. A several hour long journey during which he had felt the muzzle of a weapon pressed against his head the entire time had lead him to his current destination  
"Interesting I don't believe we're in any part of Atlas I'm familiar with and I make it my business to be familiar with most places and people" his dignified tones enquired to the trio of Faunus that led him through the dimly lit corridors of the complex somewhere out in the tundra  
"Don't fish for information human" Cheshire Motley the Tiger Faunus who had oversaw his interrogation during his previous run in with the White Fang growled in warning over her shoulder, the gaunt and savage looking canine Faunus and the slender calico Faunus prowling behind him bristled; clearly eager to relieve the moustachioed human of his head at the slightest provocation  
"We're here" Cheshire grinned as she came to a halt and rapped her knuckled against one of the doors  
"Commander Taurus, I've retrieved the human"  
"Enter" a deep yet silky voice sounded out  
"Schrödinger, Pavlov" Cheshire turned to the tow grunts "Wait outside, be prepared to get rid of a body" she chuckled before opening the door and allowing Watts to pass before closing the door behind her, from the corner of his eye Watts could see the Tiger Faunus draw her weapon  
"Sit" the man before him motioned to a seat and Watts was struck by just how young Adam Taurus was  
"You surprise me Mister Taurus" the older man noted as he made himself comfortable in the admittedly well furnished office, paying particular attention to the bone masks that hung on the wall behind the Bull-Faunus, clearly having previously belonged to former members of the White Fang "It's rare to see a man of your age in such a powerful position, it makes one wonder why our superiors bother with certain members of the organisation and doesn't just come directly to you?"  
"Our organisation?" Taurus enquired, taloned fingers of his cybernetic arm flexing  
"Indeed" Watts chuckled "You didn't really think that child Cinder was the one 'calling the shots' so to speak did you? No my boy she answers to the same benefactor I do and by association to her so do you"  
"Careful human" Adam spat, crimson light slowly engulfing his hands  
"I mean no disrespect" Watts confident tone faltered a little "I'm merely stating the natural order of things. Cinder has been….Indisposed since the battle at Vale, you returned to Atlas as instructed but have failed to reach out to us. I was asked to ensure that you can still be trusted as an ally"  
"I have my own reasons and ways of doing things" Adam paused for a moment "Does Cinder speak for your benefactor when she promises my people a place of our own in her new world?"  
"Most certainly" Watts nodded "It was another of us that acquired your Cybernetics for you, a gentleman by the name of Hazel; surely you're familiar enough with Atlesian equipment to realise that your enhancements have a different origin. We share your mentality of looking out for our own"  
"I contributed to the breaking of Vale, I'm prepared to do the same for Atlas on the understanding that this is where I plant the flag of the Faunus race" Adam's voice took on a slightly manic edge "I plan to build my own new world on the ruins of our oppressors. They took the homeland from us, now we take theirs"  
"Understandable symbolism" the human nodded before withdrawing a set of documents photographs from his jacket and placing them on the table, Adam flicked through them  
"How recent are these?" Adam murmured  
"Within the last week, I was told these people were of interest to you the heiress understandably so. These were taken from the security cameras of a base defending the capital, if I were to make an educated guess I would connect this to the fact that the eldest Schnee is an officer in the Atlesian military"  
"So the traitors have come to Atlas" Adam growled, Semblance causing the iris of his remaining eye to glow brighter, the light never truly faded from it any more "And this one?" he laid the photograph of Blake Belladonna alone on the table  
"She broke into a seemingly secure facility that I can find no record of, that alone makes me wary"  
"Interesting, but until you have more information I can't use this, I'm not risking a blind attack against her" Watts heard Cheshire move behind him and decided it was time to pay his trump card  
"Would you be able to use the polices' patrol routes and checkpoints on the day of the SDC charity concert if I told you that the mystery headline act is Weiss Schnee herself" that brought a twisted smile to Adam's face  
"Cheshire; would you like another attempt at her?"  
"Thank you Commander Taurus" the Tigress beamed  
"Strange I assumed you'd want to lead the charge yourself" Watts noted  
"You're fishing for information" Adam's tone carried a warning "But since you've been politer than most humans I'm forced to deal with I'll give you something. Tell your benefactor that I am already well under way with my plans for Atlas and when I bring it all crashing down I will lead that charge myself….Cheshire take him back to Atlas" Watts, understanding that he was dismissed rose from the seat and gave the Faunus who would admit had impressed him a slight nod of the head as he processed the information that Adam hadn't meant to give him _'The White Fang's current base is outside of Atlas'_

It was early afternoon when Jaune, Ren and Nora made their way out of the infirmary of Haven Academy having spent the night their after being evacuated from Hong-Zhao Forest being treated for Aura depletion and minor injuries  
"This place is pretty cool" Jaune noted as the trio made their way across the pavilion into the main building of the academy, a sprawling building made of a dark red stone each story somewhat smaller than the one below with curved eaves extending outwards, ornate pillars engraved with scenes of historic battles supporting them. At the top of the academy was a tower the entire surface of which was adorned with shields and weapons  
"I thought Mistrali people gave their weapons to their family" Nora asked slightly awestruck as they entered  
"Normally they do but professors and headmasters of Haven traditionally leave something to the academy; part of the vow they take when beginning their work here is that they will defend Haven in this life and the next" the three of them looked to see Penny had spoken, Ruby was with her both of the scythe-wielders' arms wrapped around one of Penny's as if she were scared to let her go  
"Are you okay Ruby?" Jaune asked, she gave a small nod  
"So are we still going to see Professor Nile?" Ren asked "We came all this way"  
"I still need to speak to him" Penny beamed "He vouched for me when I violated Mistrali airspace"  
"We need to let him know Mercury and Emerald are still alive….I don't if I'm going to be the one to go after them though" Ruby finally spoke, her lacked its' usual enthusiasm. With no more to be said the five of them made their way to the elevator and made their way up to the office of the headmaster  
"I wonder if this guy's like Ozpin" Nora bounced on the balls of her feet energetically  
"Well apparently he's an old friend of my Dad's so I'm assuming he's at least kinda cool" Ruby noted as they reached the door  
"Come in" a rumbling yet friendly seeming voice called before any of them had chance to knock on the door, sharing a brief startled look they stepped into the office and were stunned at the man that waited for them; if man was the right word. Professor Viridian Nile, Headmaster of Haven Academy was monstrous  
"Good afternoon" he greeted them warmly, his inviting tone a spectacular contradiction to the eight foot four behemoth with scaly flesh and muscular ridged tail seeming almost as out of place as the reading glasses and tweed jacket he wore  
"Professor Nile, Salutations" Penny seemed the only one of the group unperturbed  
"I see you found your lost Hunters Operative Polendina" he smiled revealing a terrifying array of fangs "Come now surely you children have seen a Faunus before"  
"Yeah we've seen Faunus before we just didn't know dinosaur Faunus were a thing" Nora clamped her hands over her mouth as she realised what she'd said; professor Nile let a booming laugh before his eyes focused on Ruby  
"And you child, have a familiar face"  
"Erm you know my Dad Professor Taiyang Xiao Long"  
"Tai, of course how is the old dog….you're clearly not related to the Branwen twins….You're Summer's daughter. Sweet Oum he really did go through his whole team" Ruby didn't need to look behind her to know that Jaune and Nora were struggling to contain fits of laughter  
"But I assume you didn't come here to transfer?" the gigantic Faunus asked  
"That's what Uncle Qrow said" Ruby smiled  
"Hey we've gotta finish our training at some point, why not do it here?" Nora asked  
"That's not why we came here" Ruby sighed taking a deep breath "We came here to see what you can tell us about Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai" Professor Nile paused for a few moments  
"I regret to inform you that Mister Black and Miss Sustrai perished in the fall of Vale, their stories are tragic ones they both came from…. _unhealthy_ backgrounds and the other students even their own team-mates seemed wary of them"  
"They're still alive" Ruby snarled, the fire in her seemingly reigniting instantly "They were working for the people who caused the fall of Vale"  
"Those are some very serious accusations to make about my students child" The Headmaster's tone was noticeably colder  
"They're the truth" Jaune chimed in "Emerald's Semblance is what caused Pyrrha Nikos to attack her" he pointed at Penny  
"Professor Nile" Ren stepped forwards "I understand that this is troubling to hear but if there is even the slightest possibility then you have to look into it"  
"I do" he nodded solemnly "I know as well as anyone else that whoever it was that took over the broadcast during the Vytal Tournament was a Mistrali. Do you have anything else to tell me?"  
"I was told that if all else fails to go to Doupeng-He Bishou-"  
"No" the Crocodile Faunus cut Ruby off "My conscience will not allow me to send you to that city. You leave the matter with me….Over a decade as a Huntsman has given me some contacts"  
"Will that be all?" Penny asked  
"For now yes, you're welcome to use some of the empty dorms until you need to return to Atlas….And if any of you do wish to continue your education at Haven some of the administrative staff will be able to supply you with the paperwork"

Yang ducked under a wide slash and discharged two rounds from Ember Celica at Raven's stomach, she responded by side stepping and repositioning her blade before thrusting forward. Yang sidestepped and threw a right hook, metal clanging against metal as her cybernetic fist impacted against Raven's mask, in retaliation Raven rolled with the punch and carried her momentum into a low sweep taking the blondes' legs from under her; Yang rolled to the side to avoid being skewered by the red blade before launching a jet of Aura-fuelled flames from her hand into Raven's face then leapt to her feet and launched a brutal haymaker. Raven was no longer there. Scanning her surrounding she finally saw the bird in the late afternoon sky and launched a salvo from her remaining gauntlet, in a flash of Aura Raven shifted back to her natural body and opened a portal as she fell, Yang had no chance to react as the exit point of the portal appeared behind her. Raven fell through the mid-air portal her fall becoming forward momentum as she re-appeared behind Yang tackling her through a second portal that she opened in front of them  
"What the-" Yang was cut off as she reappeared in mid-air before being kicked into the ground from roughly twenty feet in the air, landing with a resounding boom  
"Looks like you're the real Fall Maiden" Raven noted as she landed silently  
"I didn't fall" Yang grumbled as she pulled herself to her feet "The floor was lonely I gave it a hug"  
"Do you think you're ready?" Raven asked her tone suddenly serious  
"Well I landed a punch on you which is an improvement" she noted  
"Saturday"  
"What?" Yang asked  
"We attack Saturday" Raven said bluntly "I warn you now, Doupeng-He Bishou at night is unlike anything you've ever been subjected to before, you will see things that sicken you. Do not give yourself away"  
"It's such a bad place but you still live here" Yang pointed out  
"The law doesn't exist here. Someone has to hunt the things worse than Grimm that stalk this city"  
"Can't raise your own daughter but an entire city is your problem?" Yang snapped eyes flashing red  
"I told you I left for your protection" Raven said softly, respirator adding a crackle to her words "Living above this hell on Remnant is my punishment for my sins"  
"Wow and I thought Adam Taurus was trying to hard to be edgy" the blonde mocked as she walked away.

"Hey" Gangrel looked over his shoulder to see Blake in her nightclothes "What are you still doing down here?"  
"Just loading up for the mission" he motioned to weapon on his lap "I'm loading Breaker with rubber bullets, Squish would go nuts if could see this" he gave a bitter laugh  
"You don't need to do that on the sofa" Blake pointed out taking a seat next to him  
"No but Weiss still isn't talking to me" he gave a defeated sigh "What's keeping you awake talking to Yang all night? Or does Neo snore?" the Feline shook her head with a soft chuckle  
"Okay that's just cruel. Yeah I was messaging Yang but I've been thinking about something as well"  
"Wanna talk about it?" Blake considered for a moment before beginning  
"Obsidian knew your dad, he says when he led the White Fang he knew every member by face….Lobo-Cachorro was owned by the White Fang-"  
"You want to know if he knew your parents" Gangrel surmised, she gave a small nod  
"Yeah. I'm gonna ask him after we get him out, if they weren't in the Fang and he didn't know them then fine I'm just another Faunus that nobody wanted and I can live with that. But I need to ask"  
"Hey" Gangrel gave her a pointed look "None of that 'nobody loves me shit' everyone at Lobo-Cachorro saw you as family and you've got Yang. You're loved Blake, you've always got a home wherever I am and don't ever forget it"  
"Thanks Gang" she gave the man she considered her older brother a rare brief hug "So what about your problems, I know you slept on the sofa last night are seriously going to do it again?"  
"Well if she's not talking to me I'm assuming she doesn't want to share a bed with me" the Bear-Faunus sighed  
"Have you tried talking to her today?"  
"She was busy rehearsing….besides there's not much to say, I pulled Breaker on her Dad"  
"You did what!" Blake demanded furiously "What the hell Gangrel?"  
"We gave him the plan and he said no"  
"And that's enough of a-"  
"Yes!" he spat "That son of a bitch is half the reason things in Atlas never changed when the Fang were peaceful. We went there and gave him exactly what wants and all we asked in return was that he treats Faunus like people. He said no….Jacques Schnee putting profit above Faunus lives are reason I grew up without my Mum"  
"You lost your temper, does Weiss no about your mother?" Gangrel shook his head  
"She knows she's not around I never told her the specifics"  
"You should tell her, she'll understand" Blake sighed "I think we've both had enough secrets for several lifetimes" Gangrel gave a weak chuckle  
"Yeah we have. Y'know what's fucked up Adam lost his parents in the same SDC fuck up that killed my Mum, Weiss's dad basically made his own worst enemy….maybe if we just went with violence from the start and shot him years ago Remnant would be a better-" Gangrel gave Blake a stunned look and rubbed his jaw where she'd punched it  
"Don't start trying to justify it. You know who you sound like" with that said Blake got up and left, leaving Gangrel to slowly drift off to sleep alone

"Hey" the Bear-Faunus' mind struggled to make sense of anything as he was woken up  
"You're awake?" a whispered voice asked him  
"I am now" he managed to slur out  
"Sorry didn't mean to" he managed to identify the voice as belonging to Weiss, eyes adjusting to the gloom he saw she was stood in front of him with a duvet from their bed wrapped around her, as he moved to sit up she through the sheet over him and joined him on the sofa, making herself comfortable draped across his chest  
"What-"  
"Dolt" she cut him off "Blake told me about your Mother" that cut through his sleep induced haze, his growled retort was cut off by Weiss's lips on his  
"My Father drove my Mother to drink and illness, she had a heart attack not long after Whitley was born" Weiss wiped a tear from her eye "So I understand that you feel like he's to blame, Winter was old enough to clearly remember Mother before she died on some level she blames him for destroying our family as well….Just please don't kill my Father" she gave a small chuckle at how absurd the request sounded when phrased so simply  
"Yeah they'd probably execute me….we know how to break in and out of their prisons" he mumbled as he wrapped his arms around her, Weiss gave a bemused sigh before kissing him again  
"Don't get yourself killed either, I don't like falling asleep without you"

Ruby cuddled up to Penny in the dormitory that the two of them had to themselves, the three remaining members of Team JNPR were in a separate room down the hall, Jaune had made a comment about 'old times sake' before leaving that she could tell was hiding pain brought on by the familiar surroundings.  
"Something bothering you?" the copper haired girl asked as she pulled Ruby closer under the sheets, upon leaving the Forest the previous night Ruby had clung to her until she passed out from exhaustion and slept on Penny's Bull-Head meaning that her clothes had only been washed earlier that day, leaving totally nude as she snuggled  
"Yeah" Ruby murmured against Penny's collarbone  
"Nightmares?" Ruby gave a bitter laugh  
"My nightmares are like old horror classics, I've seen them so many times they don't scare me" she gave a shudder and wrapped her arms around Penny's waist "I've seen you die every night since Vale"  
"I'm here Ruby" Penny kissed the top of her head gently, forcing herself to ignore the way Ruby's skin felt against her new, more sensitive body  
"I came to Mistral to find Emerald Sustrai and kill her" Ruby admitted  
"That's why you don't want to go after them any more?"  
"You don't get it" Ruby's voice cracked "I'm scared to go after them, I'm scared of what I'll do….I-I actually killed someone Penny, I never actually thought about what it meant to kill someone when I-" her voice failed her and she cried into Penny's shoulder  
"What happened?" she asked softly  
"Bandits" Ruby pulled back and wiped her eyes "The bandits that attacked our camp and pushed us into Hong-Zhao Forest, one of them swung a sword at Jaune's neck….I used my phasing ability and left your sword in his heart"  
"That wasn't murder" Penny said simply "You defended a team-mate in combat. You did what you had to and nobody will judge you"  
"I'm judging myself, I killed someone I came to Mistral to kill someone, I'm not better than a Grimm-" Ruby was cut off as Penny cupped her cheeks  
"Ruby stop" her emerald eyes were intense "You are not a monster, I couldn't love you if you were and I love you so much" she pressed her lips against Ruby's, softly at first the kiss growing heated as the smaller girl's hands curled in her coppery hair, Penny let out several gasps and moans before manoeuvring so she was on top, pinning Ruby down by her wrists as they broke apart  
"Do you want to stop?" half-lidded silver eyes looked up at her  
"No" Penny smiled leaning down and taking Ruby's lip between her teeth, the smaller girl pulled her closer their hands roaming each others bodies, Penny's breath hitching whenever her lover found a sensitive spot on her new body.  
"Ruby" she panted out "Make me feel alive"

 **Authors Notes:**

So to Summarise:  
The Chapter title is due to the fact I can't get the song from the Lion King out of my head for some reason.  
The Chasm is Gitmo, there's a reason it's a black-site.  
The concert is happening.  
Watts is a white collar criminal, Wall Street banker type villain and a master of smooth talking.  
The henchmen 'Schrödinger & Pavlov' are references let me know if you get them.  
Hazel was the guy who got Adam's arm and eye made for him; probably from one of the black market dealers in Doupeng-He Bishou, possibly even the same one Mercury is currently employed by.  
Cheshire is going for a showdown with Weiss. She has a much bigger (Yet at the same time smaller) problem to deal with.  
Haven Academy was based on images of Japanese temples, think of the main building as Yakushi-Ji temple with Horyu-Ji temple on top of it.  
Professor Viridian Nile is Tai's old friend from Sanctum. He's also an insanely huge crocodile Faunus; this guy can pick Gangrel and Yatsuhashi up at the same time.  
Raven is the Batman of Mistral.  
Blake's parents will not be in this story, but referencing them seems right.  
Putting rubber bullets in Squish's old weapon seems like blasphemy.  
Weiss and Gangrel make up snuggling on a sofa. Because it's adorable.  
Fade to black on Nuts & Dolts smut, because I am an ass-hole.

Thank you to 6TailedNinja and Air Force Muffin for their reviews on the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review


	68. 68: Capture

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 68: Capture**

Weiss took a deep breath and stared at her reflection in the dressing room mirror, her pre-concert preparations or 'psyching herself up' as Gangrel and jokingly called it were halted by a knock at the door. Readjusting the collar of her dress to hastily cover a hickey left during a lovemaking session that morning she turned to face the interruption  
"Come in" the door opened revealing her younger brother, clad in a pair of in her opinion ridiculously skinny jeans tucked into a pair of gleaming white hi-tops and a designer shirt, sunglasses rested on the top of his head  
"Sunglasses at night Whitley, really? I'm shocked Father let you out of the manor looking such an idiot"  
"Father wouldn't let you on stage before you covered that scar over either, besides he doesn't know I'm here" Whitley's silky voice pointed out, Weiss's hand instinctively traced the healed wound marring her face  
"The scar looks cool Sis don't cover it" Whitley grinned as he made himself comfortable  
"Why are you here?" Weiss asked she loved her brother but she new the sort of person he was, he possessed a calculating streak that their father had always encouraged  
"Can't I just come and wish my favourite sister good luck before her first performance in over a year?"  
"No" Weiss answered bluntly the two of them shared a look before identical grins split across their faces  
"Okay fine, I came to give you a warning" Whitley sighed "And an apology"  
"What are you talking about?"  
"I told Father that you'd brought your boyfriend home….I don't even know what made me do it, I mean he's our maintenance guy's son, which sounds like the plot to a porn"  
"WHITLEY!" Weiss's hands flew to her mouth  
"Sorry but it does. Anyway the point is I've spoke to Mister Slate he's cool anyone whose made a friend in Klein and works on all the vintage sports cars in Fathers' collection can't be that bad right? I'm just sorry I caused so many problems" the youngest Schnee looked genuinely distraught  
"What was it you came to warn me about?"  
"Father intends to make an announcement in the next few days, he's going to retire and name me as his successor"  
"What?" Weiss was stunned  
"He wants me to take over the SDC. He's going to be there as my advisor until I'm eighteen but he told me it's time there was a fresh face"  
"And now it makes sense" Weiss murmured more to herself as she saw her father's angle, Jacques Schnee had been legendary in his opposition to Faunus equality. Whitley was an unknown, making him the figurehead of the SDC at the same time as the company changed its' outlook was something he would be able to spin into 'the ushering in of a new age' rather than back-pedalling  
"He's also going to have you brought back to the manor"  
"I refuse" Weiss snapped  
"He has our private security here right now, they're going to escort you back after you perform" Whitley told her evidently worried  
"And once again his bigotry will cost him" Weiss's tone was furious "I am a Huntress, part of a black-ops unit alongside Winter, a former Vytal Tournament competitor and a veteran of the Breach and the battle of Vale. If Father really thinks a few of the brutes he hires to disperse the paparazzi will be able to escort me anywhere he is sorely mistaken"  
"I knew you'd oppose the idea, I wish you'd come home though sis….I want my family back" Whitley looked pained by the admission, Weiss saw and pulled him into a hug  
"Whitley I'll always be here for you, you're my brother. I can't go back to the manor live the life Father has planned out for me, the man is abhorrent to me"  
"So you're going to fight Father's security?"  
"Oh please they're beneath contempt. One of my unit is here she can deal with them, she's probably itching for a chance to brutalise someone"  
"This Faunus boyfriend of yours?" Whitley asked suddenly  
"Gangrel, what of him?" Weiss's tone instantly became defensive  
"Does he make you happy?"  
"Exceptionally"  
"Then he's good enough for me, whatever Father thinks" Whitley grinned  
"He also knows at least one of those atrocious Faunus rap artists you insist on listening to personally" Weiss smirked  
"Weiss, seriously….You have the coolest life ever" the teen laughed "Good luck sis with the performance and everything else" Whitley made to leave  
"Thank you, good luck running the SDC I hope our families legacy is in better hands"

Neo had received a message from Weiss informing her that members of a private security firm were intending to make a nuisance of themselves and would need to be dealt with accordingly, this had made the diminutive girl cackle with silent glee until she had accidentally caught Winter's attention, the elder Schnee had relegated her to patrolling the perimeter while she lead members of the Atlesian military to deal with the situation, citing that situation called for _'delicacy'_ and _'someone who wouldn't turn it into a blood bath'  
_ Bitch  
Neo kicked a can and span Roman's old bowler hat between her fingers as she skulked through the parking lot of the concert hall. The event was being held in the upper echelons of Atlas's capital meaning it was being attended almost exclusively by those with money, each of the cars she wandered past could easily get her a ticket out of Atlas and set her up elsewhere if she ever felt the urge to abandon her new, _'well'_ she thought _'I hesitate to call them friends'_ the diminutive mute decided that it was an idea for another time, after she'd finished finding the White Fang and breaking every single one their necks….Neo's thoughts were brought to an abrupt halt by the sound of a vehicle making its' way into the parking lot; unremarkable anywhere else with tinted windows, its' plainness making it all the more noticeable in this setting. Recognising the vehicle as something that didn't belong and knowing the sort of vehicles used by getaway drivers Neo ducked behind the nearest car, Roman's hat returned to her head as she drew the Disturbed Garfunkel from her back mounted holster and shifted it into it's 'death ray' form  
"Move Pavlov we're already late" a vaguely familiar voice growled out, peering from her hiding place Neo saw a trio of Faunus exiting the vehicle sliding masks into place while a fourth remained in the drivers seat _'White Fang'_ Neo's face split into a terrifying predatory smile _'perfect'_ Neo could kill all four of them with a single shot directly through the engine of the car but her eyes widened and she released the trigger when she got a better look at the mask the obvious leader of the group was wearing, it was Cheshire Motley, Neo knew her to be a member of the Vale branch of the White Fang who had ended up in prison. She made her decision in a fraction of a second, the first shot shattered the wind-shield reducing the getaway drivers' skull to a gory mess, the second blasting away one of the front wheels of the car, satisfied that her quarry would not escape she strode into view shifting her weapon to its' blade mode  
"What the fuck" Cheshire growled from behind her new mask, an exact replica of the one that had been shattered before her imprisonment in Vale, a stylised haunting grin of sharp fangs  
"Neo" she sneered as she recognised Roman Torchwick's apprentice and attack dog "I see you're wearing Rome's old hat. I think I should have shot him in the head instead of the chest" the twisted smirk behind her mask faltered a little when she saw the mute's expression  
"Schrödinger, Pavlov. Get inside do your job I'll deal with this one" her two accomplices made to move forwards only for Neo to cut them off  
"Oh that's cute" one of the henchmen laughed "She wants to fight all three of us" Cheshire drew Shere-Khanage and shifted it to it's spear form  
"Well let's make it quick then"

It was utter pandemonium. Sirens screamed in Velvet's ears as she ran through the complex using small Ice Dust explosives that she Gangrel and Blake had been supplied with to freeze and shatter the locks of selected prisoners  
"Stop right there freak!" a hail of gunfire followed the order, Velvet ran towards the pair of guards firing at her before vaulting off the nearest wall and slamming the first into the floor with enough force to render him unconscious and delivered a punishing kick to the leg of the second, purposefully avoiding breaking the mans' leg before disarming him and knocking him out with the butt of his own gun  
"Thumper you okay?" Gangrel's voice sounded in her earpiece  
"Yeah" the Rabbit-Faunus panted "Explain why we're the only ones not using live rounds for this job"  
"Politics" the Bear-Faunus grunted the sound of gunfire erupting on his end of the call "I'm personally not against breaking a few of their heads"  
"You know we can't Gang" Blake's voice cut in  
"I know I know. How are things on your end?"  
"Not too much resistance, I think they're all converging on you" the feline noted  
"I'm nearly at Khan's cell" Velvet answered as she crept forwards, she had elected to leave her trademark weapon Leporidae Rampant at the safe house, it was too recognisable and there was no real way to reduce the lethality of the hard-light replicas it produced; she had the knife Gangrel had given her during their time in the ruins of Vale but was apprehensive about using it here. At the sound of someone moving behind her Velvet spun back her left elbow on a course for her attackers jaw when it was halted, blinding pain exploded between her shoulder blades before her legs were swept from under her and someone grabbed her by the throat and roughly slammed her into the floor.  
"Why are you here?" Velvet tried to rise but found a foot pressed firmly against her chest  
"Why are you here?" the voice repeated, low and dangerous; Velvet could barely make out a pair of eyes staring down at her despite her Faunus senses  
"To free Sienna Khan" she forced out, the foot pressed down further  
"I am Sienna Khan and I've never met you before"  
"I'm an ex White Fang member" the Rabbit-Faunus choked out, struggling to breath under the pressure "Someone who wants to see Adam stopped, I wanted a better world not to destroy it"  
"And what is it you want from me?" the still unseen Sienna Khan demanded  
"Your help Obsidian Eadala is being freed as we speak" at that the pressure abated somewhat  
"As you wish" with that Velvet felt the weight from her chest vanish entirely and sprung to her feet only to find herself alone  
"Gang, Blake. Sienna Khan is free"  
"She with you?" Gangrel asked  
"No, she vanished"

Yang stepped out of the portal Raven had opened and looked around, even in the dark she could tell this was a bleak place to live. Graffiti adorned almost every surface, eyes glinted out from the dark spaces between buildings and gaunt faces were illuminated as the homeless and desperate gathered around fires as they burned anything they could find for warmth, broken street-lights had pairs of sneakers dangling from them for reasons the blonde couldn't fathom  
"It's how gangs mark out their territory without making it obvious to the few police that bother to come here" Raven informed her catching her staring  
"Why couldn't you get us any nearer?" Yang asked as the pair made their way through maze of high-rise blocks  
"I can't open a rift to somewhere I've never been" Raven hissed "That's the place" Yang looked at the building she indicated to, another equally drab and depressing look tower of concrete  
"Then let's go get 'em" Yang popped her knuckles, the joints of her cybernetic arm whining almost silently  
"Hey ladies" a voice drawled at them from a shadowy corner as they approached Mercury and Emerald's residence, a man whose hood covered his face approached them, fingers covered in gold rings clamped firmly around the wrists of a pair of children, Yang could clearly see stains on their faces from dried tears, one was a human girl, the other a Faunus boy with ram like horns. Neither child looked well cared for and if Yang had to guess she'd say they were around five years old  
"Want to try the latest product?" the man asked, Yang's eyes flashed red and bile rose in her throat when she realised what was being offered to her. Raven's hand clamped down on her shoulder  
"Not our type, got any others?"  
"Nah, wanna buy something that'll have you seeing all kinds of shit? Seriously I took a hit earlier and it looks like your face is a Grimm" Raven simply shook her head and pulled Yang along with her  
"Why aren't we helping them?" Yang demanded in a furious whisper  
"I told you, you will see things that sicken you" Raven answered tonelessly before coming to a stop and drawing her sword silently. A small portal barely the size of her fist opened in front of her which she promptly thrust the blade through, at the sound of agonised gurgling Yang turned to see the pimp hanging limp, another portal opened behind his neck allowing Raven's blade to pierce his spine and throat "I also told you that I hunt these monsters"  
"Oh my Oum" Yang mouthed as Raven withdrew her blade and closed her portals allowing the man to die in a pool of his own blood, Raven turned her attention to the children  
"Go to Wan-Tianshi hospital and ask for a nurse Olive she'll take care of you, take his wallet, scroll, rings and anything else of value he has" she indicated to the corpse on the floor. The children looked at Raven for a moment before hurriedly looting the pockets of their abductor  
"This place" Yang stammered with tears in her eyes "This place is evil" Raven looked at her, her mask betraying no emotion  
"We still have a job to do"

Coco nearly jumped out of her skin when the rear door of the armoured van was pulled open violently, reaching for the collapsed form of Satani Arbor she prepared to fire stopping herself when she saw Velvet and Gangrel staggering into the vehicle removing their balaclavas, the Rabbit-Faunus pulling her into a searing kiss  
"So an adrenaline rush gets you going then?" Coco asked breathlessly with a raised eyebrow, Velvet blushed before giving an almost imperceptible nod  
"Where's Blake?" Gangrel asked wiping a bloody nose with the back of his hand  
"What happened to you?" Coco motioned to his apparent injury  
"Had to teleport Thumper, its' just strain" the trio snapped to attention as barrage of bullets impacted against the side of their vehicle with ringing thuds before the door was pulled open again an ageing Snake Faunus being thrown in before Blake leapt in after him  
"GO!" she bellowed, Coco needed no further instruction the van sped off tires screeching  
"Three sedans following on our tail!" Coco called back to them  
"Blake we're stopping those cars" Gangrel snarled  
"I can't" she wheezed out "I had to cover Mister Eadala, my Aura can't take any more"  
"Ah you must be Bjorn's son, I haven't seen you since you were a day old child" Obsidian smiled, jaw distending slightly as he did so "How do you intend to stop our pursuers"  
"Teleport and slash their tires" he shrugged "Not ideal but neither is getting shot in the face" the older man shook his head  
"We shall settle this without bloodshed if any of you care to remove this collar" Gangrel reached out and ripped the Aura-dampener apart with his bare hands  
"It's a nice sentiment Mister Eadala but I doubt we're going to be able to pull it off"  
"Trust in me" with that Obsidian opened the rear doors of the van, none of them saw what he did but all three sedans screeched to a halt before breaking off  
"What just happened?" Velvet asked stunned, Obsidian closed the doors and turned to them his irises seemingly spiralling frantically  
"Just because I am opposed to violence do not assume I'm incapable of defending myself. I formed the White Fang from nothing….I merely convinced our friends back there that they had no fuel, it should wear off in perhaps twenty minutes"  
"Well that's the hard part done then" Gangrel noted incredulously "Coco pass that laptop back so we can hijack the broadcast and get us of here"

Emerald padded through the apartment in the dark, neon green fluffy socks protecting her feet from the cold floor she smirked to herself as she remembered the exchange of playful insults between herself and Mercury when he'd first seen them The former mercenary in question was asleep in their bed, she'd woken up and managed to untangle herself from him without waking him because in her humble opinion Mercury Black was utterly adorable while he slept. Reaching the small kitchen in their tiny apartment she rinsed out a glass before checking the fridge and pulling out a bottle of milk and the leftover slice of pizza, before she could make a start on her late night snack there was a knock at the door  
"At this time?" Emerald asked no one in particular, whoever was at the door knocked again  
"Em will you get that?" Mercury's sleepy voice called out from the bedroom, she stalked to the door grabbing her weapons and raising her Aura instinctively as she made her way. As soon as she placed her keys in the lock a gunshot tore through the door level with her stomach sending her staggering back, before someone kicked the door from its' hinges and charged in  
"You!" Emerald gasped as she saw a familiar face under a mane of blonde hair "MERC GET IN HERE!" she bellowed as she rolled away from a jet of flames thrown from Yang's left hand only for someone she'd never seen before to leap over the huntress and deliver a brutal kick to her jaw sending her crashing back into the living room, she managed to bring the Artful Dodgers up as she rolled into a crouch, blocking the masked attackers sword and firing before lunging forwards, her opponent sidestepped and the two circled each other preparing for the next exchange of blows

Yang made to charge into the living room after Raven and Emerald only to find herself smashed into a wall, launching a volley of shots from her gauntlet to get her attacker off of her she saw mercury clad in nothing but his underwear  
"This is going to be….brief" she smirked, Mercury gave an annoyed growl before bringing his left knee up to strike at her ribs his cybernetic limb clanged against Yang's arm as she brought her elbow down against it, following up by grabbing his face with her left hand and smashing it against the wall and driving her cybernetic fist into his gut  
"Better than last time" he grunted out as he managed to grab her arm with his left hand and wrap his right arm around her neck, pulling her into a headlock before repeatedly bringing his right knee it her ribs "But still not good enough"  
"You knee-d to sit to stop talking so much" Yang smirked as she grabbed his knee and tackled him to the ground before unleashing a barrage of punches at his face. Mercury managed to grab her left arm and flip them over, as he forced the muzzle of Ember Celica up under her jaw he gave a twisted grin  
"I've never said this to anybody before, but don't swallow" then he heard Emerald scream.

Emerald leapt into the air while triggering her Semblance, letting her opponent think she was yet to move. She was stunned when the masked attacker simply grabbed her by the ankle and slammed her into the floor then kicked her in the face with enough force that she felt her bones fracture through her Aura  
"Stay down" the distorted voice rasped as the woman drew a sword and aimed it at her throat  
"Oh my Oum" Emerald gasped as she looked at the masked figure above her "You're the Punisher of Doupeng-He Bishou….you're real!" she'd grown up on the streets of the bleak city, everyone grew up hearing the urban legend about a masked sword wielding woman that hunted the pimps, rapists and murderers in the dark, vanishing without a trace  
"I am and you're coming with me" Emerald's eyes widened and she brought her leg up kicking the sword away before rolling to her feet and firing her pistols frantically, the woman simply stepped back through a portal that opened behind her, Emerald took a shaky breath and lowered weapons a fraction, just as she was grabbed from behind and pulled through a portal  
"MERC HELP ME!"

Yang found herself slammed into the wall while a barrage of kicks and stamps reigned down on her face, on some level she could consider this retribution for her last encounter with the grey haired killer for hire. Yang was unable to even trigger her Semblance and fight back effectively as each of his attacks jarred her nerves enough to break her focus, his mechanical right heel split her her left eyebrow before a follow up kick cracked her cheekbone  
"Enough!" Mercury pressed his foot against Yang's throat and turned to the masked woman who had shouted  
"Where's Emerald? If you've hurt her I break this one's neck!"  
"We didn't come to kill anyone. Emerald is no use to us dead you're expendable at this point"  
"Not helping" Yang managed to slur out  
"Where's Emerald" he repeated, grinding his heel into Yang's throat  
"Safe" Raven said simply "Get her some clothes, get dressed you can come with us"  
"Why on Remnant would I-"  
"Because Cinder Fall is still alive" Mercury's already pallid complexion paled  
"Who are you?" he asked in a stunned whisper  
"They call me the Punisher in this city"  
"Crime's the disease, meet the cure. Okay not the cure, but more like a topical ointment to reduce the swelling and itch" he joked, his laughter taking on a hysterical edge  
"I have no intention of wasting more time to drag you along, we have your partner are you coming?" Mercury released Yang and stepped into the bedroom, by the time Yang had pulled herself to her feet and wiped the blood from her face he had returned  
"We keep a bag ready in case we need to run" he explained  
"Then let's go" Raven opened a portal, Mercury gave her a questioning look "It closes when I step through you need to go first" his eyes narrowed in suspicion before he finally stepped forward, as he did so Raven delivered a punch to the base of his spine and threw his unconscious body through the portal  
"Much easier to deal with him this way"

Cheshire was smashed face first through the wind-shield of another car, her mask had been knocked off much earlier in the fight, kicking out wildly she managed to get the minuscule berserker off of her for long enough to retrieve her weapon from where she'd dropped it and look around, somehow no security had intervened in their fight. Pavlov the canine Faunus lay dead on the tarmac several feet away, his neck at unnatural angle. Schrödinger the feline was slumped against another car bleeding heavily from the head wound that had incapacitated her, her breathing was shallow but she was still alive  
"I'm gonna send you to whatever hell Roman's in in tiny little pieces" the Tiger Faunus spat, blood dripping from her mouth as she spoke as well as the litany of lacerations across her face. Neo smiled  
"DIE!" Cheshire screamed as she fired her shotgun, Neo's after image shattered and the mute herself appeared beside her leaping into the air and grabbing the arm Cheshire held her weapon in before driving her knee into the elbow joint, shattering it. The tigress's subsequent scream of pain was cut short as she was slammed face first into the floor with enough force to break teeth, she tired to roll away from her assailant only to be pinned down, Neo grinned down at her maniacally as thrust her blade down into her thigh and twisted, withdrew and the stabbed her victim in the gut  
"Just kill me and get it over with" Cheshire spat, her blood flecking Neo's face. The mute collapsed her weapon and took out a scroll typing a message for her  
 _'No'_ with that she walked away, Cheshire saw her head to the main gate of the parking lot and pull something loose moments late Neo returned wrapping the heavy chain used to secure the gate around her knuckles. Cheshire paled as she realised Neo intended to beat her to death. The first punch left her seeing starts, the second broke her jaw with a resounding crack, after the third the world seemed to slide out of focus which mercifully dulled the impact the fourth and fifth; the sixth punch never came  
"Neo stop" the mute turned to face whoever was insane enough to grab her arm and saw Winter with a small contingent of Atlesian military behind her "She's an officer. She may have useful information, we need her alive" Neo cast the blood stained iron chain from her fist and typed a message on her scroll, hands shaking with rage  
 _'But I need her dead'  
_ "Whoever she took from you, justice will be done. She'll either be executed or spend life in prison but either way she well spend her last days alone in a cell where she can't hurt anyone else" Neo's entire bodies shook, ghostly white eyes filling with tears as she typed out another message  
 _'Fine. But you only get to keep one'_ with that she withdrew her weapon and shifted it to its' death-ray mode and aimed at the grunt she had knocked out letting off three shots before anyone could stop her, punching fist sized holes through the Faunus' heart and lungs before turning back to Winter, the Operative barely seemed concerned by the brutality, turning to her soldiers  
"Get rid of the bodies and wake this one up" she indicated at Cheshire who was clearly sliding in and out of consciousness "What she's about to hear might just be a fate worse than death" at that Neo's eyes changed one becoming hazel brown while the shifted to a shade of candy pink.

"Mirror, tell me something. Tell me who's the loneliest of all. Mirror-" the crowd gasped in unison, Weiss hid her small smile behind the microphone in her hand. She had secretly loved being back in front of a crowd performing like this, but now the real show was beginning  
"Greetings people of Atlas and of Remnant as a whole" the voice of Obsidian Eadala sounded at through the towering speakers on the stage "My apologies to the talented Miss Schnee for interrupting her, my name is Obsidian Eadala this name may mean little to you but I am the original founder of the White Fang" he let his words hang in the air for a moment, sounds of panic could be heard throughout the crowd as they feared another attack was imminent. The screen behind Weiss flickered to images of protests from the early days of the White Fang, Atlesian Knights using extreme force on women and children, peaceful marches attacked by human supremacists and Faunus businesses burned to the ground  
"I have been kept for almost twenty years in a prison without a trial for the crime of forming a peaceful organisation to protest against injustices. Yet despite it all I am willing to try again, but it will not be with the White Fang" another pause, some of the crowd seemed to be murmuring excitedly  
"I despise violence and will have no part of it, so to that end I will offer a hand of friendship and co-operation to the Atlesian military police in bringing the terrorists who have polluted a once noble dream to justice if given the assurance they will receive the trial they are due. To General James Ironwood I say, be a better man than your predecessor. To the Atlesian council and the wealthy benefactors that buy their favour I say this, change will come regardless I implore you to be on the right side of history when it does. To Jacques Schnee I say that though your hatred of my people is legendary all can be forgiven, I extend the hand of friendship to the SDC in the hopes of building a better world"  
Weiss could see the news crews filming the concert scrambling to get the best angles on what would no doubt be their front page story. Obsidian spoke again, his voice solemn  
"To all Faunus who want a better lot in life listening to this I say join me. To my former brothers, sisters and wayward children in the White Fang I say that this is not the way, this is not who we are and it never was, do not become the monsters that those who hate you insist you are. To Adam Taurus, the current head of the White Fang, man who single-handedly sullied everything his parents stood for I say this; I knew Schwarz and Rosa Taurus they were good people who only wanted a better world to raise you in….they would hate you with every fibre of their beings if they could see what you have become" Weiss fought to suppress a gasp at that, setting oneself up in opposition to the White Fang was one thing but that could only be seen as a declaration of war  
"My name is Obsidian Eadala and I am here to announce the formation of 'The Coalition' Trust In Us"

 **Authors Notes:**

HOLY FUCK OVER 15K Hits, I love you guys

So let's summarise:  
Yeah Weiss 110% wears skinny jeans with Jordans.  
So yeah Whitley isn't a total ass. He's just used to doing what Jacques says because it's the easiest way to keep his family together.  
He's also a rich teenager from a strict home, he probably thinks Gangrel and Bjorn are cool as fuck.  
Jacques is retiring and using it as a publicity stunt.  
Do you really think Jacques Schnee could have Weiss brought back home by force? Really Weiss, Winter and Neo, who do you know who's walking away from that?  
Neo didn't know exactly who killed Roman, Cheshire just handed herself over gift-wrapped.  
Sienna Khan is free, I didn't show her because she hasn't been seen in Canon yet so I'll wait until we see what she actually looks like.  
Doupeng-He Bishou at night is fucked up, Raven dispense vigilante justice with no fucks given.  
The name of the hospital translates as "Night Angel"  
Adrenaline rushes do indeed get Velvet going in this story, remember way back in Volume one when she went on a mission with Adam.  
The "Trust in me" and hypnosis Semblance is based on Kaa from the Jungle Book which is fitting considering Sienna Khan and Ghira Belladonna are based on Shere Khan and Bagheera.  
Emerald in neon green fluffy socks, I don't know why it's cute only that it is.  
Yang & Merc rematch, more puns and more Deadpool quotes.  
Raven has spent years killing scumbags kids like Emerald that grew up in that hell-hole of a city have all heard the stories about her, they just don't think some psychotic guardian angel with a sword is real.  
Also yes, she's the Punisher. Problem with that?  
How does Raven know Cinder is still alive? Even Qrow thinks she's dead, we shall see.  
Neo payback is brutal. What were you expecting? The power of friendship?  
Winter let the fight go on for that long, she's got no problem with Faunus but the White Fang specifically can go fuck themselves.  
Of course Weiss performed Mirror Mirror.  
'The Coalition' is Obsidian's new alternative to the White Fang, specifically aimed for something that doesn't sound belligerent or Faunus-centric because he want something that Faunus and humans can unite under.  
"Trust In Us" is their new slogan, related to the trust in me line but I also thought of it as similar to Anonymous and their slogan of "Expect Us"  
That shot at Adam though, that was way below the belt and you know he won't take it lying down.

Thank you to 6TailedNinja for their review on the last chapter.  
Well we know if the Cat's dead now don't we.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review


	69. 69: Conversations

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 69: Conversations**

"I'LL KILL THEM ALL!" Adam's voice was a terrifying combination of furious bellow and tortured scream, the bloody glow of his Semblance the only light in the room casting everything in a crimson hue. The desk lay overturned and smashed at the other end of his office where he had thrown it upon seeing the broadcast from the Schnee Dust Company's charity concert, with another berserk roar he span and punched the wall with enough force to bury his arm in the surface to the elbow, the masks of traitors to the White Fang he kept mounted on the wall like macabre trophies rattling with the impact, threatening to fall  
"Don't look at me like that!" he gave Velvet's mask an accusatory glare "My parents, he DARED to use my parents memory against me….Gang you understand right?" he turned to the mask that had once belonged to the Bear-Faunus he had considered his best friend and brother in everything except blood. The mask remained silent  
"Side with them then, you'll see I was right YOU'LL ALL SEE WHEN I BRING THIS KINGDOM CRASHING DOWN!"  
"Commander Taurus sir?" a trembling voice on the other side of the door enquired  
"What is it?" the Bull-Faunus snapped  
"We have a call sir, they say they're the human that was brought here recently" Adam tried to force his breathing back under his control and master his Semblance, the glow dimming reducing itself to a crimson glow emanating from his right fist and eye before he strode to the door and nearly tore it from its' hinges and snatched the Scroll from the small Goat Faunus that stood rooted to the spot  
"How did you manage to contact us!"  
"I understand I may have called at a bad time Mister Taurus but I-"  
"DO NOT TEST MY PATIENCE HUMAN I HAVE NONE FOR YOUR SPECIES AS A WHOLE!" Adam's roar reverberated around the office  
"Naturally" the man fought to keep the bemused smirk from being evident in his tone "I have access to lists of known and suspected White Fang members, several of those in Atlas have not been seen by anyone for some time, or have been seen at several….strategic locations shall we say. I don't know where your base of operations is Mister Taurus but I'm aware it isn't in Atlas itself so I merely contacted your agents until one of them actually did as I requested and gave you the Scroll"  
"What do you want?" The crimson haired Faunus snarled out  
"To offer my assistance, I have eyes and ears everywhere and I am not an unintelligent man Mister Taurus I can surmise what you intend"  
"What kind of assistance" Adam asked, clearly suspicious  
"I've cancelled upcoming maintenance checks on some of the key points your operatives have been sighted at, I also managed to find some chatter about a disturbance in the parking lot of the concert hall that Weiss Schnee was performing at, two dead Faunus, one captured but the media haven't leapt at the opportunity to tie it to the broadcast. Clearly it's being covered up"  
"So they have Cheshire. She won't talk"  
"You know your people better than I" Watts said simply "A final titbit of information, Jacques Schnee attends to make a public announcement outside Schnee Manor in the next twenty four hours, I see from your previous exploits that you have a taste for theatrics and well your family has been brought into it now, as one of our allies would say 'an eye for an eye'"  
"Why are you helping me"  
"Three reasons" Watts gave a soft chortle "We work for the same benefactor. Your plan seems agreeable to me, separating the SDC from its' Dust mines and thus its' power only strengthens my own assets and thirdly well frankly you impressed me my boy, I want to see what you do" with that the line went dead, Adam turned to the Goat Faunus who still stood outside the office shaking  
"Ready the troops, Operation Apartheid goes ahead tomorrow"  
"Sir, not all of the charges are planted, we haven't been able to rig Atlas's CCT tower"  
"It will have to be enough!" Adam barked "Now leave me!" the grunt scurried away leaving Adam to face the masks adorning his wall again  
"You'll see, you'll all see"

Ruby and Penny were lounging on the grounds of Haven Academy, Ruby's head on Penny's shoulder and their fingers intertwined; the pair had been inseparable since Penny's return. Ren and Nora had ventured into the capital city and the energetic girls' insistence on sightseeing, Jaune was training alone in the Academies facilities  
"Y'know when we're done in Atlas I've been thinking I actually might take Professor Nile up on his offer and transfer to Haven; the weather here is amazing" Ruby mumbled as she nuzzled into her girlfriend  
"You do look sensational with a tan" Penny smiled planting a soft kiss on the top of her head  
"RUBY! ruby rose is that you?" the pair turned to see a teen with a red jacket slung over his shoulder and vivid blue hair accentuated by a pair of goggles  
"Neptune?" Ruby asked somewhat confused "What are you doing here, the academy's closed?"  
"I um-I came to finalise my paperwork, I'm dropping out of the academy" Ruby was stunned for a few seconds before a realisation hit her  
"Your team-mate Sage?" Neptune gave a nod  
"That and other things, I stayed in Vale for a while after the fall" he gave a noticeable shudder "I've seen too many dead bodies and woke up screaming too many times. I know what I need to be doing with my life to help people, y'know there's almost no psychological support for Hunters? It's part of why so many of them have….problems as they get older. I'm going to fix that"  
"That sounds awesome" Ruby said brightly, her thoughts immediately turning to her own nightmares, Yang, the way Uncle Qrow drank and the distant looks her father somehow had  
"Thanks, not the reason I came over though. Did you Weiss's concert last night? The one that was jacked by a Faunus rights group?"  
"The White Fang? Oh Oum is she okay?"  
"No it wasn't the Fang" Neptune grinned "They're calling themselves the Coalition, apparently it's a bunch of ex-Fang who disagree with their methods….they called out the White Fang's leader brutally. Weiss was amazing as well-"  
"Wait how did you see this the CCT's down?" Ruby asked perplexed  
"Ruby the CCT has been back up for a few days now. Sun called me, he's okay. He was actually on Patch the last time I spoke to him….he was actually at your place come to think about it, found some stuff of your sisters and went to take it back"  
"Oh my Oum" Ruby quickly searched her pockets for her Scroll before realising she had thrown it in her backpack on their journey, a backpack which had been lost during the bandit attack  
"Penny can I borrow your Scroll?" she asked urgently  
"Hey I'm gonna go, I'm meeting up with Scar" Neptune informed them as he left. Penny gave Ruby her scroll, the smaller girl quickly managed to start a video call  
"Please don't be at work, please don't be at work, please don't be at- HEY DAD!" she beamed brightly as her fathers' face came into view  
"Ruby, oh thank Oum you're safe where are you?" Taiyang's voice was one of pure relief  
"Haven academy, met an old friend of yours Professor Nile" her smile faltered for a moment "Dad I'm sorry, I'm sorry for everything"  
"Ruby I don't care about any of that I'm just glad my girls are safe is Yang with you?"  
"I thought Yang was still at home?"  
"She set off after you" Tai looked deeply concerned  
"Well the CCT is up and running again I can just tell her where I am and have her come and meet me….I need to apologise to her"  
"Yeah you do, she was a mess when you left Ruby I'm sure your uncle already told you. It's Yang though she'll forgive you" Taiyang told her softly  
"He did" Ruby sighed "But hey Dad there's someone I want you to meet"  
"Oh?"  
"Remember my erm my girlfriend" Ruby stammered a blush creeping across her face  
"The one who passed away in Vale" Tai winced  
"She's not dead. There was an um- a mistake, she was badly injured and because the CCT was down nobody managed to update the information we had….Dad I want you to meet Penny Polendina"  
"Salutations" Penny gave a bright smile as she came into view behind Ruby wrapping her arms around her waist and planting a gentle kiss on her cheek  
"Penny not in front of my Dad" the smaller girl pulled her hood over her face in embarrassment  
"Well aren't you two just adorable" Taiyang laughed before his voice became serious, his eyes however held a mischievous glint "I have to ask you Miss Polendina, what are your intentions towards my daughter"

"YOU KNOCKED ME OUT!" Mercury raged  
"I let you keep your legs, I wasn't obliged to" Raven pointed out "I wasn't obliged to keep you alive either"  
"You know what I'm done with this insane shit" the former mercenary spat "Come on Em let's go"  
"She isn't going anywhere" Raven told him bluntly  
"You can't keep us here" Emerald hissed furiously  
"I can and I will. I don't need either of you alive, delivering your bodies will do the job" Emerald's hands twitched towards her weapons  
"Do not make that mistake" the masked woman growled  
"What the fuck is going on here?" Mercury demanded "We got out of all of this, I co-operated with Atlesian Spec-Ops. The deal was that we get to vanish afterwards now you two crazy bitches break into our apartment, kidnap us and tell us Cinder Fall is still alive. We want answers!"  
"I wouldn't mind some answers myself" Yang spoke up moving from behind Raven  
"What do you know of Cinder's master?"  
"Cinder's not the top of the food chain?" Mercury asked with a raised eyebrow  
"She called herself the Avatar of the darkness and the True Maiden" Emerald mumbled  
"The foolish little girl meddles with stolen powers she barely understands and has the gall to call herself-" Raven forced herself under control "Cinder Fall has stolen the powers of the Fall Maiden, one of four individuals gifted with legendary powers; her master is a being known as Salem who granted her the power to do this for her own ends"  
"The Fall maiden? As in the children's story" Mercury asked incredulously before realisation dawned on him "Oh fuck, _that's_ what the woman she fought with us was"  
"And so was Pyrrha" Yang snarled, already knowing this part  
"Okay, but what does this have to do with us?" Emerald asked  
"Cinder's master Salem has the ability to control Grimm, Cinder stole the Fall Maiden's powers with the use of a parasitic Grimm implanted into her body. Ruby Rose has the power to neutralise Grimm, you killed someone important to her Emerald"  
"You're using her as bait?" Mercury roared furiously  
"You think Ruby Rose is more likely to kill you than Cinder Fall? She knows you fled as soon as she is able she will hunt you down" Mercury paled before turning to Emerald  
"My sister isn't a murderer" Yang said softly "When she left she was grieving, heartbroken and angrier than I've ever seen her before; but I don't think she could kill someone in cold blood"  
"How do you even know all this?" Emerald asked "How do you know Cinder is still alive or know who this Salem person is?"  
"Because the steps Cinder has taken to increase her power" Raven said softly as the plates of her respirator masked shifted and repositioned allowing her to reveal her face "Are the same ones I took" Yang's eyes widened as she saw her mothers' face in the flesh for the first time. Her skin was beyond pale, a translucent white with black veins reaching out from her eyes whose irises were their natural blood red but the whites of which had become an unsettling inky black.

"Hey Mum" Velvet said timidly as the video call came into focus  
"Velvet, Velvet honey is that you? Oh my Oum where are you?"  
"I'm in Atlas….Mum I'm sorry I didn't get in touch"  
"Your brother told me everything"  
"Everything?"  
"About that boy you were dating being involved in the White Fang, about the pair of you getting yourselves involved in that madness, you being stranded out in the ruins of Vale and then heading out to fight the White Fang. I only heard all of this after he ran away from home to join the army at fourteen"  
"I blame video-games and rap music" Velvet smirked hoping to joke her way out of her mothers' ire. Coco snorted from her position on the bed next to Velvet  
"Oh you're lucky somewhere I can't reach you young lady….Oh my Oum what happened to you" her mother gasped as she saw Velvet's shredded ear for the first time as it came into view on the screen  
"Hey Mum is that Velvet?" Flax's voice could be heard in the background  
"YOU TOLD ME SHE WAS OKAY! HOW DID YOU NEGLECT TO MENTION HER LOSING AN EAR!" Missus Scarlatina ranted  
"Mum, mum it's fine seriously" Velvet chewed her lip nervously "I can still hear just fine, it's just a flesh wound"  
"Flesh wound!" her mother gasped "My babies are getting themselves killed"  
"Where is everyone else?" Velvet asked suddenly concerned  
"Dad's at work, Poly is out playing with some friends….I'm only back on medical leave" Flax called from behind his mother  
"What happened?"  
"Check this out" the younger Faunus smirked as he came into view for the first time, a long thin scar traced his right cheekbone curving from his nose to his eyebrow. He held up his left hand showing that his ring and pinkie fingers had been removed at the second knuckle "I can still hold a weapon so its' nothing serious….and the girls in this village _love_ the scar"  
"You've turned into a little heart-breaker kid, I'm so proud" Coco grinned as she rolled over arm snaking around Velvet's waist and head resting on her shoulder "Hey Missus S, I promise I'll take of Velvet"  
"Flax how in Oum's name did you lose your fingers?" Velvet demanded  
"Um dropped my pistol when a patrol went south, Beowulf bit 'em off when I went to grab it….Cardin took its' head off though"  
"Cardin? As in Cardin Winchester?" Velvet asked. She has known the two of them were in the same unit but the idea of the racist school bully putting himself at risk for her brother was mind boggling  
"So, onto a more pleasant topic of discussion" Velvet's mother cut in as she turned the camera back to herself "When did you two become an item?" Velvet and Coco gave each other stunned looks  
"I-we….erm?"  
"Oh please honey I've been married for over twenty years I know what a happy couple looks like" a smirk played on her lips "But apparently you two need to be left alone to have a talk so I'll leave you to it. Call any time honey. Love you"  
"Love you too Mum" she answered distractedly as the line went dead "So that just happened"  
"Yeah" Coco nodded "I see where you get your sense of humour from….So what's happening with us babe?"  
"What do-"  
"You know what I mean Velvet, we sleep in the same bed, we end up making out constantly….Are we a thing?"  
"I have next to no experience with relationships Coco, the only one I've ever been in was with Adam….But I'd like us to be" Coco's fingers gently caressed the Faunus' cheek  
"Yeah so would I and just for the record I'm no good with relationships either" she gave a small smirk "So we can be utterly hopeless together" Velvet returned the smile and kissed her slowly  
"Yeah that works. Relationship status, hopeless together"

Winter made her way through the pristine and utilitarian corridors of her ship. In the day following the Concert she had been aboard her ship waiting for her on-board medical staff to update her on the condition of Cheshire Motley who had slipped into a coma following her brutalisation at the hands of Neo. She had occupied some of her time with a very lengthy and unpleasant tirade to her Father informing the man in excruciating detail of her opinion of his attempt to have Weiss returned to Schnee Manor against her will.  
"Evening" the rumbling growl snapped her out of her musings, Winter gave Gangrel a nod by way of greeting  
"You performed well yesterday Slate"  
"Not my first smash and grab" the towering Faunus smirked "So Neo worked Cheshire over then?"  
"She's awake now, we managed to stimulate her Aura enough for her to heal somewhat before putting a dampener on her and throwing her in the brig" Winter informed him "But yes, she had to be stopped from killing Motley outright"  
"Can't say I blame her, I never liked Roman myself but him and Neo go way back" Gangrel shrugged as he fell into step alongside Winter  
"Nevertheless Cheshire Motley is more useful to us alive"  
"If she talks" Gangrel pointed out "Cheshire held my old position in the Vale White Fang, she's a ruthless piece of work and she's never broke under questioning before"  
"Well let's find out" Winter said simply as she swiped a key card stepping through the door as it opened with a hiss, Gangrel following her into the brig of the Schleier Der Tranen. A single cell was occupied  
"I'm going to get out and I'm going to kill your families" Cheshire growled Gangrel took one look at her and gave a derisive snort. The Tiger-Faunus' face was a mess of bruises and cuts, her left Faunus ear looked as if it had been thoroughly crushed, the blood vessels in her left eye were ruptured  
"Doubt it"  
"You're a fucking traitor Slate, Taurus wants to kill you personally but the Schnee you're in bed with is mine"  
"Keep going, I'll get Neo in here and give her a crowbar to finish the job off with"  
"Enough" Winter snapped "Cheshire you are going to tell us what Adam Taurus is planning"  
"And why on Remnant would I do that"  
"Because the crimes you're going to be charged with will result in your execution and Vale isn't even going to ask for you to be extradited"  
"Then I die" Cheshire said simply "That's a sacrifice I'm willing to make"  
"You're willing to throw your own life away for Adam"  
"I'm willing to die for the cause Human" the tigress spat  
"There is another way to Faunus equality" Winter noted  
"Fuck equality" Cheshire sneered "Humans promised us that once before. The only way forward is domination, Faunus supremacy. We're gonna take everything you've gained from exploiting our people back and leave humanity face down in the ground at our feet where it belongs"  
"I think we're wasting our time" Gangrel growled before turning to leave  
"Agreed" Winter sighed  
"You want information" Cheshire cackled "I'll give you something. ATLAS IS GONNA FALL, IT'S ALL COMING DOWN ON YOUR HEADS" the pair left the brig, the sound of Cheshire's ravings cut off then when the doors closed behind them.

Reality tore itself apart, a howling wind and screaming accompanied the rend in space as Cinder Fall stepped through the portal, mismatched eyes scanning the remains of Beacon Tower as she strode forwards. The broken fragments of metal rising from the ground around her before flying at her face and chest in a barrage of sharpened edges, Cinder let out a scream and unleashed her power in a shock-wave of golden energy her eyes glowing with the powers of the Fall Maiden  
"You haven't mastered the power my child" Cinder turned to see Salem rising from the primordial liquid that pooled under the fallen Dragon and poured down the side of the tower "It will come in time"  
"Yes mistress" the False Maiden rasped as she lowered her head in submission  
"Come now Cinder Mistral's capital is not the only city in that Kingdom, you can have your fun razing the others to the ground" Salem cooed as she turned to face the Dragon and planted the tips of her fingers against its skull, the pulsating black veins that formed a web beneath her flesh seeming to write and twist before obsidian tendrils burst from her fingers writhing with a life of their own before latching onto the bone mask of the Dragon, burrowing into it  
"Rise my child" Salem hissed eyes glowing as she exerted her power on the monstrosity "RISE" Cinder looked on, dread seeping into her as she watched the entire surface of the Grimms' body begin to ripple and bubble  
"RISE!" Salem screeched, chest heaving before stepping back. Dark tendrils retracting back into her body as the Dragons' body solidified itself once again  
"Mistress?" Cinder asked, a concerned edge creeping into her voice  
"It is done my child" Salem laughed before descending into a truly harrowing cackle. As a deep rumbling sounded out  
The Dragon stirred.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so this chapter was a lot less exciting than the last one but Chapter 70 is the beginning of my Vol.4 climax and I promise it will match the battle of Vale in terms of insanity.

So let's Summarise:  
Remember at the start of this story when Adam still had a code of honour, he was a villain but he was still charismatic and knew what he stood for. I bet you miss that Adam don't you, he's thoroughly nuts at this point.  
Watts is playing him like a fiddle, of course he is. Salem's followers are all working for her because they want power, Watts seems like the sort of person who has his money invested in a lot of businesses so helping Adam deal with the Schnee's benefits him.  
Neptune has quit being a Huntsman to become a therapist for traumatised Hunters.  
Penny meeting Tai, you know it would be the sweetest thing ever.  
Raven basically told Merc & Em straight up, Ruby might kill Emerald but Cinder will kill both of you.  
Raven looks like Salem, that's what freaked Tai out when he saw her. Was anyone expecting that reveal? No? Good.  
I felt like this volume has been lacking in Velvet so I added some.  
Flax has got some war wounds and like any fourteen year old he's using them to flirt.  
Cross-hares, Relationship Status: Hopeless together  
Cheshire Motley is a true believer who will die before she talks, however she gave away a little something. I actually teased what Adam's plan for Atlas is in Vol.3 if anyone cares to go back and see if they can figure it out.  
Magnetised metal attacked Cinder, are you getting what's happening yet?  
The Dragon's awake.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review


	70. 70: Invasion

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 70: Invasion**

It started as the sun rose over Mistral.  
If one were to look down upon the capital city of Anquan-Jia from above the would have seen individual specks scurrying across the ground, congregating like a colony of ants just beyond the range of the artillery pieces that adorned the cities' perimeter defences. On the ground it was much more terrifying.  
"Brothers and sisters of the Poli-Trogon" Tyrian silenced assembled horde before him, his tribes' distinctive bloodstained white garments and grisly iconography was joined by that of several other tribes that roamed between Mistral's cities "We are joined by the Gelio-Kranio clan, the Skia clan, the Misitos clan and the Vouno-Kynigos clan….The Nikos clan chose not to fight alongside us today, they can share the fate of our guests" Tyrian gave a respectful nod to the head of each of the clans that had answered the call. The Nikos clan had refused, sending Tyrian's emissary back missing both hands and an eye with the message that their chieftain had lost a niece in the fall of Vale and held Tyrian's master responsible, Tyrian silently promised himself he would eat the mans' children in font of him before he allowed him to die. At the mention of guests members of his own people dragged forward a group of city dwellers, the Hunters that had been sent out by the capital to patrol the area the previous night. Their armour ragged, weapons missing yet their faces remained defiant as they were forced to kneel before the tribal warlord.  
"An ally of ours has already entered the great city of Anquan-Jia" Tyrian's oratory was met with thunderous applause and war chants "He led their hunters into our clutches, their gates will be opened to us and their guns will be silent. Today brothers and sisters the people of the last city in Mistral to defy us will be forced to face us as equals AND WE WILL TAKE EVERYTHING FROM THEM!" the applause rose in intensity, reaching a cacophony of blood lust and aggression, each of the captured Hunters shared a look of resigned defeat, knowing what was about to come  
"And now it begins" Tyrian's voice dropped to a malicious whisper that carried through the ranks before he lunged downwards and bit down on the nearest Huntsman's throat, tearing it free in a spray of gore. The remaining Hunters had less than a moment to comprehend the savagery of what they had witnessed before they were set upon by their captors  
"TO BATTLE!" Tyrian screamed as he smeared the Huntsman's blood across his face and marched towards the capital, over a thousand warriors at his back  
"Father" Rodakino greeted him as she shouldered her way through the disorganised mass of bodies to march beside her father, her own twisted grin mirroring his  
"Remember what I told you Rodakino. Do not display your powers in the battle….rejoice child, this is likely to be the greatest single battle you ever fight in and you get to experience it directly, without raining fire on the enemy from above"  
"I intend to go to Haven, I hear the master there is a formidable warrior. I plan to face him in single combat" her twin axes found their way to her hands as she spoke, Tyrian beamed at his daughter.  
"Make me proud"

The few Atlesian ships still stationed at the Halo defences had already fallen. Yatsuhashi and Fox were currently pulling survivors from one of them. Dawn had brought with it a nightmare from which the defenders could not wake, the Dragon had awoken and taken to the skies once more  
"Oh my Oum that thing is unstoppable" Artemis gasped into her headset, she and Rover had retained the practice of using them since Team GRAP effectively ceased to exist  
"It's not attacking the walls" Rover noted "You see any survivors?" Artemis triggered her Semblance from her position atop the roof of one of the tallest buildings remaining in the centre of Vale, mismatched eyes glowing as she searched the area for any trace of Aura  
"Nothing" the feline confirmed "Nobody other than a Hunter could have stayed this deep into the ruins for this long. Fox, Yatsu what's your status?"  
"Grimm got onto the wreckage of the Oberherr, there are still people on-board. Fox is searching the ship while I hold the line as best I can" he was interrupted by a piercing screech from the Dragon as it threw the remains of the last warship to oppose it crashing to the ground after worrying it like a dog with a bone; large globs of viscous liquid darkness dropped from its' underbelly breaking apart and forming flocks of Griffins in mid-air, the Grimm breaking off and attacking the Bull-Heads still attempting to deny air superiority to the Grimm. The Dragon set its' sights away from the kingdom, flying towards the docks at a speed that rivalled the airships it had just destroyed  
"Its' leaving?" Artemis asked, dumbstruck. A bolt of golden energy racing up the side of one of the nearby buildings alerted her to Rover trying to get a better vantage point  
"Oh no" her partner and fiancé's voice sounded horrified  
"What?"  
"In the battle in didn't join the fight it defended Beacon Tower. Now it's ignoring the defences and the CCT Hub on Sky-Reach to fly to the docks….it's either going for Patch or Mistral"  
"There's nothing we can do to stop it" Artemis hands flew to her mouth at the realisation  
"Artemis tell Goodwitch to alert Mistral I've got an idea but if it doesn't work then they're going to need as much time to prepare as we can give them"  
"Rover what are you going to do?"  
"I'm going to phase into it while I'm in overdrive mode I don't have anything to break the Dust down with so this is going to be risky. Babe….Babe if this goes wrong I want you to know I love you more than I've ever loved anyone before and you made me the happiest I've ever been"  
"Rover no don't you dare leave me!" she screamed into the headset only to realise that he had disconnected from the call, time seemed to slow to a crawl as the bust of golden energy that was rover surged forth, racing through the ruins of Vale before catching up with the Dragon as it reached the docks, he ran vertically along the surfaces of buildings and propelled himself forwards connecting with the Dragon's flank with a boom that sounded as if an entire thunderstorm had been condensed into a single moment. The Dragon screamed in a mixture of agony and fury, Artemis noticed with a glimmer of hope that the beast had stopped producing more Grimm, then with a flap of its' monstrous wings it continued towards Mistral.  
"No" Artemis whispered, tears streaming down her face  
"Artemis what happened?" Fox demanded  
"Tell Goodwitch" she gave a single choked sob "Tell them the Dragon is heading to Mistral, Rover died trying to stop it"

"Oh my Oum" Ruby mouthed as she watched from from a window, sirens had started blaring throughout the city, smoke could be seen rising. Penny tightened her hand around Ruby's  
"We need to find out what's going on" Ruby nodded and the pair made their way through the corridors of Haven Academy before coming across the towering form of Professor Nile. Gone was his tweed jacket and reading glasses now he wore armour that was a patchwork of leather and metals scored with the evidence of hundreds of previous battles; a scimitar larger than Ruby was slung over his back  
"Professor Nile" Ruby started "What's happening?"  
"Bandits" he growled out "I've sent the admin staff to get help from a neighbouring city. It seems to be multiple tribes and clans working together, I've never seen anything like this before all I know for certain is that the Grimm won't ignore it for long"  
"Oh no, Jaune Ren and Nora are out there!" Ruby exclaimed, withdrawing Crescent Rose from the harness at her back  
"Your friends are Hunters and we sorely need every fighter we can spare right now" Ruby stared at the professor for a moment before turning to Penny  
"Give me your scroll" the copper haired Huntress complied and Ruby frantically made a call  
"Yang, Yang there's no time. I'm at Haven academy Mistral's capital is being attacked I know you're somewhere in Mistral just please get here if you can"

Yang collapsed her scroll, face ashen  
"What is it?" Raven demanded  
"Ruby just called me. She's at Haven, the whole city is under attack" the masked Huntress took a deep breath  
"Salem is making her move on Mistral and attempting to capture her at the same time, the man we fought on Patch is the leader of the most feared of the Mistrali Tribes, he's probably the only person alive who can unite them"  
"Then let's go!" Yang snapped, the left gauntlet of Ember Celica forming around her fist  
"Whoa whoa whoa" Mercury interrupted "You expect us to help you go save someone who might possibly repay the favour by killing Emerald?" he found himself staring down the barrel of Yang's weapon  
"Yang. You intended to go to Atlas after finding Ruby, yes?" Raven asked seeing the blonde nod she turned to Mercury "You said you were working with Atlas special-ops"  
"Yeah"  
"Then fighting alongside us and heading to Atlas may be your best chance of survival"  
"We'll do it" Emerald interrupted "What happened to Vale can't happen again" her voice dropped to a whisper. Raven gave a small nod before opening a portal  
"Then prepare yourselves. This will not be an easy fight"

Nora swung Magnhild in a wide arc, the entire body of the bandit she struck in the chest seeming to collapse in on itself with a sickening wet snap as he was flung into a wall with the force of the impact. Ren leapt over her landing in a crouch on the head of the weapon and firing the Storm-Flowers into the chests of a group of bandit tribesmen with distinctively different livery as the charged them  
"They don't even all have unlocked Auras!" Nora cried forcing herself not to retch at the blood trickling down the wall where her would be opponent had struck it "Why are they doing this?"  
 _CRASH  
_ A herd of gazelle Grimm barrelled around the corner, a breed known as Impaler their antlers a twisted mass of cruel horns  
"Look out!" the voice came from above, twin jets of flame engulfed the oncoming Grimm. Jaune leapt from the roof he'd landed on  
"They've stormed the whole city" the blonde shook his head "The ones in the white, they eat the people they kill….I don't think I'm ever going to be able to sleep again"  
"How did they even get into the city, they're all using knives and axes they shouldn't have been able to breach the defences"  
"It's like Vale" Ren gave an uncharacteristic snarl "The perimeter defences aren't firing, that's why the Grimm got in so soon after the bandits. It was an inside job"  
"COME GET SOME THEN!" the trio turned the source of the exclamation to see a Huntress clad in a purple hoodie riding a hover-board, a pack of Leokaiser giving chase. Giving the members of Team RNJR a wink as she saw them she flipped off of her board which shifted into a pair of pistols which were promptly fired into the oncoming Grimm, Jaune gave a nod he, Ren and Nora proceeded to add their own fire power to the attack  
"My hero" Reese Chloris turned and Jaune an eye roll, smirk and kiss on the cheek; the combination leaving him more than a little confused  
"What's going on here?" he asked  
"Bandit raid, biggest I've ever seen but Anquan-Jia Militia will be able to beat it back"  
"They don't even have Aura, they're just throwing their lives away" Nora looked at the red stain marring her weapon with revulsion  
"For them dying in battle is the only way worth going, trust me don't hold back on 'em they won't appreciate the favour"  
"Where's the rest of your team?" Ren asked  
"Arslan lives in a village in the middle of nowhere, Nadir is in Vaccuo and Bolin with his older sister who graduated Haven last year  
"Stick with us, it makes more sense than running off alone" Reese nodded, moments later a terrifying screech split the air  
"It can't be" Jaune mouthed as he shifted Dragonslayer to its' jet-pack mode and taking to the air, heart leaping into his chest when he saw it approaching  
"THE DRAGON FROM VALE IS HERE!" he bellowed down, before landing  
"We've gotta get rid of it then" Reese reloaded her pistols  
"That thing eats Atlesian warships" Jaune pointed out  
"Mistral only has small fighters, they're going to need all the help they can get"  
"My jet-pack doesn't have any weapons"  
"I've got a plan" Reece smiled  
"Ren Nora. Stay together help anyone you can"  
"Stay safe Jaune" with that the pair took off into the besieged city, weapons at the ready  
"So what's the plan?" Jaune asked Reese smirked and jumped onto his back, legs hooked around the wings of Dragonslayer  
"You fly I shoot….Fuck it fortune favours the just crazy enough to work and if we die it's one hell of a way to go"

Ruby triggered her Semblance, the swarming Spider-monkeys becoming infinitely easier to hit as they scurried into Haven's courtyard in slow motion, Penny stood next to her, plasma pistols discharging and rending the beasts apart while Professor Nile's scimitar cleaved through waves of them.  
"Okay I think that's the last of them" Ruby panted  
"Well there's plenty in the city" Penny noted shifting her pistols to their sword form  
"Impressive. It seems I've found the worthy opponents I was searching for" the trio turned to see a lone figure walking towards them, a short handled axe in each hand, her flesh covered in scars and tribal tattoos, clothes soaked in blood; her yellow eyes glinting with manic glee as she approached. It was with a sense of horror that Ruby realised the girl was no older than herself  
"I am Rodakino, heir to Tyrian, chieftain of the Poli-Trogon and warlord of Mistral. You will die by my hand" Professor Nile readied his sword  
"Child your people will pay for what they've brought to my city" Rodakino smiled before shooting forwards at a speed nobody besides Ruby was able to follow, she swung Crescent Rose into the cannibals' path. Rodakino leapt into the air, using the blade of the scythe as a springboard from which to deliver a kick to the Crocodile Faunus' chest with enough force to send him staggering back, as she fell to the ground she followed her attack through by swiping at Ruby's calves with one of her axes, taking her legs from under her. Penny shot forward, blades crossing in front of her and blocking Rodakino's downward slash.  
"Eager to die?" Penny glowered at the taunt  
"I'm combat ready" The bandit smiled as she threw her weapons to the floor and leapt forwards, legs wrapping around Penny's throat as she rolled in mid-air throwing the mechanical girl to the ground before landing in a handstand and delivering a kick to the back of her head. Her advantage was short lived as she found herself tackled to the floor with punches raining down on her face  
"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Ruby screamed, her punches were fast and painful but Rodakino had been trained to fight from the moment she was old enough to form a fist. Bringing her elbow up she blocked the smaller girls' next attack and rewarded with a gasp of pain as two of Ruby's fingers broke, she followed this with a chop to the collarbone that left her gasping for air before throwing her to the side and springing to her feet, only to be faced with Professor Nile charging at her. With a snarl she caught his sword between her palms, channelling a small amount of the Maidens' Powers into her hands; eyes began to glow faintly as the scimitar heated  
"I would have preferred to take this blade for myself" the bandit spat before twisting and breaking the weapon neatly in half, the edges super-heated. Penny charged her, Rodakino spinning kicked Professor Nile using him to vault forwards and drop kick Penny, from this position she leapt to a handstand and back-flipped over Ruby, who had just returned to her feet, catching her by the throat and slamming her into the ground.  
SKREEEE!  
The battle halted momentarily as the Dragon reached the limits of Anquan-Jia, tearing the Mistrali air force asunder as it did so  
"Operative Polendina, your personal craft is needed in the air" Professor Nile ordered  
"Understood"  
"I'm going with you" Ruby stopped Penny with a hand on her shoulder "I'm not losing you again"  
"Flee vermin" Rodakino cackled before turning to the towering headmaster as the two Huntresses left "One on one, no weapons and to the death. Exactly as nature intended"

Raven leapt through the portal and bisected a bandit in a single swing. Yang and Emerald followed her weapons ready as the searched for any threats  
"Damn, even for me that's brutal" Mercury noted as he saw the pool of blood expanding from beneath Raven's victim  
"Be quiet. Be ready" Raven hissed as they stalked through the streets, even in daylight it was just as horrific to Yang as Vale had been; smoke fire and screams everywhere. Until another sound pierced everything, demented laughter. Raven grimaced behind her mask  
"Mercury, Emerald. Go to the walls and help the local militia, meet back at Haven" they gave a short nod before turning and heading in the opposite direction  
"It's him isn't it?" Yang asked as she followed the masked Huntress, no answer was required as they rounded a corner and found Tyrian sat atop a pile of bodies, Yang's eyes flashed red when she saw the children among his victims  
"Monster" yellow eyes met blazing red and a sinister grin made its' way across his face  
"Ah I remember you. Now do I kill you here and now or do I keep you and give you to my people as spoils….And Raven, I have _always_ wanted to test myself against you" with that Tyrian sprung into action.

The photon accelerator mounted on Penny's fighter lit up a portion of the sky as it connected with the Dragon's back, the gargantuan beasts body liquefying and bubbling for a few moments following the attack before reforming. The beast craned it's neck and launched a jet of fire wider across than Penny's entire craft from its' screaming maw  
"The amount of damage being dealt by our primary weapon is insufficient, calculations predict the target will destroy this craft before we incapacitate it" P.E.A.R.L's computerised voice noted  
"What do we do?" Ruby noted from her position next to Penny, clutching on for dear life as the craft was dragged through evasive manoeuvres; her Aura having already healed the broken knuckles she had received in her fight with Rodakino  
"Everything we can" Penny replied, giving a sympathetic wince as the Dragon turned its' attention back to the Mistrali fleet, its' flames engulfing a pair of fighters, their engines exploding under the heat  
"They're getting slaughtered" Ruby gasped before turning and making her way back to the rear hatch back to the rear hatch "I have to do something"  
"Ruby what are you doing?"  
"I'm going to try the same thing I did in Vale" and suddenly Penny was beside her  
"Then we both go. P.E.A.R.L switch to autopilot"  
"Confirmed, passing over target now" with that the two Huntresses leapt from the fighter, blades at the ready as they fell through the air, with a shout Ruby swung Crescent Rose and planted it in the Dragon's side and steadied herself, Penny landed on its' back in a crouch casting her eyes around for the smaller girl until she pulled herself up  
"Okay so now what?" Penny asked  
"I….I don't know she admitted "The last time everything went white and I woke up later"  
"RUBY LOOK OUT!" turning to the source of the interruption she saw a small flock of Reapers bearing down on them before being shot from the sky by  
"Jaune?" she mouthed confused as she watched the blonde struggle to make a controlled landing while carrying someone on his back; Reese skidded across the surface of the Dragon's back, discharging her pistols as she did so. The Dragon responded by diving to throw them off, time slowed to a crawl as Penny was thrown from the Grimm arms flailing as she fell. Then it happened, pressure built up behind her eyes and everything became white.

Ren and Nora had been joined by Neptune and Scarlet who were both native to the city and the four of them had formed a bulwark against any Grimm or bandit that attacked the school that a become a refuge for civilians not part of Mistral's militia when they saw it  
"Look!" Nora pointed to the sky and the four Hunters watched the dragon seemingly freeze; white light enveloping it as it fell, gargantuan wings no longer keeping it airborne  
"It's not dissolving, that thing will level half the city if it crashes" Neptune exclaimed  
"The fighters are taking chunks out of it but it won't be enough" Ren noted, his attention more preoccupied the fact he could see Jaune catching other figures falling from the Grimm and flying them to one of the fighters  
"Stand back" Scarlet grinned as he took a knee and prepared his Semblance to unleash the same storm of blades he had used in the Vytal Tournament  
"Penny's fighter is firing again" Nora grinned green light lanced into the surface of the Grimm, which was finally beginning to dissipate. With a roar of exertion Scarlet unleashed his attack adding it to the remaining Mistrali air force. The Dragon never made it to the ground.  
"THEY DID IT, WE DID IT THE DRAGON'S DEAD!" Nora gave a whoop of joy  
"Yeah, yeah we did" Scarlet managed to slur out before staggering forwards in exhaustion, collapsing into Neptune's arms  
"I've got you man" Scarlet smiled up at his team-mate  
"It's shame we'll never do this again" he managed to mumble out before leaning up to kiss the blue haired teen on the lips "I love you man"

Tyrian flung himself backwards, delivering a brutal kick to both Yang and Raven's chests as he landed on his hands. Yang gave a wordless snarl and charged forwards throwing a straight right at his back, Tyrian flipped over landing in a crouch catching her wrist in his left hand before slashing with his right arm, the blade mounted on his forearm piercing Yang's cybernetic forearm  
"Fuck!" Yang screamed in pain as the synthetic nerves overloaded  
"Scream for me" Tyrian cackled as he snapped the wrist of the prosthetic before being dragged through a portal that opened behind him. Yang clutched her damaged limb turning and scanning the area before another portal opened Raven and Tyrian falling from it grappling with each other, the Bandit keeping a firm grasp on her wrist to keep her from bringing her katana to bare against him  
"I'd hoped this would be more entertaining" Tyrian sneered, Raven's only answer was to head-butt him, blood from his broken nose smearing across her mask before following up with a slash at his throat, Tyrian leaned back allowing the blade to pass over him before slashing with his own arm mounted blades. Yang looked on in horror as the bandit's weapon hooked under part of Raven's mask and tore a chunk of it away, revealing her corrupted flesh, the masked Huntress fell to the floor, struggling to breathe. Tyrian cackled as he picked her sword from the ground  
"Now it's entertaining"  
BOOM  
"What?" Tyrian gasped, blood trickling from his mouth as he looked down at the wound in his chest. Looking up he saw the blonde Huntress eyes blazing red, golden flames of Aura surrounding her and the barrel of her weapon smoking  
"Only cowards fight at a distance" the tribal warlord spat as he staggered forward, picking up speed and preparing for one last charge. Blades at the ready he screamed with fury, forcing his failing body forward. Yang side stepped his wild slash and planted her left fist between his shoulder blades with a resounding crunch before kicking the berserker over; the flames of her Aura condensing to a single point in her hand  
"Since you wanted to go out in a 'Blaze' of glory, you sick son of a bitch" there was a moment, barely a fraction of a second where Tyrian knew what was about to happen before it did, then his entire world was engulfed in fire and agony.

Professor Nile's tail struck Rodakino across the face as she lunged at him, sending her bouncing across Haven's courtyard before rolling to a stop  
"Old man your flesh will feed my whole tribe and we will take power from it" she spat rising to her feet, blood trickling from the corner of her mouth before she charged again, the hulking reptilian Faunus charging to meet her. Their fists met with an explosion of Aura flinging them both back. Professor Nile rose to his feet after being forced to one knee, the flesh of his knuckles shredded a triumphant grin made its' way to his face as he saw Rodakino's right arm bent at an unnatural angle  
"You fought well, but it's over. You can't hope to continue like this" the smile faltered when he heard her giggle softly, the innocent and childlike laughter morphing into something else entirely as it continued. Her eyes began to glow with magenta light which slowly began to emanate from her whole body  
"Oh it's over cattle" the Summer Maiden laughed, charging forwards faster than her opponent could see, her hand pressed against his chest glowing with the light of a miniature sun  
"It's over for your city and your people's way of life" with that she unleashed her power, giving up all restraint. She collapsed forwards after a few moments, utterly spent. Professor Viridian Nile was dead and nothing remained of his body, everything nearby was scorched and melted by her power  
"We need to leave" a deep voice behind her said. Rodakino forced herself to her feet, trembling with exhaustion to face the city dweller her father had brought to her camp, Hazel  
"Your father has fallen, the other tribes have fled Mistrali fighters are picking off your people from the air"  
"Who?" Rodakino demanded, hate and grief vying for dominance in her mind "Who killed my father? I will raze this city to the ground" her voice becoming an agonised scream  
"One day but not today" Hazel assured her "Come, your father and I have allies who can make the most of your power. The whole world will burn before the Summer Maiden" a terrible smile crossed the Bandit's face as she followed him; too absorbed in thoughts of conquest and vengeance to notice the smirk on Hazel's face.

Yang and walked beside Raven, whose mask had been hastily reattached and welded together through the halls of Haven the blonde's arm still sparking and shuddering occasionally. Behind her were Mercury and Emerald, the thief supporting her partner's weight as one of his prosthetics had been damaged in the battle  
"So what happened to your face?" Yang asked breaking the silence  
"I told you-" Yang cut Raven off  
"No you gave us some bullshit vague answers. What actually happened?" Raven took a deep rattling breath  
"There's a parasitic Grimm living inside my body, Cinder has one as well. That's how she stole the Fall Maiden's power, it's also how your sister incapacitated her. Silver eyes neutralise Grimm, Cinder's body began to shut down as the parasite tried to leech more power from her"  
"Oh my Oum" Yang gasped "That's-"  
"That's why I left Yang, I tried to use Salem's power and turn it against her and it failed. It turned me into what I am, whenever I'm near large amounts of Grimm she becomes aware of my presence and calls to me. It wasn't safe for me to have a family"  
"If Salem can call to you then why doesn't she?" Emerald asked  
"Because Cinder is a willing servant I will fight Salem every step of the way"  
"You're not coming to Atlas with us are you?" Yang asked  
"No" Raven admitted "Qrow was nowhere to found on the battlefield. He would never willingly keep from protecting you or your sister It concerns me, my brother is notoriously hard to kill….I'm going to go find him"  
"Show him what happened to you" Yang gave her a glare "Uncle Qrow deserves to know why you left, it hurt him more than he admits. Raven opened a portal and prepared to step through it  
"I know I have no right to be but I'm proud of the person you've grown into, Summer would have been as well" the masked Huntress stepped forwards before turning over her shoulder "Blaze of Glory….I'm glad there is some of me in you" the sound of Raven's soft laughter echoed in the hallway as the portal closed.

The first thing Ruby saw when she regained consciousness was a pair of emerald green eyes and a bright smile  
"You're awake?" Ruby launched herself forwards, arms wrapping around Penny's shoulders  
"I thought you fell, I thought-"  
"Jaune caught us all and got us onto my ship" Penny told her as she stroked the smaller girls' hair "We did it, the Dragon is gone. Anquan-Jia is safe"  
"Where's everyone else" Ruby murmured  
"You got a private room in Haven's infirmary. Everyone else is okay Jaune dislocated his shoulder everyone else is just exhausted" a knock at the door got their attention  
"Come in" the door opened revealing a smiling yet nervous Yang  
"Hey I heard you….Penny?" Yang stopped short  
"Salutations Yang"  
"I-You….Ruby what on Remnant?" Yang looked to her sister in utter confusion  
"It's her" Ruby smiled "It's really her"  
"My original body was damaged beyond repair in Vale but my Aura….my soul was transferred to a new body" Penny explained  
"Well I'd offer you a robot fist bump but…." the blonde trailed off indicating to her damaged arm, Ruby flew across the room in a shower of petals pulling her sister into a tight hug  
"I'm so sorry for everything I said-"  
"Hey, hey it's okay I'm sorry too" Yang held "But the fight isn't over yet"  
"What?"  
"I've been training with Raven, with my mother. She's gone to search for Uncle Qrow I'm going to Atlas to get Weiss and Blake"  
"We were going to Atlas anyway, Team RNJR and Penny" Ruby told her "There's room for all six of us on Penny's Bull-Head"  
"There's something you need to know" Yang pulled back, her expression nervous as she indicated to the end of the hallway "There's going to be eight of us"  
"You" Ruby hissed as she saw Emerald and Mercury  
"Ruby, Penny's okay. You don't need to-" Yang never had chance to finish, Ruby had rushed forwards in a shower of petals tackling the mint haired thief to the ground, hands wrapping around her throat  
"I'LL KILL YOU!" Yang and Mercury grabbed her by the shoulders and dragged her back  
"RUBY THEY'RE ON OUR SIDE!" Yang roared trying to calm her "Ruby Cinder is still alive, Cinder has a master, she sent someone to Patch to capture you. Vale was only the start" the moment was interrupted by Penny rushing into the hallway  
"WE NEED TO GO RIGHT NOW!" seeing four pairs of eyes turn to her "Atlas is under attack"

 **Authors Notes:**

Regarding Volume 4 episode 6:  
Ren back-story, nice I'm also 112% sure Raven killed his family. Now I want to know were he met Nora, why Nora doesn't already know this story and why it never came up that he's a Mistrali during the 3 volumes he was on a team with Pyrrha.  
Holy fuck Weiss can sing.  
Jacques Schnee is a weapons grade cunt and I find my distrust of Whitley to be even more justified.  
Henry….No mate, red top, blue hair, undercut. Your name is discount Neptune. You want a real name; earn it.  
Ren's Semblance is Spider Sense.  
Okay I have no words for how annoyed I am at the RT for holding back the fact Tyrian is a Scorpion Faunus. He is all kinds of fucking crazy and I love it.  
Also, Qrow….come on man at least unsheathe your sword when you block, you did that to Winter as well. I know you're good but don't be a dick about it.

Now let's summarise:  
'The Nikos Clan' okay so all the Tribe names are in Greek and all Mistrali villages are named in Chinese because I wanted to create a clear distinction between the two and make them separate cultures complete forgetting that Pyrrha Nikos is a Greek name; we only saw her Mother so in this story, her Dad was like Qrow in Canon, he left his tribe to start a family. It also helps explain why Pyrrha was so insanely bad-ass and why her village were so willing to believe the worst about her.  
Yes Tyrian bit somebodies throat out as a warm up for a fight.  
Rover's 'Overdrive Mode' last seen in the Breach, where he mixes Dust with Cocaine to increase his Super Speed for a limited time; he used just Dust in conjunction with the weaponised phasing that Ruby used on that one Grimm, also remember how it left her arm totally numb. Rover is now missing presumed dead.  
Reece Chloris is a) Charisma incarnate. b) crazy enough to get a piggy back ride on a jet-pack so she can shoot a Dragon with handguns. c) best girl.  
Rodakino is just as fast agile and bat-shit crazy as her Dad, she can easily outfight three people that don't know each others' styles perfectly.  
So Ruby activated her silver eyes again. Are we sensing a pattern? Also notice how she woke up a lot sooner this time.  
The Neptune and Scarlet kiss. Okay I headcanon that Neptune is actually gay and isn't out, he flirts and overcompensates because he's struggling with his own sexuality. Scarlet is openly gay. I may write a spin-off story that details what happens with those two at some point in the future.  
"Blaze" of Glory. Most brutal Yang pun ever, Raven level brutality.  
Tyrian is dead also he wasn't a Faunus in this. If RT had shown that tail from the get go then he and Rodakino would both have been Scorpion Faunus.  
So Hazel now has the Summer Maiden. Guess that's bad news for.  
More Raven back-story.  
I don't think Ruby and Emerald are finished yet, also Penny doesn't know it was Emerald who killed her.  
In the context of this story I like the idea of Yang and Merc as a BrOTP

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review


	71. 71: Insurrection

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 71: Insurrection**

Blake made her way through the corridors of Winter's vessel. The Black-Ops team had spent the night aboard the warship as it hovered above Schnee Manor, it's presence a clear deterrent to anyone who would try and interfere with Jacques Schnee's announcement later that day. Pushing concerns about the coming day to the back of her mind she made her way to where she'd been told the person she sought was staying and rapped her knuckles against the door  
"Come in" Obsidian's warm and cheery voice answered as the door slid open with a soft hiss. The first things Blake noticed when she entered the Snake Faunus' quarters were the darkness and the heat, her eyes adjusted naturally to the gloom, finding Obsidian's vivid irises peering back at her from his meditative position on his bed; the heat however was uncomfortably oppressive and humid  
"My apologies young one, I forget that not everyone finds the cold of Atlesian winter as disagreeable as I do"  
"It's no problem" Blake had no intention of making the man feel uncomfortable in his own room  
"So Miss Belladonna, what is it I can do for you?" Blake took a deep breath, deciding that she had come this far and that she could handle whatever answers she got from this conversation  
"You said you knew every member of the White Fang personally when you were free. I grew up in a White Fang operated care home and never knew my family, I wanted to know if you had any idea who they were" Obsidian's eyes closed for a moment when they opened he seemed as if he'd aged ten years, stroking his beard he spoke  
"Ghira and Kali Belladonna were two of the most loving and hope filled people I ever had the pleasure of meeting"  
"What happened?" Blake asked, forcing herself to ignore the lump in her throat  
"We lost three of our founding members on a single day. Your father despite the fact he easily rivalled your friend Gangrel in size was actually just an admin worker, he has no business getting involved in that job" the Snake Faunus gave a weary sigh "I only know what happened second hand through Sienna. I was already imprisoned when it happened but from my understanding Nino Brown and Whoopi Goldberg, a rabbit and hyena Faunus who ran our less reputable affairs, managed to acquire a large amount of stolen medicine including vaccinations for a newborn baby. Your mother was pregnant at the time, your father decided to help unload the shipment when the warehouse was raided by Atlesian Defender, the predecessor to the Atlesian Knight….they didn't take prisoners"  
"And my mother?" Blake asked, screwing her eyes shut to stop the tears from falling  
"She became ill after your fathers death, she had no means of supporting either of you so she gave you up to Sienna knowing you would be cared for….she passed on not long after. For what it's worth Blake they would be proud of you"  
"Thank you" Blake managed to give a small smile as she wiped her eyes "I never knew. I grew up wondering if I was just some junkies kid that they never wanted" Obsidian rose from his position on his bed and moved silently across the room, placing a hand on her shoulder  
"Young one I can't say why Sienna never told you about your parents but rest assured they would have loved you"  
"What were they like?"  
"We have some time before we're required on the ground" the older man gave his usual somewhat unnerving smile, lower jaw separating "I can tell you a few stories"  
"I'd like that"  
"Me and your father got drunk with Bjorn one time and he told me his life's ambition was to make part of Menagerie habitable again and set up a village there….A week later I realised he was actually serious"

Adam sat in the passengers seat of the nondescript van while directing the driver to the location Watts had given him. Adam had no doubt the human intended to use him for his own ends, they all did, but the man had so far provided useful information and it would be pointless to snub it out of hand  
"Left here, straight down last one on the right" Adam instructed the driver, the van turned into a small industrial estate. He knew this part of the city, Bergwerk-Teef so far into Lower Atlas is was underground, his home town was not far.  
"Here we are people" the driver called into the back off the van the group of Grunts clambered out the vehicle as Adam's attention was brought back into the present, exiting the van he made his way into the rusted shed. The place had once been a scrapyard, Adam had vague memories of coming here with Felix to sell stolen cars before the proprietor had been arrested, now it was empty save for a single truck with a flat-bed trailer attached to the rear, resting on the trailer thoroughly secured in place was an Atlesian Bull-Head Raubvogel variant  
"Nice" one of the grunts grinned as they began searching the truck "Keys are here"  
"Can anyone here fly a Bull-Head?" Adam asked  
"I can" a voice answered, Adam's face morphed into a savage smile his Aura flaring and crackling  
"There's been a change of plan"

The Black-Ops team were assembled in the atrium of Schnee Manor in a loose group behind Winter. Obsidian stood next to the specialist, holding out a hand to Jacques Schnee whom Whitley was standing next to. The man looked offended at the mere notion  
"Put your paw away and never presume to touch me again" he gave the reptilian a disgusted look before turning to Weiss "This is who you side with over your own family is it?" Gangrel gave a growl so low it was felt rather than heard, the Schnee Patriarch's eyes widened as Obsidian's tail lashed out he calmed somewhat when the appendage wrapped around the hulking Faunus' wrist  
"Father be civil for once in your life" Winter spat, Jacques gave her an icy glare  
"You're no daughters of mine. You forfeited that when you chose to disgrace the Schnee legacy"  
"Well thank Oum for that" Weiss's scathing interruption left both of them stunned "If this is what the Schnee name stands for, bigotry exploitation and cruelty then I want no part of it"  
"We are getting distracted from our purpose here" Obsidian noted "Although it is enlightening to get the measure of you after all these years….you really are every bit the monster parents tell stories about to scare their children into behaving"  
"Agreed, on both points" Winter forced her voice to remain neutral "Myself and Weiss will be on stage beside you and Whitley. The rest of my team will be remaining hidden from view while patrolling in pairs, Slate and Scarlatina, Adel and Belladonna one heavy weapons specialist and one close range fighter per team. Neo you will be protecting Mister Eadala"  
"And what of General Ironwood?" Jacques demanded "I was assured he would be overseeing this personally"  
"Our entire fleet has been put on high alert due to an….incident affecting both Mistral and Vale, General Ironwood's attentions are required elsewhere" Winter informed him, he gave an annoyed huff in response before turning and striding towards the double doors muttering about incapable foreigners, Whitley made to trail after him halting when he found Winter's hand firmly on his shoulder  
"I notice you didn't disagree with anything he said"  
"Winter you know I-" she held a hand up to silence him  
"Grow a backbone and do it soon" with that she strode off after her father, face morphing into the emotionless mask she was used to putting on for the public, Weiss nudged him gently as she fell into step beside him  
"Winter has a point Whitley. We're going to be the change Atlas needs, we can't do that if you continuously kowtow to Father or let the board members bully you into submission"  
"I know that" Whitley sighed "But it was meant to be you that inherited the company, I have no idea what I'm doing"

The command bridge of the Schleier Der Tranen was filled with the faint sounds of computerised alerts informing the crew of automated reports and routine checks carried out elsewhere on the vessel and the occasional brief conversation between crew members, First Mate Pine lounged in the captain's chair having been given command in Operative Schnee's absence; the two had tried to form a working relationship since his assignment but he found the disregard for protocol that he had been warned was a hallmark of the Specialists unsettling, Winter for her part found him to be a poor substitute for the previous First Mate an individual whom everyone who had served aboard the Schweigen held in high regard, one Matte Skye. A series of high pitched bleeps brought him back from his thoughts  
"Sir unidentified Bull-Head inbound" one of the crew informed him  
"On screen" without delay the panoramic view screen that made up the front of the bridge changed from a tactical view of the area below to an image of a single craft on a course for the Schleier Der Tranen, thick black smoke billowing from its' left wing mounted engine  
"It's an Atlesian craft sir but not one of ours" another crew member noted "They're hailing us" Pine nodded indicating to open the channel  
"This is First Mate Pine of the Schleier Der Tranen, identify yourself"  
"This is first lieutenant Periwinkle assigned to the destroyer, Schwert Gottes. We were performing a flyover between the capital and Eisenstadt Zweite, mechanical failure on the left wing  
"Protocol is to return to your own vessel" Pine fought to keep an accusatory tone out of his voice  
"I'm aware of that sir but with the mechanised element being decommissioned I have live troops, this ship was nearer" Pine's brow furrowed, that changed matters and despite what others may think he was not a total stickler for protocol at all times  
"Understood" he opened a second channel "Docking bay one be advised we have inbound fighter requiring repairs"  
"Thank you sir" Periwinkle gave a sigh of relief before cutting the comm off. Pine turned to a member of the bridge crew that served with him under Captain Soleil on their previous assignment  
"Ensign Chalk, contact the Schwert Gottes and inform of the situation"  
"Aye Sir" for a few moments silence reigned on the bridge, it was broken by Ensign Chalk turning to the First Mate a terrified expression on his face  
"Sir we have a problem….The Schwert Gottes was destroyed in Vale, it was downed by the Dragon Grimm" it took less than a second for the dots to connect  
"INTRUDER ALERT! WE HAVE INTRUDERS ON THE SHIP!"

"NO PRISONERS!" Adam roared as he leapt from the Bull-Head swinging Wilt in a wide arc unleashing his Semblance in a wave of crimson that cleaved through flesh and bone. The White Fang rushed in after him weapons blazing, cutting down any of the maintenance crew that avoided the Bull-Faunus' wrath  
"Periwinkle" Adam turned to the Cassowary Faunus whose skills had got them aboard the warship "Take the troops to Command Bridge and destroy everything you can"  
"Understood….where are you going?"  
"They have one of our people held prisoner. We don't abandon our own" with that he deployed the machine gun mounted in his cybernetic arm and focused his Aura, surrounding himself with bloody light  
"Incoming!" one of the grunts bellowed before their upper body was shredded in a storm of bullets and laser fire as a trio of machines lumbered into the docking bay. Atlesian Paladin battle-suits  
"Get back!" Adam ordered as he rushed forwards, the battle-suits were far more cumbersome and unwieldy than the true Paladin as the pilots could not hope to react and control the machine at the same speed as an AI would. With a roar of exertion Adam unleashed his Semblance forward as a solid wall rather than its' usual wave. The Paladin was flung into the nearest wall and utterly crushed, the walls and floor blackened by exploding ammunition and vital systems while blood oozed from the remains of the cockpit  
"Get down!" Adam leapt to the floor at Periwinkle's panicked shout, a salvo tearing through the space he had been stood. Rushing back to his feet he saw the avian Faunus charge one of the remaining Paladins while the other grunts hid behind the craft stored in the hangar taking shots wherever possible, he rushed the other machine, pain lancing through his shoulder as his Aura absorbed laser-fire. With a snarl he reached the Paladin and leapt into the air thrusting the glowing blade of Wilt through the cockpit, the machine stilled as the pilot was impaled. Dropping to the ground he turned to see that periwinkle had managed to get on top of the remaining Paladin taloned feet piercing its' armour as she emptied her weapon into the power system that was visible from her vantage point. As the battle-suit sagged forwards Adam reached it and tore the front of the cockpit off, Periwinkle reached in and dragged the pilot out before pinning him to the ground  
"I want to know where Cheshire Motley is" Adam growled  
"I want to fuck your mother again but I'm here instead" the soldier spat back before howling in pain as Periwinkle's taloned toe sunk into his gut  
"Idiot human" the avian snickered "You're only tough when you're _inside_ the tin can" she pulled her talon free forcing another scream from the man  
"I'll talk, I'll talk!"

Cheshire heard gunfire outside her cell, followed by screaming. Moments later a glowing red blade was thrust between the two components of the sliding door to the brig before being used to leverage the two pieces apart. As the door screamed in protest, sparks flying and smoke billowing as the reinforced opening was destroyed a single figure stepped through  
"Adam?" Cheshire stared in disbelief  
"Stand back" he warned her before slashing through the bars of her cell  
"You actually came to break me out?" the Tigress struggled to comprehend the situation  
"I did promise you another shot at the Schnee" Adam smirked stroking her bruised and battered face before tearing off the Aura dampening collar she wore "Who did this to you?"  
"Roman's pet monster, she's working for the Schnee's now apparently"  
"Everyone we hate in the same place" Adam gave a dark chuckle before pulling a Scroll from his pocket, he'd taken to not carrying one after Vale but relented for this mission "Periwinkle what's your situation?"  
"We took some losses but we've got the bridge, that's the good news" she gave a series of disturbingly wet coughs "Bad news is one of 'em tagged me and they managed to alert the rest of the fleet as well. We've got the rest of the crew locked out, I doubt their willing to try using explosives to get it open. Want me to start firing on Schnee Manor?"  
"Get back to the Bull-Head….I'm going down there personally" The Bull-Faunus ordered  
"Nah" she laughed "I'm bleeding out boss….I'm gonna stay here and wait for the fleet to show up, I'm taking another ship down even if I have to fly this one into it. May as well make dying worth it" Adam took a deep shuddering breath and set his jaw, the sacrifice his soldier was willing to make leaving him more determined  
"It'll be worth it. By the end of today Atlas will belong to the White Fang" ending the call he stalked from the brig making his way towards the hangar with Cheshire following behind him.

Gangrel watched from his vantage point peering through a window on one of the upper floors of Schnee Manor, Velvet next to him. The announcements were being made on a podium set up outside the main gates of the manor, Gangrel assumed this was because Jacques Schnee had no intention of allowing the press into his home; a sentiment he couldn't find it in himself to disagree with. Winter's voice sounded in his earpiece as she and Weiss flanked their father, Whitley at his right as they made their way onto the podium. Obsidian hanging back hidden from view waiting for the right time to reveal his presence  
"Slate, Adel I can't contact the ship"  
"Want two of us to head up there?" Coco suggested  
"No….whatever it is my crew are capable, you know your duties"  
"Yes Boss" the fashionista answered  
"No problem" Gangrel agreed  
"I'm glad we're here to see this" Velvet murmured, seeing Gangrel turn to her she continued "I joined the White Fang because of the racism against Faunus. Casual racism is always going to be a thing but today might be the beginning of the end for the institutional racism"  
"Let's hope so" he sighed "It's starting" cameras flashed as Jacques Schnee stepped towards the microphone and cleared his throat  
"Ladies and gentlemen, my fellow Atlesians" he began holding out his arms to the gathered crowd, his demeanour a vast departure from Gangrel's personal experiences with the man "I'm sure you all have much more worthwhile things to do with your day than listen to the ramblings of an ageing man, so I'll try to keep this brief. I am a proud father to three children, my eldest daughter, Winter here serves in our fine military, my second daughter Weiss is training to be a Huntress both of them have the distinction of serving in the battle of Vale, their choices however preclude them from taking up the mantle of head of the Schnee Dust Company so it is for that reason I announce my intention to retire at the end of the year and formally name my son Whitley as my successor"  
"The way he can lie with a straight face is almost impressive" Velvet noted distastefully  
"Now let's see what the kid's made of" Gangrel chuckled as he watched the slender boy make his way to the podium next to his father to the sound of polite applause  
"Thank you, thank you" he began voice wavering slightly "It's a great honour and duty to be given, to be named as the one that shapes the future of your family legacy and to an extent that of the entire Kingdom of Atlas. With that in mind I believe that a time for great change is upon us and history will judge us for where we stand on these issues"  
"Gang you see that?" Velvet nodded to the horizon, he gave a low growl  
"Winter we've got more ships inbound, what's happening?"  
"I don't know" she admitted "I can't contact anyone aboard the Schleier Der Tranen" Whitley's voice sounding over the PA system once again got their attention  
"My first action as head of the Schnee Dust Company will be to bring all Faunus employees to the same rate of pay as humans in the same job and will be advocating for legislation to make this a legal requirement. Feeding into bigotry and hatred for the sake of profits is no longer viable or acceptable and it is for this reason I would like to return the hand of friendship and welcome to the stage, Obsidian Eadala, head of the coalition" There was a moment where it was plain for all to see which of the reporters were raised in Lower Atlas, they were the ones that cheered while the rest gave polite but confused ovations. As Obsidian made his way to the stage Whitley removed his shirt and waistcoat revealing a T-shirt with the slogan 'Trust In Us' emblazoned across it  
"Okay that wasn't part of the plan" Velvet gasped  
"The kid did a little extra, gotta give him credit….Jacques must be fuming right now" Gangrel cackled  
"Bull-Head inbound" Coco's voice sounded over the earpiece, Gangrel and Velvet snapped to attention  
"It's coming in too fast" Winter realised, Gangrel saw two figures leap from the rear hatch and realised what was about to happen  
"COCO SHOOT IT OUT OF THE SKY!" he roared before grabbing Velvet and teleporting, reappearing beside Neo who was trying to pull Obsidian to safety, the pandemonium had already started, the sound of Coco's mini-gun opening fire had sent the press scurrying in a frenzy. They reached the stage at the same moment Adam and Cheshire landed, the Bull-Faunus aiming his machine gun directly at Whitley's chest. Winter dived in front of her brother a glyph materialising in front of his chest, a stray bullet bullet ripped through Winter's outstretched arm breaking the bone. In the confusion Cheshire slipped past and kicked Weiss from the stage  
"I hope you're all still filming" Adam's voice was eerily calm as his true intention was made clear. He held Jacques Schnee by the throat, Gangrel teleported beside him a fraction of a second to late. Wilt had been thrust through the mans' chest and out of his back. Adam span and caught Gangrel's downward slash with his cybernetic hand, dropping the dying Jacques Schnee  
"You're never going to learn are you, I know how you fight" with that he kicked the Bear-Faunus firmly in the stomach sending him unceremoniously to the floor. Winter tried to charge the Bull-Faunus, sword held in her left hand, right arm hanging limp at her side; her only reward was a heel kick in the temple  
"Winter pull back. Protect Whitley and Obsidian"  
"Adel! Belladonna! Where are you?" Winter demanded  
"The Bull-Head went down on the grounds. There were White Fang grunts still inside, they've split up we can't let them get into the manor" Winter gave a wordless howl of rage before another voice sounded in her earpiece  
"Captain Schnee this is Private Krasnyy. We've retaken the ship Ma'am permission to open fire on ground targets"  
"Granted" she gave a feral snarl "Everyone pull back"  
"Me and Thumper are dealing with Adam" Gangrel panted in response. Winter grabbed Whitley and pulled him back towards Schnee Manor, Obsidian joining them  
"Let me help" he took Whitley from the injured soldier, the three of them made it to the entrance where they were joined by Coco and Blake  
"Where's Velvet?" Coco demanded  
"Dealing with Adam"  
"Are you insane?" she screamed "Adam whole teams of Hunters, I've gotta get out there"  
"You can't!" Winter's words were punctuated with the first missile from the ship exploding against the ground  
"Winter" Blake whispered, expression terrified where are Weiss and Neo?"

Weiss thrust Myrtenaster at Cheshire's throat, the unarmed Tigress sidestepped and delivered a right hook that sent her sprawling to the floor followed up by a kick to the gut that sent her rolling  
"I'm going to gut you with your own sword" she cackled as picked Myrtenaster from the ground stalking closer to Weiss she made to stamp on the Huntress's face. Weiss created a propulsion glyph directly above her head, Cheshire's foot connected with it hurling her back through the air leg landing at an unnatural angle. Picking herself up Weiss made her way over to where her opponent had fallen and retrieved her sword  
"Go ahead then" Cheshire spat as she struggled to rise "Kill me right now if you've got the stomach" Winter kicked the Tigress to the ground and levelled the tip of her blade against her throat  
"Do it" Cheshire sneered sensing Weiss's hesitation "You can't. Pathetic we just killed your family and you don't have the guts-" she trailed off when a second figure came into view behind Weiss, shorter and sporting a disturbing smile as she twirled a parasol  
"No, no get her away from me" Cheshire cried as tried to crawl away. Neo casually pressed her foot against the downed Faunus' leg and shifted her weapon to it's death ray mode. Weiss stepped aside as Neo pressed the barrel of the weapon against Cheshire's forehead. The last thing she saw was a twisted smile and a flash of light.

Gangrel teleported away from Adam as another missile rushed to the ground near them. He re-materialised in time to see a wave of crimson fired from wilt tear the projectile apart, Velvet attempted to tackle the Bull-Faunus to the ground only to be caught and held in the air by the throat Gangrel withdrew Breaker and fired into Adam's chest before Velvet could meet the same fate as Jacques Schnee. Their battle was momentarily halted by the sound of metal screeching against metal  
"What the-" Gangrel silently mouthed as a trio of towering machines lumbered through the remains of Schnee Manors' walls, each of them five times the size of a Paladin their armour stylized to resemble a knight. Mantle Sentinels, relics from the great war  
"Another time then" Adam sneered before launching his Semblance in a wide arc, Gangrel teleported to avoid it reappearing to see that Adam was already running towards an unmarked van that was waiting for him, helping Velvet to her feet he snarled into his headset  
"Winter what's happening?"  
"Everyone's….our team are safe, Weiss and Neo just made contact"  
"Adam's making a break for it we're going after him" he ended the communication and turned to the rabbit Faunus who nodded as she drew her weapon and generated a hard light copy of Yang's bike.

The van tore through the streets faster than Adam thought the vehicle could possibly move, the driver not daring to take their eyes from the road as they swerved through traffic  
"How much time do we have?" the deer Faunus asked, clearly panicked  
"Not enough for the original route, head for ground level and get us out of the city" Adam replied, they had made it into the hollowed out mountain that Schnee Manor was built upon and were making their way down through the various levels of the hive city; killing Jacques Schnee had been a bonus he could not afford to pass up the real plan was yet to happen and time was against them  
"We've got company" the driver informed him, Adam looked in the wing-mirror and saw Velvet riding a translucent blue motorcycle constructed by her weapon while Gangrel clung on behind her  
"I hate it when she does things like this, it reminds me why I fell in love with her" Adam sighed before deploying his machine-gun and leaning out of the window to open fire.

Velvet swerved through traffic cursing to herself as bullets whizzed past her, Gangrel readied Breaker and returned fire over her shoulder. She saw Adam launch himself back into the van as Dust rounds ripped through the space he had occupied, shattering the wind-shield and tearing the wing-mirror away.  
"Have I ever told you how much I hate shoot-outs While moving?" Gangrel snarled as Adam leaned out of the window once again, this time aiming at cars near to Velvet's back aiming to cause their engines to explode and catch them in the blast  
"Complain to me some other time I'm concentrating on driving" Velvet hissed through clenched teeth as the bike screeched around another corner as they headed ever further downwards  
"We're getting near ground level! He's trying to get out of the city!" Gangrel realised, Velvet's eyes narrowed  
"If I get above him can you get into the van?"  
"Yeah" Gangrel answered somewhat nervously, Velvet forced the bike forward, pushing almost every bit of her weapons' power supply into it; as the construct sped forwards the Rabbit-Faunus swerved and raised the front wheel into the air before forcing the whole bike upwards, as Adam's van turned a sloping corner down onto ground level the bike cleared the barrier between the two levels landing in front of the van at the same moment Adam slashed with Wilt.

Gangrel appeared in the Van between the driver and passenger seats, time seeming to slow to a crawl as Adam launched his Semblance forward in a horizontal arc through the shattered wind-shield. His boots connected with Adam's chest at the same moment as the crimson wave connected with Velvet's rear wheel, the hard-light construct shattering with the impact sending her hurtling forwards with a series of jarring thuds as she hit the floor. Adam shared a similar fate as he was kicked through the door of the still moving Van. Gangrel then wrestled with the driver for the steering wheel before sending the vehicle veering into a wall at high speed before Teleporting out  
"You okay?" he asked as he pulled Velvet to her feet, her clothes were scuffed and torn and she was covered in small cuts and grazes but besides a gash along the side of her head it seemed that her Aura had taken most of the damage  
"All things considered, could be worse"

Adam pulled himself to his feet, cursing to himself when saw that the machine-gun mounted on his arm had been partially crushed in the fall from the van, which he saw was now smashed into a wall. Flaring what remained of his Aura into life he stalked forwards readying Wilt as his entire body became a nexus of pulsing blood red light. The exit was in sight and he had very little time, Gangrel and Velvet were almost predictably in his way, he fixed Velvet with a cruel yet almost amused stare  
"How many times are we going to do this my love?" her weapon created a copy of his own sword, seemingly her default close combat weapon  
"This is the last time, it ends here"  
"Well you're not entirely wrong" he chuckled launching himself forwards at blinding speed, Gangrel predictably teleported in front of him swinging his sword in a horizontal slash; the Bull-Faunus launched himself into the air, using Gangrel's blade as a surface to vault from as he slashed downwards. Velvet rolled away from his Semblance as it cleaved through the ground. As Adam landed he slashed at Gangrel's back expecting him to teleport away, instead the Bear-Faunus spun and blocked with his own sword managing to position himself behind Adam and fired breaker into his back. Adam staggered forwards only to receive a knee to the face from Velvet that sent him sprawling to the floor, launching his Semblance in a broad wave directly from his body before they could press their advantage he dragged himself to his feet, swaying with exhaustion. His two opponents approached once again, cautiously moving to flank him  
"You know its' a shame you have to die here Gang. I really would have loved for you to see this in all its' glory"  
"The dramatic speeches aren't fooling anyone Adam. The ship you tried to take over is back under control and you left Schnee Manor with your tail between your legs. We've got you" Adam gave a twisted grin as he slowly backed towards the way out of the hive city, using a clock on a nearby building to count down the seconds  
"You think that was the plan?" he chuckled "No I've got something much bigger in mind, remember when we were younger and we had dreams of how we'd take down Atlas if we could?" he watched as Gangrel's eyes widened in comprehension swinging Wilt in a wide arc to prevent them following him as he ran for the exit. He made it out of the city a scant few seconds before the explosions started.

"That can't have been anything good" Coco noted stopping pacing as rumbling tremors shook the manor. They had all gathered in a single room the Weiss holding onto Whitley while her younger brother wept Klein had arms wrapped around both of them, Winter watched them from a distance forcing herself to keep some semblance of composure with her arm bandaged. Neo had volunteered to be the one to retrieve Jacques' body. Blake was almost compulsively rechecking her weapons as if she expected to have to fight again at any moment, Bjorn and Obsidian were sharing meaningful glances  
"Agreed" Winter spoke up, voice hoarse  
"Want us to head out?" Coco asked, before Winter could answer her earpiece alerted her to a message from her ship, removing the earpiece she set it to loudspeaker  
"Report"  
"Ma'am" the acting officers' voice trembled "Priority message from General Ironwood"  
"Understood, patch it through" moments later the Generals' voice filled the room  
"This is a priority one message to all Ship Captains and Special Operatives. We are now at code black, the following is a message received moments ago" with a soft crackling the voice changed  
"Human Oppressors of Atlas, this is Adam Taurus. Leader of the White Fang resistance movement and leader of the Republic of New Menagerie. The cities built on the labour of exploited Faunus have been broken and your resources will be seized in reparation for your crimes against me people. The Human population of New Menagerie will be placed in internment camps, any acts of aggression against us will result in….repercussions against them" there was a moment of stunned silence before General Ironwood spoke again  
"The blast doors at the divide of all seven Eisenstadt cities as well as the exits at ground level have been bombed, effectively sealing Lower Atlas off, furthermore Dust bombs have been used on several levels beneath the Upper Atlas divide of each city, destroying them almost entirely. An attack on the CCT Tower at Eisenstadt Zweite was prevented. We have communications with the rest of Remnant but our situation is dire" Ironwood took a deep breath  
"As of this moment the Kingdom of Atlas is in a state of civil War"

 **Authors Notes:**

THREE HUNDRED THOUSAND WORD MILESTONE

Okay let's summarise:  
The first scene was an explanation for why Ghira and Kali aren't in this story, also a nod and a wink to his role as chieftain in canon.  
What happened to Menagerie will be explained at some point.  
Whoopi Goldberg as a Hyena Faunus because there is never time when a Lion King reference isn't a good idea.  
Nino Brown, New-jack City reference.  
Watts' is hooking Adam up for his own gains, Adam knows he's probably being played but is content to go with it for the time being.  
Jacques Schnee is never not a dick.  
Obsidian's put downs are in my opinion pretty brutal without being outright rude.  
German as Atlesian, the Warship "Schwert Gottes" is the "Sword of God".  
Adam really is loyal to his people and will happily storm a warship to break out a valuable lieutenant.  
Cassowary Faunus, with talons. Why isn't this a thing?  
Jacques Schnee is not just a horrific cunt to his kids but he's also slimy and can put on a public front (A bit like my sisters Dad actually but I digress)  
I'm making Whitley a little spineless but not a dick in this, although in canon I don't trust him or his freakishly long legs and beady little eyes.  
So, Adam killed Jacques….Does that make him more or less of a bad guy?  
Neo was always going to kill Cheshire it was just a matter of when.  
Mantle Sentinels, the knight that Weiss fought in the White Trailer, I'm not calling them possession Grimm because a) there are no possession Grimm in this story and b) Why would you keep Grimm in your house.  
Car chases because that's what sells ticket these days right? Besides I haven't had a reason for Velvet to replicate the Bumblebee for a while.  
Gangrel teleporting into a moving vehicle, think those ghost things/glitchy agents from Matrix Reloaded.  
So remember back in Volume Three when Gangrel told Weiss how he and Adam had conversations when they were younger and he was still in the White Fang about how they'd take over Atlas if they could? Yeah Adam just did it.  
Atlas Civil War. That is all.

Okay I'm going to ask a serious question, where the actual fuck have my reviewers gone?

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review


	72. 72: Ruins

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 72: Ruins**

Yang cast her eyes around the dimly lit rear compartment of Penny's fighter as the craft flew silently through the night towards Atlas. The craft had had its' passenger seats removed leaving everyone besides the copper haired pilot either sat or laid on the floor. The remaining members of Team JNPR, Yang refused to acknowledge Team RNJR Ruby was part of Team RWBY and that was that, were asleep Nora cuddling up to Ren whose arms were wrapped around the small girl while his chin rested on the top of her head; Jaune had fallen asleep with his sword in his hand while glaring at Emerald, the mint haired thief was currently asleep herself leaning against Mercury. Yang had positioned herself between the two groups as Jaune had seemed ready to lunge at Emerald upon seeing her while Ruby currently squirmed in her sleep against Yang's shoulder, the blonde made to stroke her sisters' hair before remembering that her prosthetic arm had been ruined in the battle of Anquan-Jia, the hand dangling limp and torn wires clearly visible in the ragged hole torn into the forearm  
"I can work on that for you if you want" Mercury murmured, his voice low to avoid waking his partner "I need to tune up my own anyway" he motioned to his right leg which was bent at an unnatural angle just above the ankle  
"You can give me a….in fact never mind I've used that one before" Yang sighed before yawning "I'm too tired right now" the grey haired teen gave a snort  
"Atlesian cybernetics are good quality but they're all registered, it's why I never used 'em….besides getting the software to work with any third party equipment is a days work on it's own" seeing the look Yang was giving him he merely shrugged "I'm assuming you're gonna want another gauntlet for your right arm at some point, it'd probably be faster to build a new arm from scratch and integrate a weapon into that"  
"Like what Adam Taurus has?" Yang snarled, knuckles cracking at the memory of the broadcast from General Ironwood they had received where the Bull-Faunus declared himself the ruler of his own Kingdom  
"I wouldn't know I didn't build his, what did it look like?"  
"Claws for fingers, machine gun that deployed under the forearm, ridged armour plates and the cybernetic muscles were visible in some places, looks like he just told them he wanted the cartoon bad guy look"  
"Definitely sounds like a custom job, probably built by someone in Doupeng-He Bishou. I know it was Cinder that got it for him rather than his own people" the conversation was halted by Ruby moaning in her sleep  
"No, no Penny!" her silver eyes snapped awake clearly panicked, the subject of the nightmare turned back to face them a concerned expression on her face  
"Ruby are you okay?"  
"Yeah….Yeah" Ruby managed to mumble as she made sense of her surroundings "Just another nightmare"  
"P.E.A.R.L switch to autopilot"  
"Confirmed" the synthetic voice answered, Penny gestured to Ruby who immediately made her way to her before curling up in the mechanical girls' lap, Mercury saw the strange look Yang gave as her eyes followed her sister  
"Disappointed that she went to somebody else?" he asked, voice barely audible  
"It's a little weird realising she's grown up" Yang admitted equally quietly before sighing "Why am I telling you this"  
"Tell me all your family problems if you want knuckles, I guarantee mine are worse"  
"….You've met Raven right?" Yang snorted  
"Unfortunately" Mercury smirked "But you never met Marcus Black….consider yourself lucky"  
"So what are you going to do when we get to Atlas?" Mercury looked thoughtful  
"Make contact with Operative Schnee, me and Em will probably be more useful at trying to infiltrate Adam's territory than head on combat"  
"Scared Merc?" Yang teased "I can hear your knees knocking from here" he merely rolled his eyes at the jibe  
"It makes sense, Adam knows me and Em by sight but he doesn't know where we went after Vale. We can infiltrate one of his internment camps and cause trouble 'til he has to come in person then work our way in from there-"  
"Merc he's putting humans in camps, I don't think he's going to care if you worked for same person at some point" yang interrupted, he conceded the point  
"Then we cause havoc in his camps and break people out….It's not the first time I've had to kill a prison warden"  
"Oum your childhood really was messed up" Yang whispered seeing the haunted look in the mercenary's eye  
"Atlesian Border Defence are hailing us" P.E.A.R.L announced, Yang and Mercury turning their attention to face the pilot's seat at the sound.  
"Unidentified aircraft this is Colonel Lapis of Atlesian Border Defence. State your name and business or we will open fire"  
"This is Operative Polendina of the Special Operatives Branch returning as per General Ironwoods' orders" a few moments of silence passed, allowing Yang to make her way to the front of the craft and peer through the cockpit, gasping in awe at the sight of the assembled Atlesian fleet. Warships hovered overhead as far as the eye could see, glinting as light from the newly rising sun struck them. Fires could be seen burning in the distance below.  
"You check out, you're to dock at Frostschutz base outside Eisenstadt Prime. You'll be escorted from there….Welcome home soldier"

Hazel entered Salem's great hall with some trepidation while Rodakino marched beside him head held high, he knew that the failure to utterly destroy Mistral's capital would not be forgiven. His eyes widened at the state of the room, the crystalline table had been shattered and now the strange light within it pulsed as it regrew itself; he forced his expression to one of utter neutrality upon seeing Salem herself. She was furious  
"You dare?" she seethed, the very walls of the great hall seeming to ripple and shudder with her words "You dare return here after your failure"  
"Mistress" Haze began, his deep rumbling voice instantly silenced under her baleful stare  
"My Dragon, one of the greatest amongst my children was laid low!" the pale skinned abomination sounded grief stricken "Mistral should have been laid low and yet it prevails because you and Tyrian failed in your tasks you miserable worms!" Rodakino stepped forward drawing her axes at the mention of her late father, her attention utterly focused on Salem she failed to notice the other figure in the room making their way through the shadows  
"Mistress" Hazel began again "Tyrian fell in battle, Raven interfered personally. Allow me to present his daughter Rodakino heir to the Poli-Trogon clan and the Summer Maiden" Hazel was glad the girl had moved in front of him as the smirk was proving impossible to remove from his face  
"Is this true child?" Salem hissed softly, a calculating look upon her face as she studied the scarred and tattooed fighter in front of her; in response Rodakino engulfed her entire body in a burning magenta light before allowing the power to coalesce around her clenched fists while her eyes blazed  
"I am not your child, witch! I am a goddess amongst mortals!"  
"Indeed child" Salem gave a cruel smile "You have raw power beyond mortal comprehension, fortunately I am no mere mortal and fully appreciate the gifts you would squander" Rodakino made to rush forwards, the attack came faster than she could anticipate  
"Coward" Rodakino forced out, blood pouring from her mouth as she looked down and saw the glassy blade protruding from her chest and red stain expanding outwards across her clothes; collapsing forwards as the blade was pulled free she struggled to rise, coughing up mouthfuls of thick viscous blood as her attacker came into view; a woman in a crimson dress with a heavily scarred face, her right eye golden while her left was a vivid green. Her hands were engulfed with crackling golden light which caused her eyes to glow which the rapidly fading Maiden recognised as of the same origin as her own powers  
"Cinder, claim what is yours" Salem cooed, the Fall Maiden's sword shattered, the individual shards weaving their way into her outfit as she held her palm out in-front of her victims face  
"You have the powers of a god and you skulk in the shadows" Rodakino spat, blood still pouring from her mouth as she spoke "You do not have the soul of a warrior" Cinder's face morphed into a twisted smile as the flesh of her hand seemed to bubble and warp before a pair of mandibles pierced the surface, the parasitic Grimm that inhabited her body crawling to the surface  
"I'm about to"

Fagin Grey lounged in an exceptionally comfortable chair on the balcony of his penthouse suite apartment with a bottle of champagne resting beside him, his usual attire of one of a number of expensive suits absent in favour of a pair of shorts with a hole cut in them for his tail and a baggy tank-top. This was what the Rat Faunus loved about Vaccuo, it never got cold here and while most of those native to the under-hive slums who managed to move to a place where sky was visible seemed to love star-gazing he felt most at peace in the fresh morning air looking down at the city below that his criminal empire took over more of with each passing week  
"You're not even going to bother with a glass?" a sultry voice asked, Fagin turned to see the speaker making their way out on to the balcony; a slender Rabbit-Faunus with caramel skin, flowing dark hair and pale pink eyes clad in a robe and he suspected very little else. Orchid Hemlock, one of Fagin's most trusted lieutenants in the Vaccuan Faunus Mafia and occasional lover  
"Nah, I'm pit scum remembered" he smirked "I only pretend to act civilised"  
"I won't argue with that" Orchid chuckled before taking the glass and downing a considerable amount of the liquid herself "So if you're getting drunk first thing in the morning what are we celebrating?"  
"Total domination" the Rat Faunus gave a broad smile, the cap on one of his over large front teeth glinting in the morning sun  
"So you're really going to go against Adam?" she asked, his smile turned cruel  
"You're too fucking right I am! After what he did to Felix, all the supplies he thought he was getting are staying right here; in fact fuck it I'll give 'em to Junior let him distribute 'em around the refugee camps around Vale"  
"All the people trapped in Lower Atlas?" Orchid started only for Fagin to cut her off with a derisive snort  
"Fuck 'em. Adam's taken lower Atlas over, he has the Dust and the weapons but he doesn't have enough food to weather this out, cutting him off and turning the whole place into a giant tomb is the most effective way of dealing with him. Whoever wins Atlas is going to be fucked, Mistral's capital was hit hard yesterday and while the media is going crazy over those two facts nobody is going to be talking about the fact I cleaned house last night" the Rabbit-Faunus gave him a wide eyed stare  
"What?"  
"I had everyone who's still loyal to Adam in the organisation rounded up, they're all at the bottom of the bay wearing concrete boots" taking a look at her mortified expression he grinned "Cheer up and look at the big picture. Vaccuo is the only Kingdom that hasn't had a major attack and we're taking it over piece by piece, when Vale eventually gets back on its' feet I'll have roots so deep in the place through dealing with Junior I'll effectively own the place, when the dust settles in Atlas I'll deal with it the same way and anyone who would have stabbed us in the back has just been taken care of. Shit, right now I'm actually one of the most powerful people on Remnant….Idiots like Adam with their revolutions, if you want to change the world, you've got to buy it first"

Sun was outside of Junior's club sweeping up the last of the broken glass and fast food wrappers that seemed to accumulate around the venue every night; Junior himself leaned against the wall puffing on a cigarette.  
"When you're done with that you can give the place a good clean as well" the mob boss chuckled  
"Pretty sure that's not my job" the blonde Faunus retorted  
"Pretty sure you're job's whatever the fuck I say it is and put some back into it"  
"I'd consider it if my back wasn't already a mess"  
"Tai put you through your paces again?"  
"Well that and-" Sun's cocky answer was cut short by Junior giving him a pointed glare  
"I swear you finish that sentence and it involves one of my nieces there is nothing that Aura, doctors, Faunus anatomy or Oum himself can do to fix what I will do to you"  
"Am I interrupting at a bad time?" a bemused voice asked "Because if you two are having a lovers quarrel"  
"Fuck off Tai" Sun laughed as her turned to see the older man walking towards him, Zwei running around his feet with tree branch clamped firmly in his teeth  
"What can I do for ya? I still owe you for training my top doorman" Junior held out a hand which Tai promptly shook, the mobster had quickly managed to make himself one of the more known faces on Patch, making himself and his club integral parts of life on the island  
"I'm going to be heading to Atlas, I need someone to look after Zwei for me, think you'd be able to do me a favour?"  
"Atlas?" Sun asked "You're going after Adam Taurus?"  
"Yang text me last night to tell me she found Ruby in Anquan-Jia….Your old team-mates are fine by the way, apparently they hooked up, The two of them are heading to Atlas to meet up with the other half of their team, I know I can't convince them to come home so I'm going to help anyway I can. As for Adam Taurus if I see him I'll make him wish he was dead"  
"I'm coming with" Sun said simply "I lost a good friend in Vale" Junior sighed  
"I can't give you holiday pay, I can't afford it but I'll have a job for you when you get back. You can be the one to tell Miltia" Sun gave a small smirk  
"No problem, watch this" he picked Zwei up from the ground and opened the door to the club "Hey Millie"  
"I hate being called that ass-hole" was the answer as she sauntered over to him "Oh my Oum look at the puppy"  
"Yeah he's Tai's, listen me and Tai are heading to Atlas to help out with everything that's going on there. Can you take care of him?" Miltia planted a quick kiss on Sun's lips before taking Zwei and rushing into the club to show her twin. Sun turned to Tai and Junior  
"Okay so good news is Miltia isn't angry at me, bad news is you're probably not getting your dog back"

Artemis was curled up in the bed that she had shared with Rover, clutching a pillow that had his scent on it as her whole body shook with silent sobs upon waking up and realising that the previous day had indeed happened. Nothing had registered with her since the previous morning, not the news that the Dragon had been destroyed permanently in Mistral, not the news the White Fang launching a large scale attack on Atlas and not the groups of people that came to her door asking her ridiculous questions like if she was okay; how could she be okay when Rover was gone.  
"Artemis" her heart leapt into her throat; she'd heard him, she'd heard his voice. Looking around their room was still empty of anyone besides her  
"Now I'm going crazy" the feline laughed through her tears at the needless cruelty life seemed to be throwing at her  
"Artemis, I'm here" she leapt from the bed. She had definitely heard his voice, distant and distorted as it was. Eyes glowing as she triggered her Semblance she scanned the room again, hands flying to her mouth as she saw the silhouette of her fiancé  
"Oh my Oum" her voice dropped to a stunned whisper "You're-you're alive" the canine Faunus came into view, his body vibrating with golden energy sparking and crackling around it as he used his Semblance though his entire form seemed strangely translucent  
"Yeah, I'm alive babe. There's nothing on Remnant that can keep me from you….but that Dragon made a good attempt" Artemis realised that his voice sounded distant and echoed strangely  
"What happened to you?"  
"I don't know" he answered, his voice betraying his worry "Something went seriously wrong with my Semblance. I can still use it but now using it is the only way I can interact with anything, I'm like a ghost when my Aura runs out" Artemis stepped forward and placed her hands on his cheeks, feeling him slow down as much as he could risk she pulling him into a long passionate kiss which he eagerly returned  
"We can fix this, we will fix this" she told him firmly "I am not losing you" his only response was to pull her close and hold her, holding his Semblance as long as he could until he faded away, body becoming intangible and invisible once more.

Winter had been the one to meet them at the military base, Emerald and Mercury had been promptly assigned to her ship and had since left. Upon seeing that Penny's personal craft was the size of a Bull-Head and not a vast warship like her own she had come aboard and instructed Penny to fly directly to Schnee Manor  
"Whoa" Ruby said simply as she took in the sight while stepping from the rear hatch unsure of which was more impressive, the grandiose structure itself or the damage around it; the high wall wall that formed a barrier around the manor had a hole smashed in it, a gouge torn in the earth led to the wreckage of the downed Bull-Head that had crashed through it, the ground was littered with craters  
"Come on let's go inside" Yang sounded tense as she fell into step beside Winter who was already making her way to the double doors. Ruby immediately realised why. Stepping inside the Manor Ruby was once again taken aback by the sheer extravagance of the place  
"A King-Taijitu statue, really what is he compensating for something?" Nora laughed  
"I don't believe you're the first person to make that observation" a balding and portly man noted as he came into view "Although it is in rather bad taste to make crude jokes about Mister Schnee so soon after yesterday's tragedy"  
"Thank you Klein" Winter forced out, forcing herself to keep staring forwards knowing that if she turned to face the hammer wielder they would probably come to blows and she didn't feel like murdering a Huntress "Where are the others"  
"Currently in the sitting room, I believe Miss Adel is getting impatient and trying to convince the others to take matters into their own hands"  
"I can't say I blame her" Winter's expression was savage as she stalked through the hallways towards the room in question, Ruby, Yang, Penny, Jaune, Ren and Nora in tow.  
"I don't get how you can be calm! I thought you and Gang were meant to be like brother and sister?" Coco's furious demand was the first thing they head upon opening the door  
"You think I'm calm right now?" Blake retorted incredulously "He is I know Gang and Adam better than anyone here which is why I'm telling you that Gangrel and Velvet are okay. Firstly because they're both some of the best fighters I've ever seen and secondly because if they were dead Adam would have made a point of gloating that he'd killed two traitors who were at Schnee Manor"  
"Belladonna makes a solid point" Winter noted as she entered  
"And I just love it when you're feisty" Yang grinned, the room went deathly silent, amber eyes met amethyst  
"Yang?"  
"Blake" in a moment the Faunus was across the room, arms around the blonde's waist face buried in her neck  
"Yang I'm so sorry for everything I-"  
"Hey, we already did this in a call remember" Yang murmured as she stroked her lovers hair  
"I know but I've missed you so much and oh my Oum your arm and-" Yang pulled back and cupped Blake's cheeks before kissing her  
"I love you too, just please don't ever run off again whatever it is we need to face we'll face it together" Blake seemed to melt into Yang the two holding each other close. Ruby made her way past the admittedly sweet moment over to Weiss who sat away from where Blake and Coco had been arguing, Penny joining her  
"Hey partner" Weiss looked up and gave her a weak smile  
"I'm sorry Weiss, if we'd gotten here a day earlier we could have-"  
"Don't" Weiss said simply "What happened happened and we can't change it. All we can do is keep moving forward….And just where did you go and Penny….how?"  
"I was only mostly dead" Penny explained simply, Weiss seemed too utterly exhausted to think of a response to that  
"We went to Mistral to return Pyrrha's shield to her family, then we ended up in Anquan-Jia I-we destroyed the Dragon for good this time" Weiss grinned up at her  
"Wow that Ruby girl is really, really cool….and I'm glad I'm her friend"

Neon Katt limped through the ruins of Eisenstadt Prime, her home had been in one of the four levels under the divide between upper and lower Atlas that had been utterly destroyed; she assumed that as it was a majority human district the White Fang psychopaths had written it off as acceptable casualties. The blast doors had been sealed as had the thoroughfares in and out of the city the destruction of four levels had created an eight story gap between the two severed halves of the Kingdom, piled high with burning wreckage and countless bodies. She had managed to escape the explosions and the collapse and had spent the entire time since getting anyone she found to one of the many emergency triages she saw being set up, now she was utterly exhausted.  
"You've got two choices human scum. Come with us or die here" Neon pressed forwards towards the source of the voice peering around a corner what she saw sickened her, a group of four White Fang grunts had a human woman backed against a wall struggling to shield a small child  
"I'll come with you just please don't take her away from me" the woman sobbed  
"She'll be raised by her own kind" one of the grunts growled before shoving the woman away and grabbing the little girl, whom Neon guessed was no older than five and had a pair of prominent antlers sprouting from her head"  
"Mommy!"  
"Please don't take her!" the woman made to grab her daughter and Neon sprung forwards, small thrusters in her skates propelling her as her nunchaku collided with the face of the nearest grunt, denting their mask  
"You're a Faunus" one of them roared "You should be fighting with us!"  
"Fuck this, kill them and go!" the grunt that seemed to be in charge snarled. Three things happened in such rapid succession that Neon barely had chance to comprehend it. Firstly with a crack and thick black smog trailing from his body Gangrel teleported into view behind the grunt in charge, a weapon that the feline recognised as originally belonging to his deceased partner pressed against the base of the grunts spine and firing. Secondly the grunt holding the human woman withdrew a butchers' knife and plunged it into the woman's chest. Thirdly the child seemed to rise from the ground enveloped in a blinding green light, eyes blazing  
"MOMMY!"  
"Oh fuck!" Gangrel tackled Neon, teleporting mid fall, they reappeared much further away from the blast but she still saw what happened, a shock-wave of pure light and energy engulfed the remaining grunts. When the light subsided they were no longer moving  
"Oh my Oum" Neon turned to see Velvet  
"Where the hell were you?" the feline demanded, the Rabbit-Faunus indicated to her ankle  
"Broken ankle, Gang's having to prop me up"  
"What on Remnant is going on?" Neon demanded  
"White Fang own lower Remnant now, their leader Adam Taurus killed the head of the SDC in public yesterday then did the same thing he did here to all seven hive cities. As far as we can tell they're rounding up humans and taking them somewhere"  
"Right now none of that is important" Velvet hissed as she struggled to stand "Help me up, we need to take care of that little girl" Neon nodded and did as she was asked  
"Mommy, Mommy wake up" Velvet's heart broke at those words  
"Little girl, what's your name" the child turned to face them she had large pale green eyes filled with tears, dirty blonde hair that reached down to the middle of her back and was clad in a thick cream coloured woollen jumper and ripped jeans, every inch of her seemed to be covered in dirt and grime  
"Not supposed to talk to strangers, Mommy said" Velvet choked back a sob, silently swearing that she'd kill Adam for this, of all his sins taking a mother from a child no older than her own baby sister was the one that struck her as the most viscerally evil  
"Your Mom, your Mom isn't gonna wake up I'm sorry" Neon reached forwards and patted the girls' shoulder as she started to cry  
"You can't stay here, it's not safe, we're going to take you somewhere where those people can't hurt you, somewhere with food"  
"Promise you won't let the bad men hurt me?"  
"Promise" it was Gangrel's gravelly voice that answered  
"I'm Velvet, this is Neon and that's Gang….don't worry he's not as scary as he looks"  
"I'm Jade Rangifer" the child mumbled  
"Where do you live?" the little girl pointed upwards  
"Nowhere any more" her meaning was all too apparent  
"Where's your dad?"  
"I don't know him" Velvet turned to Gangrel and Neon hoping that one of them would have some sort of answer  
"Neon have you got your Scroll?" the Bear-Faunus asked  
"Yeah but it's really low battery"  
"Okay I need to send two text messages, I've got a plan but it's gonna be tough"  
"Dare I ask?" Velvet rolled her eyes, getting a small giggle from Jade who Velvet realised had gaps where her front teeth had fallen out  
"I'm gonna text Weiss, let her and Coco know that we're still alive. Then Neon I need you to text Flynt and tell him to go to Club Depth in Eisenstadt Dritte and make sure Ringo Umi knows we're coming"  
"How are we getting there from here?" Neon asked  
"Like I said it's going to be tough, if we go far enough down into Lower Atlas there's a tunnel network that connects the cities; problem is the White Fang know about it and are probably using at least some of it and it's not entirely free of Grimm" Velvet placed her hands over Jade's ears  
"So it's a fucking death trap then?"  
"Don't forget I'm an ex-Fang from lower Atlas I know those tunnels better than these new recruits ever will"  
"It's not like we've got any better options, I'd let you stay at my place but it's not standing any more" Neon sighed  
"Oh my Oum" Velvet clasped her hands to her mouth "Your family-"  
"I'm an army brat" the feline shrugged "My parents paid the rent for a little apartment so I had somewhere to call besides the Academy and the ship they're stationed on"  
"Come on then" Gangrel picked Jade up and placed her on his shoulders, Neon helped Velvet limp along "This is going to a long fucking trip" the Bear-Faunus sighed  
"Mister Gangrel said a bad word" Velvet couldn't help laughing at that  
"Yeah he does that"  
"Mommy said people who swear are a bad influence" Gangrel chuckled himself  
"Not the first time somebody's parents have said that about me" and with that the three Huntsman carried the unwitting Spring Maiden through Lower Atlas.

 **Authors Notes:**

So this is the conclusion to my version of Vol.4, we're way of canon now aren't we.

So let's summarise:  
Never mind I've used that one before….that was basically a fourth wall break, thinking up new puns for Yang is hard.  
I like the idea of Mercury and Yang becoming friend, they're my BrOTP because everything that Yang is going through with her arm, he's already gone through after losing his legs, they've both got a killer for a parent (Although Raven is worse in Canon). I also like the idea of him bonding with Weiss and Winter over their Daddy issues.  
Also deploying Merc & Em in Adam's territory to sabotage everything they can seems like the best use of their skills at this point.  
Yeah obvious set up was obvious, you should have known that Rodakino was dead as soon as Hazel saw her.  
If you haven't figured out what's happening with Cinder in relation to her taking the Fall Maiden's powers and killing Pyrrha yet then I won't spoil for you just how much she's actually fucking herself right now.  
Side note "I'm about to" is the one-liner of the year.  
Fagin Grey is an amoral, ruthless, calculating scum bag. Who is perfectly willing to cut off the food and fresh water supply to the entirety of Lower Atlas to starve Adam out.  
His plan kinda works though.  
"Orchid Hemlock" so Poison flower basically, would you trust someone with that name?  
Tai and Sun will be heading over to Atlas, they're not the only ones.  
Ha! you thought Rover was dead (It was me Dio!) right now you can think of him like Tracer from Overwatch, blinking in and out of reality.  
BUMBLEBEE REUNION! FUCK YEAH!  
Weiss's line to Ruby was a play on the initiation if you didn't catch it.  
Yeah, you thought I was joking Adam is putting humans in camps.  
Remember how Blake explained it Yang "There's no such thing as a half Faunus" Jade is Faunus because her Dad was, her mother was human.  
Yeah Gangrel just performed a gangland execution on a Grunt, remember back in Vol.1 when he was trying to limit casualties because the White Fang were just misguided kids who needed better options, that shit was officially done the second Squish died.  
A little girl trying to get their dead mother to wake up….you know what I apologise for making you read that because fuck it was actually hard to write.  
Jade Rangifer; Rangifer being the genus that Reindeer belong to. It seems fitting for a Spring Maiden from Atlas which is pretty much always cold and snowing to be a Reindeer.  
Also yes, the Spring Maiden is a five year old girl with no idea how to consciously use her powers or defend herself; and she's Faunus. So not only does she have Cinder to worry about, what do you think Adam would do with that kind of power.

Thank you to 6tailedninja for their review of the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	73. 73: War Report (Vol5)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 73: War Report**

Velvet's eyes roamed the ground below, flickering lights powered by hastily rigged generators illuminating the Atlesian Knights patrolling the edge of the jokingly named Safe Zone below. It had been three weeks since the siege of Atlas began. She, Gangrel and Neon had managed to fight their way from the capital of the Kingdom to the depths of Eisenstadt Dritte with surprisingly little resistance, bringing the five year old Jade with them where they had met up with the underground figure that was Ringo Umi whose own organisation along with surviving members of the Atlesian military police had taken control of a portion of the city. Upper Atlas was yet to send any relief and tensions were running high in the safe-zone, they didn't have the resources to survive an all out attack from Adam and they knew it.  
"Hey Thumper" Velvet turned to see Gangrel and Flynt entering the room, her current vantage point was a fifth floor window, the neat almost grid-like structure of her former residence being abandoned this far down into the under-hive. She was unsure of who the original occupants of this apartment were or their whereabouts, if they were Human it was highly likely they had been captured  
"Hey Gang, didn't realise you were on watch tonight" she whispered softly as the Bear-Faunus took up a position next to her  
"Wasn't meant to be" he shrugged "Jade had a nightmare I couldn't get back to sleep after, I may as well make myself useful"  
"There's something weird about that kid" Flynt noted as he took up his position, being the Huntsman to relieve Velvet  
"You've got no idea" Gangrel muttered  
"Oh please she's adorable and so are you when you're looking after her" Velvet laughed "When we get out of here Weiss is going to take one look at you two together and want one of her own"  
"Seriously! What the fuck?" The Bear-Faunus sputtered while Flynt cackled maniacally  
"Oh Oum can you imagine a mini-Gang? I mean I knew him when he was a kid, he was a little shit"  
"I just imagine a little ball of messy hair and bad attitude" Velvet laughed  
"That's not far off"  
"You can both fuck off" Gangrel grumbled while grinning at the good natured teasing "I grew into my bad-ass is that a problem? And leave my hair out of it, we couldn't all afford to go to a barber every other week to keep the fade looking fresh….at least it was never as bad as Adam's"  
"Adam used to look messy?" Velvet asked momentarily stunned, she's only ever known the Bull-Faunus to be impeccably dressed  
"We grew up in care Thumper, we were broke as fuck everything was hand me down. That's probably why dresses like a pretentious ass-hole now" Gangrel pointed out "But yeah he looked ridiculous, seriously I might actually send the picture I've got to Winter so she can use it as anti White Fang propaganda"  
"Speaking of Winter" Velvet sighed "Any word?"  
"Not yet, I spoke to Weiss earlier today….Thank Oum they didn't manage to hit the CCT tower" Gangrel thought for a moment "This is above top secret but they tried burrowing into the capital a couple days after the attack, Adam sent the military pictures of about a thousand humans in a camp with Fang pointing weapons at 'em, the implications were pretty clear"  
"And no word from Fagin either" Velvet noted suppressing a shudder at Adam's ruthlessness  
"No" Gangrel admitted  
"He's fucked you over there's no food or medicine coming" Flynt grumbled "Fagin's always been scummy, it's not really a surprise"  
"True" The Bear-Faunus admitted "But he's fucked Adam over as well"  
"What makes you so sure?" Velvet asked  
"We're not dead yet" Gangrel snorted "If he had a steady stream of resources and the extra manpower from Vaccuo he would have hit us hard by now"  
"Even with the amount of Atlesian Knights we have?" Velvet asked "I mean they're military-" she trailed off at the sound of Gangrel and Flynt's laughter  
"Sorry, sorry. I forget that the tin-cans are actually intimidating to people from out of town" the larger Faunus chuckled "Breaking a Knight is basically a rite of passage in Lower Atlas, everyone's done it by the time they're in their teens"  
"And that's why we're sat here on lookout duty" Flynt growled, Velvet nodded in agreement she wasn't happy about it either, she'd much rather have been taking a more active role  
"We don't have the means to take care of anyone else, as soon as Upper Atlas make a hole big enough to get trucks through we'll start hitting the camps" Gangrel said softly before turning to Velvet "We need to before everyone starves to death because that would be a pathetic way to go after everything"

Yang lay in her bed in one of the guest rooms of Schnee Manor. Blake was nuzzling into her as they cuddled with each other like they had been every night since the blonde had arrived in Atlas, Yang's left arm wrapped around the sleeping Faunus' waist, her cybernetic right arm had been removed to be repaired and their legs tangled beneath the sheets. A gasp of pleasure from one of the other rooms brought a scowl to her face, both she and Blake had initially blushed at how vocal Nora was before breaking down in fits of hysterics when they realised that a quirk of her Semblance caused all the lights in that part of the manor to flicker when she reached orgasm; it was a lot less funny when the voice in question belonged to her sister  
"Penny don't stop!"  
"Nope, that's it I'm done" Yang snarled to herself, convinced that her irises were burning red at the moment. Gently extracting herself from the bed without waking Blake she found the orange tank top and black shorts she wore to bed in the rare instances she or Blake bothered with nightclothes, getting dressed and planting a gentle kiss on Blake's forehead she left the room; willing herself to ignore the sounds of creaking and heavy breathing as she stalked down the halls  
"That's keeping you up as well?" Yang turned to see Emerald leaving her own room clad in one of Mercury's T-shirts and brightly coloured knee height fluffy socks, the blonde raised an eyebrow at the offending garments  
"Nice socks"  
"Merc's legs aren't the comfiest thing to have pressed against you when it gets cold" the former thief shrugged  
"Fair enough" Yang grinned as the two of them made their way down towards the kitchen "So are you getting cold feet about coming to Atlas"  
"Oh for Oum's sake" was the exasperated sigh she received in reply "If she wasn't preoccupied I'd actually let your sister kill me if it got me away from the puns"  
"Hey!" Yang snapped "Some things you don't joke about….Penny might be back, but I've never seen Ruby like she was after Vale before. She went to Mistral just to hunt you down Emerald, I don't think you get how much you messed her up"  
"I get it, trust me I get it" Emerald's crimson eyes lowered and her voice became a hushed whisper "I'm used to stealing from people to get by I've probably ruined a lot of peoples' day, but Vale….Fuck I helped ruin lives, so many lives"  
"Yeah well consider this a second chance at life" the pair walked silently for a few moments before reaching the kitchen and finding it already occupied  
"Hey beautiful, knuckles" Mercury greeted them  
"Erm, Merc….you know there's places better suited for that?" Yang motioned towards the collections of tools and parts strewn across the workstation  
"It's fine I put a sheet down, besides I wanted to be able to grab snacks while I work" picking something up and examining it thoroughly he turned to Yang "They're done by the way. I couldn't make it like your old one, I hate working with advanced mech-shift" Yang's mouth dropped her cybernetic arm had been repaired, the only noticeable difference was a series of sockets and sensors running from the wrist to the elbow joint  
"Oh my Oum thank you" Yang gasped "Is this what you've been doing all night?"  
"All night?" he laughed "I wish it was only one nights' work, Getting the sensors to work with the existing software was a pain in the ass. Don't worry about re-attaching it, it won't cause neural feedback"  
"You mean like when I first attached it?" Yang looked at the limb with some trepidation until the grey haired teen nodded, she took a deep breath and attacked the arm; it was cold and numb for a few moments but mercifully painless  
"Other thing is the new weapon" Mercury continued "I haven't got ammunition lying around to test it but I've got faith in my work" he handed the device over, it was comprised of a shotgun component like that of her existing gauntlet with a secondary weapon next to it of a more advanced nature; the weapons were connected to a section that was clearly intended to attach to her prosthetic  
"What's the second weapon?" Yang asked eyeing it with some suspicion  
"Single shot photon blaster for emergencies, really scaled down version of what Atlesian warships are fitted with. I figured if I'm stuck working with Atlesian tech I may as well have some fun with it"  
"This looks awesome" she admitted "Have fixed your greaves?" the mercenary's old weapons had seemingly been damaged along with his cybernetic leg in the battle for Mistral's capital. Mercury snorted in response  
"No, I just threw those out"  
"Why?" Yang gasped, utterly perplexed  
"You think those are my actual weapons?" he laughed "I just made 'em for infiltrating Beacon, my usual choice of weapons aren't exactly the sort of thing Hunters use, okay I'll admit that fitting weapons to my new legs was one last 'fuck you' to Marcus Black"  
"Do I even want to know?"  
"I usually use knives, poison gas, car-bombs and sniper rifles….no flashy shit like your sisters' either, something I can use and get rid of" Yang was taken aback, reminded once again that Mercury and Emerald were never really hunters and had just been playing the part  
"Car-bombs and poison gas?" she demanded, utterly aghast  
"Not every fight gets won honourably" he shrugged  
"Merc, come to bed" Emerald sighed "You know we're meeting Winter tomorrow you need to get some rest"  
"What?" Yang hadn't been aware of that  
"Looks like we might actually be doing something useful" the former thief explained  
"You think you're getting deployed to Lower Atlas?"  
"Probably a safe assumption"  
"Oum….Just….stay safe" the Blonde fixed them with a stern look "You're a pair of ass-holes, but don't go getting yourselves killed" Mercury and Emerald both laughed  
"You too Yang" Emerald grinned "Be careful when your team gets deployed somewhere; you're a bunch of stupidly happy go lucky optimists….Remnant probably needs some of those right now"

Taiyang stepped off of the small ferry breathing in the cold sea air as the sun began to rise; yawning and stretching he cast his eyes around the makeshift defences that had been set up around the docks  
"These weren't here when I left" Sun noted idly as he strolled behind him giving the mounds of sandbags and gun emplacements a disparaging look "Sandbags, really?"  
"They're more of a prevention than a cure" Tai explained "They're for the peace of mind of whoever has to man those guns. You know what attracts Grimm"  
"Quickly and succinctly explained Taiyang, the hallmarks of a good teacher" the pair both snapped towards the source of the voice to see the bespectacled man leaning against another pile of sandbags drinking from a steaming Thermos  
"Barty!" Tai exclaimed "Good to see you're still kicking, how are Pete and Glynda? Any sign of Oz?" Oobleck drained his Thermos in a single gulp  
"Pete and Glynda have the North and South Walls respectively while I've been left in charge of securing the docks and surrounding areas; with the Dragon gone we have much better chances of pushing back into the city and retaking control. As for Ozpin, there's been no sign of him"  
"I refuse to believe he's dead" Tai said simply "But the Dragon's not just gone from here it's gone for good, it was brought down in Mistral"  
"I understand that one of your daughters was instrumental in that victory?" Oobleck grinned  
"They were both there….Ruby took off to Mistral with some friends, Yang got her new arm and went after her while I stay at home to make sure the bills are paid; some parent I am right? An old friend of mine didn't make it home safe either"  
"Cods-wallop Taiyang" Oobleck peered over his glasses "I've led those girls on a mission before and their determination is truly impressive, if they wanted leap into the fray again there is precious little anyone could do to dissuade them….although I assume that your insistence on being a part of this relief team is connected to Yang and Ruby's whereabouts?"  
"They went to Atlas to help, apparently the other half of their team are from Atlas"  
"Ah yes the young Miss Belladonna and Miss Schnee, terrible what happened to her father whatever you think of the man" Oobleck sighed. Taiyang nodded, he'd never met Jacques Schnee personally but what he knew of the man made his skin crawl, according to Qrow who was acquainted with the eldest of the Schnee children that was a fair reaction but being murdered in front of his children was no way to go.  
"So who am I taking with me to Atlas?" Tai asked suddenly eager to get moving  
"A warship under the command of Captain Soleil is departing to Atlas from the North Wall in a few hours, I assume you plan to take Mister Wukong here with you?" upon seeing Taiyang nod the doctor turned and called out to some of the younger Hunters prowling around the makeshift defences  
"Away team fall in!" with that four people made their way forwards and snapped to attention, a tall blonde woman with a gigantic hammer strapped to her back who carried herself with a sense of purpose, an obvious veteran. A young man with dark skin criss crossed with scars and sharp blades mounted on his forearms, a towering behemoth of a man with a sword Taiyang guessed was almost the same size as himself and a Cat-Faunus with mismatched eyes and a sniper rifle, some of the faces were vaguely familiar to him after watching the Vytal tournament  
"You'll be heading to Atlas alongside Miss Victoria Arc, Misters Yatsuhashi Daichi and Fox Alistair supporting a contingent of troops and relief workers" Oobleck mentioned to the people in question "Miss Blush here will accompanying Mister Tan to a medical facility" Taiyang looked at the people assembled before him  
"Uh, Barty I think you miscounted" as soon as the words left his mouth another figure came into being beside the Faunus, their entire body vibrating and crackling with energy  
"No I'm here….sort of"  
"Mister Tan was injured attempting to stop the Dragon, it seems to have negatively affected his Semblance, we believe a scientist in Atlas who specialises in working with Aura may be able to help"  
"Arc" Taiyang held a hand out which she shook "Your reputation speaks for itself you're as tough as your old man was, hell even your little brother's capable. The rest have you, have you seen real combat before, no disrespect intended I just need to know what I'm dealing with  
"Every Hunter here has served beyond the front lines and fought in the battle of Vale" Artemis informed him "The other half of Fox and Yatsu's team are already stationed in Atlas, mine and Rover's team leader is there as well"  
"Where's your fourth member?"  
"Died evacuating civilians" Tai winced at the words  
"Then they died a hero" he didn't expect the condolences to help much but they were all he had to offer  
"Tai" Oobleck got his attention, handing him a small computerised device when he turned to face him "Take the explorer"  
"You're serious?" Ooblecks love of his personal transport was well known  
"Indeed, it's unlikely I shall be attending to any archaeological sites for the foreseeable future I'd rather it was used for some good rather than being used as a glorified cargo plane. Just do be sure to bring it back in one piece" Tai gave a soft chuckle  
"Will do old friend" he turned to the assembled Hunters "Okay as of right now, class is in session"

Adam stood at the head of the table in the meeting room, eyes roving around the room taking in the unmasked faces of his generals; so many people he didn't realise, so many people who should be here but weren't  
"Before we attend to business an important matter has been brought to my attention" at his words a pair of masked grunts entered the room, dragging a badly beaten grunt between them, a goat Faunus with one of his horns broken off, a clearly broken nose and a plethora of bruises marring his face. The Albain twins shifted uncomfortably in their seats in the periphery of Adam's vision  
"State your name" Adam fought to keep the blinding rage out of his voice  
"Billy Hoary" the prisoner slurred out, blood dripping from his ruined lips onto the floor as he kept his head down clearly too afraid to meet Adam's eyes  
"And why are you here?"  
"He was caught-"  
"I WANT TO HEAR IT FROM HIM!" Adam roared cutting off one of the grunts holding the prisoner in place, Billy whimpered  
"I-I was caught, trying to" he broke down, tears streaming down his face "Please, please Adam have mercy" Adam's right eye, glowing scarlet with the light of his Semblance grew more intense as he placed his left hand on the grunts shoulder and pulled him roughly to his feet, his right hand began a focal point for the power coursing through the Bull-Faunus  
"Were the children in the camp shown any mercy?" before he could answer Adam's fist shot forwards accompanied by the sickening wet snapping sound of his victims' ribs shattering as he punched a hole through his chest. Not one of his generals made a sound, Adam removed his fist and forearm from Billy's body and saw that some life still clung to the Goat Faunus before turning his attention the grunts that had brought him into the room  
"Get him out of my sight. Throw his body to the Grimm, he doesn't get a funeral"  
"Yes sir" the grunts responded in unison before dragging the limp body from the room, blood trailing behind it. Adam made his way back to the head of the table, his Semblance causing the gore coating his arm to boil and hiss  
"We are at war with Upper Atlas and the humans populating Lower Atlas need to be contained for the good of our people, we are soldiers, rebels and revolutionaries" his hands slammed down on the table "WE ARE NOT MONSTERS AND SAVAGES!"  
"Adam" one of the twins started only to quail under his gaze  
"Corsac, Fennec, I will make this clear to you once and only once" he snarled, energy crackling around his fist as he struggled to reign in his temper "I put you in charge of maintaining order in the camps, if I ever hear of something like this happening again and it isn't you telling me that you've dealt with it accordingly I'm going to start with the perpetrator and kill the entire of chain of command of that camp all the way up to you. Do we understand each other?"  
"Yes Adam" Fennec whimpered, ears folding flat against his skull  
"Now get out" red eyes followed the twins out of the room before Adam took a deep breath and cast his eyes around the room once more at the assembled Faunus, none of whom he had ever worked with personally  
"Lime, how are supplies looking?" Panama Lime, a poison dart frog Faunus with vibrant markings on her skin, wrapped up in several layers of clothing due to her bodies inability to retain heat in the Atlesian climate glanced nervously at the self proclaimed overlord of New Menagerie  
"We've got enough ammunition to fight a war but no armour, our old way of fighting isn't going to be enough for when Atlas finally decides they want to move against us" Adam nodded silently seeing the truth in her words "We've got water purification under control and managed to clear out some of the hospitals in the majority human parts of the Kingdom, Dust should last at least six more months but I'd recommend putting some of the humans we're keeping in camps to work mining more. It's food that's going to run out first" Adam turned his attention to Teddy Russet a Bear Faunus with stubby ears atop his head and sharp claws extending from his fingers  
"Russet, logistics….what's our situation?" the Bear-Faunus grimaced  
"We're getting hit everywhere" he grumbled "The rebels our hitting our trucks, the occasional Grimm attack and then there's….Well the troops are calling it the ripper, someone or thing is catching our people alone on recon missions, all we ever find is bodies occasionally with heads still attached"  
"Doesn't sound like a Grimm attack" Adam noted before turning to the last of his generals a Scorpion Faunus whose tail tapped rhythmically against the table, their face obscured by a hood pulled low  
"Pan have you come across this ripper?" Noctis Pandinus thought for a moment, fingers joining his tail as he drummed against the table  
"Not personally. Though a few of my teams haven't come back" his scratchy voice informed the room "Speaking of which we're ready to proceed, just give the order" Adam smiled at that, taking a few moments to think of a course of action  
"Lime made a good suggestion, Russet I want you to organise putting the interred humans to work with the Albain twins; have your people use it observe conditions in the camp make sure your people are well armed, if any humans try and run or the rebels try and break them out kill them"  
"Understood" the Bear-Faunus nodded  
"Lime at this point it's painfully obvious that Fagin has betrayed us and I can't contact any of my other personal connections in Vaccuo, it's safe to assume he's removed any threats to his control. That being said we need resources, your people have permission to get them by any means necessary. Deal with Mistrali pirates if needs be, we are our own Kingdom now after all I suppose cross-Kingdom trade should be looked in to"  
"Where do you need me?" Noctis asked, clearly eager to get back into the thick of things  
"Another good point from Lime, we need more than infantry. We won't win this fight with bombings alone. I want you to acquire some heavy armour, I don't care how you do it; the CCT staying operational means the enemy aren't as crippled as I'd like them furthermore they have the Bio-Domes outside Eisenstadt Vierte if we hit those our food shortages become less of a problem"  
"And my previous assignment?"  
"Do it" Adam gave a feral smile "Detonate the charges, the rebels will have less time to fight us when Grimm are pouring in"

Mercury and Emerald entered the study, it had previously been Jacques Schnee's domain and Whitley by all accounts felt unprepared to inherit it so the eldest Schnee was currently using it as a base of operations while she juggled both helping her brother attend to the families affairs and her role as an operative  
"Sit down" Winter motioned to a pair of chairs, Emerald noticed that she looked dreadful, bags around bloodshot eyes as if she hadn't slept for days  
"Are you okay?" the former thief asked "You're-"  
"My estranged father was publicly murdered by the madman who stormed my ship and killed members of my crew. The Kingdom I swore to protect is at war with itself and the vilest parts of humanity are starting to show themselves. Two of my agents one of whom is very dear to my sister are stranded in enemy territory. I'm having to help my younger brother take up the reigns of the family legacy and prepare our fathers' funeral. So no Sustrai I'm not okay" she rubbed her bleary eyes and took a deep breath "My apologies, I shouldn't take it out on you"  
"So you're sending us down there?" Mercury asked, looking relatively sleep deprived himself. Winter nodded  
"It's unavoidable" she sighed "Adam is too dug in and surprisingly well prepared, we've neutralised his supply lines so we can wait him out but the cost in civilian lives will be too high. We tried simply cutting their power and water, according to Belladonna some parts of Lower Atlas have infrastructure so poor that the residents are used to living in those conditions and have countermeasures in place. A full scale assault will lead to repercussions against prisoners. General Ironwood has effectively total control of the Kingdom in wartime but there are radical factions becoming more vocal and brazen as the people demand action….some truly horrific ideas have been suggested" Winter looked visibly disturbed by the memory of the last council meeting  
"When are we leaving, what's our objective and how tight of a leash are we on?" Mercury asked, his tone businesslike and emotionless as if this were simply another contract; internally he lamented the ease with which he could revert to being a cold hearted killer  
"You leave the day after tomorrow. Primary objective is to target any high ranking White Fang officials and sow as much disruption as possible. Secondary objective if possible is to create an extraction point that we can use to withdraw survivors and resistance fighters. This is a black-ops mission and you are being specifically chosen for your….unconventional approach, you will have free reign unless co-opted by Gangrel Slate, he is the field commander of my black-ops team"  
"So terrorist tactics unless Slate asks me to play nice" Mercury surmised with a grimace  
"I wouldn't say-" Winter was silenced with a dismissive wave  
"You gave me free reign to effectively dismantle a totalitarian state with very few resources; maybe guerilla warfare is a better way of phrasing it"  
"And one less likely to make people sick in their own mouths when they find out what their taxes are spent on" Emerald added with a smirk  
"At this point I don't think people care how we win this war, just that we do" Winter gave a dejected sigh "So yes, guerilla tactics to prevent something much more unconscionable"

Cinder sagged against the wall clutching her head in agony as two familiar voices screamed protests and swore retribution into her psyche. With a howl of fury her stolen powers manifested, light bursting forth from her eyes shimmering and oscillating between golden and vibrant magenta in colour as the walls and floor around her cracked under the pressure.  
"I am the true Maiden. I conquered you both" she snarled through ragged breaths before stalking down the crystalline maze-like hallways of Salem's lair, her powers subsiding once again; as she did so minuscule Grimm, insect-like in appearance with glowing tails and oversized mandibles swarmed across the walls and ceiling around her both lighting the way and alerting Salem to her approach; eventually she reached the doors to the great hall which parted for causing her to wonder just how much control Salem had over her domain  
"My child" the pale skinned abomination gave her a smile that could only be described as motherly  
"Mistress" she bowed her head as she made her way to the seat at Salem's right hand; her rightful place and spared Watts a look of disdain as she passed him. Hazel gave her a barely perceptible nod of acknowledgement as she passed  
"Hazel, how goes the search for the other two Maidens and the Silver eyed warrior?"  
"The girl is Atlas currently beyond my reach, I apologise. My informants have received no news of anyone who could be a candidate for the Spring or Winter Maiden's powers" the large man rumbled  
"No matter, they will appear in time and young Cinder will devour them" Salem cooed "Turn your attentions to Vaccuo, use your gift of sowing treachery and sedition among the underworld there"  
"Yes Mistress" Hazel rose to leave before Cinder caught his eye  
"Charlie?" she rasped out, garnering a perplexed look from Watts. Hazel merely nodded  
"Your dog is fine Cinder, I'll probably bring him to Vaccuo with me" Watts merely rolled his eyes at the rare sign of sentimentality before Salem turned her attentions to him  
"Watts, how goes the plan for Atlas?"  
"Splendidly Mistress" he boasted "The Taurus boy just needed to be pointed in the right direction, the occasional helping hand and massaging of his ego worked wonders; he performed better than expected. Now it's just a matter of using my assets to funnel money to the right places and wait for the citizens of Atlas demand blood, the idea has already been entertained by the council they just need to be pushed to desperation"  
"And the….Abomination" Salem hissed, her fury at what she saw as butchery and perversion evident  
"I have it secured ready to be utilised when the time comes" the moustachioed man decided not to espouse his own views on what the Atlesian Military had dubbed 'Project Hexxus' something based on the deranged Doctor Merlot's work but taken to a new depth of depravity; in Watts' mind it was an awe inspiring proof of human dominance  
"I leave Atlas in your hands"  
"By your leave Mistress" he gave a deep bow before leaving  
"The pieces are being taken one by one my child" Salem stroked Cinder's hair absent mindedly as one would a pet "Although I admit that the game loses something without a skilled opponent, Ozpin knew how to play the long game. You will be present when the time comes to truly break Atlas"  
"And the apostate?" Cinder hissed  
"Your predecessor showed herself in Mistral, if she enters the fray once again by all means my child you may kill her for me" Cinder's face morphed into a twisted smile at the thought of pitting herself against the traitor Raven Branwen.

Authors Notes:

Firstly MERRY CHRISTMAS, HAPPY HOLIDAYS, ALL OF THAT STUFF

Secondly Vol.4 Episode 07:  
Yeah so Oscar is the new Wizard then, pretty much confirmed at this point.  
Whitley is a slimy little piss-ant he's the heir to the SDC in this story but he's not as much of a dick about it.  
Weiss gave out the verbal smack down, but seriously she should have broke her Dad's nose and jaw for that slap, then proceed to quote Negan  
" _Don't do that again, I will shut that shit down no exceptions. First one's free, it's an emotional moment; I get it"  
_ Crescent Rose has a Pogo Stick mode now.  
Qrow V Tyrian was excellent; Qrow got hands.

Thirdly, welcome to Vol.5 this has been the longest break between chapter since I started writing the behemoth of a story but watching Rogue One reinvigorated me (Seriously if you haven't watched it and you're a fan of Sci-Fi or war films in general you owe to yourself to watch it) and I have so many plans for this; I will legit be making references to everything from RWBY Chibi to Starship Troopers to Fern Gully.

Now let's summarise:  
Yeah Atlas kept their robot soldiers working in Lower Atlas, I did show that in Vol.4; just to highlight how little of a fuck the council give about Faunus and poor people in general.  
Basically the police, every criminal who wasn't in Adams pocket and any human who doesn't want to be killed or put in a Gulag are on the same side in Lower Atlas now.  
Imagine Gang with kids, it's a hilarious mental image  
Flynt and Gang are old friends remember.  
The Bees are cuddling together and all is right with the world.  
Except for Nora's O-Face shorting out nearby electronics and Ruby and Penny banging loud enough to keep people awake.  
Emerald realises just how bad she fucked up (Also the fluffy socks….seriously that made me smile like a doofus when I thought of it because it's adorable)  
I have a headcanon that besides being a contract killer Merc is a bit of a jack of all trades, he can build weapons at least as well as the other students, drive, fly Bull-Heads knows a bit about medicine etc. Because he was trained (I won't say raised) to be completely self sufficient in his work.  
Yang now has even more fire-power.  
A quick trip back to Vale and a chance to show that the people there are surviving.  
Taiyang is heading to Atlas, oh be afraid Adam be very afraid.  
Rover is going to be treated by an Atlesian Scientist who specialises in dealing with Aura. You know who it is.  
Adam is ruthless and excessive in his violence but I refuse to write him as the sort of villain that condones everything his troops do; also a reminder that he can actually use his Semblance to punch a hole in someone since he hasn't done it since Vol.2  
Corsac and Albain, they give me the same bad vibe Whitley does. Like not only will they sell Blake out to Adam they'll then sell Adam out the second it becomes convenient, is it just me that gets that from them?  
Also more Faunus OCs, must be one of those days that ends in a Y though to be fair most of Adam's high ranking officers are traitors or dead at this point. Yes one of them is a scorpion Faunus, because Tyrian wasn't in this story and it's a fucking cool idea.  
"The Ripper" you know who that is as well (It's not Neo before anyone says)  
Adam is willing to flood the parts of Lower Atlas/New Menagerie he doesn't control with Grimm. That's where he's at mentally.  
#GiveWinterABreak2K17  
Merc and Em being sent to cause havoc.  
Cinder's hearing voices, but she's not crazy.  
Hazel's going to Vaccuo, his and Fagin's little dance could probably be a story on its' own.  
Also Hazel is looking after Cinder's dog, because I wrote in Vol.3 that she had one and the idea of Cinder with a dog called Charlie is amusing to me.  
This is Watt's is for, finding things, using people and turning any situation to Salem's advantage.  
"Project Hexxus" is what Winter was talking about as well….I told you there was a Fern Gully reference, I'm warning you now it's going to be messed up.  
Cinder v Raven anyone?

Thank you to 6tailedninja for their review of the last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	74. 74: Insertion

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 74: Insertion**

Mercury and Emerald were in position in the back of an Atlesian Bull-head that flew through the softly falling snow. Both wore new matching outfits, thick black pants, jackets, boots and leather gloves to combat the cold with lightweight armour under their clothes; Mercury sported a balaclava that had been rolled up to give it the appearance of a woolly hat while Emerald wore a scarf to conceal the lower half of her face. The co-pilot of the Bull-Head entered the passenger compartment of the craft, eyes lingering on the blades of the Artful Dodgers as Emerald gave her weapons the customary last minute check and Mercury leafed through the pages of a comic book he had 'borrowed' from Whitley; the soldier was clearly uneasy around the pair of them though whether that was due to them being black-ops agents now or some instinct that alerted the petite woman to the sort of criminals she was currently in proximity to was debatable  
"Black, Sustrai" the co-pilot, whose name neither of them had bothered to learn got their attention, her voice timid "We'll be above the drop zone in a few minutes, despite increased activity over all no Grimm have been detected, no enemy forces either"  
"Enemy forces, what Boarbatusk shit is that?" the grizzled old pilot called back from the cockpit "Don't talk about them like they're a legitimate army, the slitters in the war were an army, the White Fang are just scum"  
"Yes sir" the co-pilot habitually snapped to attention while simultaneously rolling her eyes. Mercury paid her no mind as he hoisted the backpack carrying the various tools of his bleak trade he expected to require on this mission. White Fang activity hadn't been expected after all; Winter, in a display of ruthless pragmatism, had timed their insertion to coincide with her father's funeral giving any of the terrorists still above ground a more obvious target. The rear hatch of the Bull-Head opened  
"Ready?" he asked his partner as she stepped up next to him  
"Let's go do some good for once" Emerald smiled before leaping into the air; Mercury followed her smirking to himself at the thought of how Marcus would react to his current situation, he had never developed a 'landing strategy' before attending Haven his father's sole comment on the subject being _'Anyone who jumps out of a Bull-Head with no parachute just to make an entrance is not worth taking a contract on, you'll never collect it'._ Curling in on himself he prepared to land in a crouch and tensed his cybernetic legs, his strategy was simple but effective; he watched Emerald fire the blades of her weapons towards the ground and retract the chains the instant they embedded themselves in the floor, pulling herself into a rolling stop as she retrieved the artful dodgers; Mercury simply impacted against the compacted snow with a resounding thud, his prosthetic legs absorbing the shock.  
"So did you learn that from Polendina or did she learn it from you?" he asked Emerald as he realised the similarities between her landing strategy and the way Penny had dealt with Cardin Winchester in the Vytal tournament  
"Please" Emerald gave a mocking pout and placed her hands on her hips "Other people's moves are one thing I don't steal" the two of them shared a smile before casting their eyes around; the road outside of Eisenstadt Dritte they were currently onhad been left unmaintained for years snow covering its' pothole ridden surface, in the distance the towering snow-capped mountain that housed the middle and upper class areas of the city stood, the only signs of the civil war were the entrance to the city being sealed and the warships hovering in the air.  
"Let's go" Mercury sighed as he reached into his jacket and produced a sub-machine before making his way towards their destination; the disused Air Purification facility based outside of the hive city.

Winter prowled around the periphery of the needlessly extravagant room, since joining the military she had come to regard the ostentatiousness found in Upper Atlesian décor as merely showing off. She and Whitley had both agreed that neither they or their father would want the wake to be held in Schnee Manor. The funeral had been a media circus and she had been powerless to prevent it, being the heir to the family made the youngest Schnee the public face of the family and despite every complaint about him she had ever made Winter was proud of how her brother was handling the hoards of grasping vultures eager for his attention  
"I'm beginning to understand your hatred for these people Winter" Whitley sighed as he seemingly manifested from thin air beside her; Neo beside him wearing a murderous expression, the mute being the only member of her black-ops unit currently present besides Weiss  
"Dare I ask what has been said to you that put that expression on Neo's face?" Winter asked with a cocked eyebrow  
"Not to me" Whitley motioned to the other end of the expansive hall where the bar was situated to see Weiss, her sister had been drinking more than Winter was comfortable with so far today, her eyes narrowed with suspicion at the sight of the teen next to her  
"Who is he and what specifically shall I be confronting him for?" she asked  
"The Marigold boy" Whitley sneered "A little twerp whose family have bought his way out of at least three scandals I can name off the top of my head, his attempts to flirt with our sister were making me nauseous"  
"And so you left her there?" Winter demanded, suddenly annoyed  
"Indeed sister, Weiss is a trained Huntress and a veteran of two major battles in the last year alone, she can handle herself" Whitley's smirk morphed into a truly evil smile "Now if I, the newly appointed head of the Schnee Dust Company were to attack him it would be cause for the media to question the future of the company under my leadership and make a spectacle of us. If Weiss defends her honour against a lout who acted improperly towards her at her own father's wake….well, we come out much more favourably"  
"You're a devious little shit, but I don't always mean it as an insult" Winter gave her brother a small smile "Neo, stay here and keep close to Whitley" seeing her nod in understanding the Specialist made her way across the room ignoring as many of the condolences from aristocrats and businessmen wearing fake smiles as possible as she silently approached listening to the drivel the boy was spouting  
"Now of course this is hardly the place to ask such a stunning young woman to dance but perhaps I can persuade you-"  
"You can't" Winter is impressed with just how venomous her sister's voice could be  
"I will-" Henry Marigold sputtered only to be cut off again  
"I'm already in a relationship which the news outlet your family owns was quick to share their opinion on; I'm sure you're familiar with the story even if reading is utterly beyond you"  
"Oh right, right the Faunus from Beacon" Henry sneered "Come now, I think it's safe to say that rebelling against your father is a moot point-" for the third time Henry found himself cut off, this time it wasn't words that interrupted him; rather Weiss's fist as she calmly placed her glass on the bar and slugged him in the throat sending him staggering back a few paces clutching his neck and struggling to breathe  
"HOW DARE YOU!" people began to turn towards the source of the commotion at Weiss's outburst. Winter seized the initiative and stepped forwards and roughly restrained Henry while giving her sister a stern glare  
"How dare you indeed" she snarled before addressing the room as a whole "This foul and uncouth reprobate thought it appropriate to try to solicit a grieving teenage girl at her own fathers' wake and then espouse racist sentiments towards the man she is currently courting. Were I the current head of the Schnee family and not my brother I would demand an honour duel to settle this" the guests could be heard muttering their exceedingly negative views of the blue haired teen to each other as Winter handed him over to a pair of soldiers stationed aboard her ship who were serving as security who proceeded to frog-march him out of the venue  
"Whitley was going to let you beat him senseless" Winter noted conversationally as the guests returned to their own business  
"He had the right idea" Weiss growled eyes narrowed  
"He hasn't seen how much you've been drinking" Winter countered as she casually took her sisters' latest glass of champagne and downed it herself "So, how much of this is actually about father?"  
"I just wish" Weiss hiccuped "I just wish he'd lived long enough to see the new world we're going to build Winter, he could have changed for the better"  
"He wouldn't have" Winter sighed "He was a bigoted and hateful man. We all tried to love him despite our differences but it was a kindness he never returned" Weiss made to get the bartender's attention, Winter firmly grabbed her arm  
"Do _not_ start drinking to cope with problems" she hissed "We both saw what it did to mother"  
"I just need to stop thinking" Weiss ground out "Thinking about the fact our father died thinking we were failures, thinking about how Gangrel and Velvet are stuck down there with that murderer and how we're up here at a party when we should be helping" her words started to take on a furious edge  
"Weiss calm down" Winter placed her hands on her sisters' shoulders "If we attack now Adam will kill countless people, he's already made that clear. Emerald and Mercury are already making their way into Lower Atlas"  
"I know that but-"  
"Go back to the manor" Winter instructed calmly "We have reinforcements from Vale inbound, some of those Hunters will be working alongside Penny and I, since we're currently based in the manor while my ship is refitted that's where they'll be headed. I'd rather one of the family be there to greet them; besides Klein probably needs all the help he can get dealing with your friends" Weiss gave a soft chuckle at that  
"Thank you Winter"  
"For?"  
"Stopping me from beating that cretin to within an inch of his life; I can't honestly promise I would have known when to stop" Winter maintained her smile until her sister was out of view then promptly stalked back across the hall to Whitley and Neo  
"Neo, are you familiar with the Marigold family and their media empire?" she waited a moment for the diminutive girl to type her response  
 _'They featured a few hatchet job articles about some of Roman's bigger heists'  
_ "I'm feeling generous enough to let you indulge in your vengeful streak" Winter grinned "No murders, no violence period. I want you to create whatever scandals you see fit and then leak them anonymously to the Marigold's competitors. Anything that takes the media's focus away from the Schnee family and allows us to plan our next moves with a measure of privacy" Neo's eyes both turned a vibrant shade of pink as she typed  
 _'Marigold senior is actually a bit of a DILF, pretty sure I can keep my face out of the video….and look young enough to make it really, really messed up XD'_ Winter saw the gleeful expression on Neo's face and almost regretted her decision as the sadistic mute left  
"And apparently I'm the devious one" Whitley grinned.

The pair trudged through snow that was almost knee-deep across the premises, noting that the protective fence around the facility had been torn apart in several places  
"That building with the tower is where we need to be" Emerald pointed it out having memorised the layout of the place in the limited amount of time they'd had to prepare for their insertion  
"Have I mentioned that this is a really sloppy plan and whichever genius thought of it should be getting sent down first" Mercury grumbled  
"You may have, I tune your complaining out after a while" her retort made him chuckle, despite his misgivings towards the idea of clambering through ventilation shafts that had been decommissioned since localised air purification plants had been set up in various parts of each hive city.  
"Wait" Emerald raised a hand in warning "Do you hear that?" Mercury strained his ears and readyied his weapon as a low clicking sound became more apparent followed by a deep buzzing and rumbling emanating from one of the nearby buildings  
"Grimm" the former mercenary snarled moments before the offending creature burst forth through the wall, uncoiling itself to its' full terrifying size. The infinipede stood almost nine feet tall and almost quarter of a mile long in total, its' body tube like and divided into countless segments each segment supported by a pair of spindly many-jointed legs that ended in sharp points, the entire upper half of each segment covered in overlapping plates of bone white chitinous armour, it's skull was roughly arrowhead shaped and housed over a dozen rapidly swivelling red eyes, and oversized mandibles; it's most prominent feature was the pair of antennae extending from its' skull and constantly moving  
"What the shit?" Mercury demanded before opening fire, his bullets doing little besides aggravate the monster  
"Bet you wish you'd kept your greaves now" Emerald smirked as she sprinted forwards weapons blazing; the infinipede skittered away from her, far more agile than a beast of its' size had a right to be its' legs plunging through the snow and piercing the pavement below, lighting crackling across its' body as bones plates ground against each other  
"Em get back, I'll bomb it!" Mercury shouted as he pulled a grenade from his rucksack  
"It's too fast!" she countered "You'll just be wasting it" she punctuated her words with more gunshots which the Infinipede screeched in protest against as it rounded on her, the electricity arcing as across its' bone armour travelling forwards and discharging from its' antennae like thunderbolts. Emerald flung the blades of her weapons forwards and retracted the chains as they sunk into the underside of the Grimm, pulling herself away from its' ranged attack just in time to avoid it, landing beneath the monster she aimed upwards and began firing into its' soft underside before rolling away and severing two of its' legs with her sickles as it attempted to reposition itself. The infinipede was noticeably slowed, the centre of its' serpentine form dipping where it could no longer support its' own weight  
"Get the grenade ready and wait until I tell you!" she instructed as she leapt onto the Grimms' armoured back and sprinted towards its' head as it thrashed in an attempt to dislodge her, electricity coursing across its' body once again; reaching its' head she swung her sickles with a roar of exertion shearing cleanly through its' antennae  
"MERC NOW!" she began firing into the ridged bone plate adorning its' head before catching the grenade in mid-air and lodging it in place. Leaping from the head of the infinipede as it exploded she was carried through the air only to be caught, bridal style by Mercury  
"Oum damn you're sexy when you're being a bad-ass" he laughed, her response was to roll her eyes and somersault out of his grasp with a flourish  
"Well one of us has to be" she teased before planting a quick kiss on his cheek "Think that was all of 'em?"  
"Well I've never heard of Grimm sneaking around to get the drop on people" the grey haired teen shrugged before casting his sub-machine gun aside and pulling a large hunting knife from his boot, deciding that the hastily procured weapon wasn't worth carrying around  
"Where did you even get that gun?" Emerald asked him eyeing it with distaste  
"You wouldn't believe me if I told you" seeing her crimson eyes still on him, clearly expecting an answer he shrugged "Jaune of all people, turns out the little noodle seems to be able to make friends with anyone anywhere….I can tell he's got some stories he's not sharing"  
"Well make sure he tells his friends to invest in armour piercing rounds at least if they want to sell street gang grade weapons to Hunters" Emerald sighed before making her way towards their objective.

The charge detonated with an explosion that sent stone and steel hurtling outwards  
"MOVE YOU FUCKING RUNTS!" the White Fang grunt in charge of the operation roared. Diesel had been hand-picked for this job by Noctis Pandinus, the Skunk Faunus stood at roughly six feet tall and sported a black and white tail that matched his streaked and spiky hair and was currently erect due to his nerves. Adam had ordered charges to be rigged and blown at vital points between each of the cities, flooding Lower Atlas with Grimm in an effort to hamstring the resistance which had been gathering in Eisenstadt Dritte; for some reason several of the charges had not blown and Noctis, one of Adam's recently appointed generals had ordered that be rectified.  
"Come on come on!" he roared as the last of the grunts jumped into the open topped Jeep they were using to drive from location to location, tires screeched and the engine roared as the driver kicked the vehicle into life, Diesel leaned out of the passengers side, sawn off shotgun firing incendiary Dust into the face of the first Grimm to appear; a thankfully smaller than average Deathstalker. His companions managed to steady their own weapons and fire at will into the nearest Grimm as the Jeep finally began to pick up speed and put some distance between them  
"This is insane, completely fucking insane!" one of the grunts shrieked. Diesel privately agreed, Lower Atlas had always been subject to infrequent Grimm incursions due to the sheer volume of mines and tunnels dug into the surrounding areas and the low priority that the Council placed on protecting those in the deprived areas below ground level but deliberately drawing them into the tunnels between cities was horrific to him; he didn't however dare say that out loud for fear of what would happen if the wrong person heard him; instead he rounded on the grunt  
"Just keep calm and do your job" he took a deep breath and removed his mask, wiping sweat from his brow "Let the Grimm and the rebel scum kill each other and we'll pick off who ever wins" he repeated the line that had been repeated to him.  
"How many more charges need to be blown?" the driver asked  
"That was the last one, we need to get topside where's the nearest way out?" with the tunnels in and out of the city flooded with Grimm the White Fang in Eisenstadt Dritte needed to utilise other ways in and out of the city  
"Vent shafts, nearest access point is miles from here though" Diesel admitted nervously. None of the White Fang in the Jeep realised that they were being watched by two pairs of eyes atop a nearby roof, one amber the other the deep brown of whiskey and zooming in on them through the viewfinder of a camera.

Mercury and Emerald moved cautiously through the darkness of the Air Purification facility, weapons drawn. Mercury had a pair of night vision goggles firmly in place over his eyes  
"I'm telling you Em, there's something in here with us"  
"I can hear them scurrying about it's too big to just be rats" the former thief admitted "You see anything?"  
"Just movement, not a clear look….this is some horror movie shit" Mercury replied, grumbling the last part under his breath  
"I can't believe you forgot to bring a torch" Emerald huffed, fighting to keep the smirk off her face  
"I didn't forget to bring a torch" Mercury corrected "I forgot to check the batteries on the torch and I forgot to bring spare batteries"  
"Ass-hole" Emerald said simply "The way into the ventilation shafts should be at the end of the next room, it's going to be a long climb down though"  
"The climb can't possibly be worse than these creepy- SWEET FUCKING OUM!" Mercury screamed and began opening fire into the first of the Grimm to leap down from an over head walkway hissing and screeching, roughly six feet tall with a blade-tipped tail thrashing around, bony crests atop its' head and one toe on each foot raised upwards and sporting a claw like a serrated hook. Without warning the facility was filled with the screeching of more of them  
"Em go!" Mercury yelled as he planted a foot firmly on the chest of a Grimm that leapt at him and kicked it across the room into the bodies of its' pack mates  
"Merc I-"  
"Get into the shafts I'll be right behind you!" he embedded his knife in the eye of a Shadow-Stalker before a bladed tail whipped around sending him staggering as it connected with his Aura. Hearing Emerald make it into the next room he pulled another grenade and made to follow her throwing the explosive into the pack of Grimm. As he made to wedge the doors shut behind him he saw something that chilled him to the bone; one of the Grimm lunged forwards and caught his thrown grenade in its' mouth and charged towards the door clearly intending to sacrifice itself so that the others could follow him unhindered. Turning and sprinting towards Emerald as fast as his cybernetic legs would carry him he called out  
"Em into the fucking shafts now! These aren't like normal Grimm" as if to underline his point the Grimm with a grenade lodged in its' jaw made it to the doors right as the grenade exploded allowing a tide of Shadow-Stalkers into the room  
"What in Oum's name" Emerald mouthed out before dropping into the ventilation shaft system, the shafts were actually large enough for her to run in a crouch, seconds later Mercury landed behind her and the pair set off intending to make their way down into Eisenstadt Dritte  
"Did you leave another grenade up there?" she asked pulling the scarf covering her lower face down  
"No way am I risking it" Mercury gasped out in response "They'd probably just throw it down here after us" the screeching of the Shadow-Stalkers could be heard from above, though as they rounded a corner and found the first of many ladders they would need to make their way down another, much more terrifying sound reached their ears; the sound of the first Grimm to leap into the shafts after them.

 **Authors Notes:**

Back again after a few days, I'm hoping to get at least Chapter 75 out before the end of the year to finish on a milestone;

I apologise for the breaks I finally got Pokemon Sun for Christmas (Also toying with the idea of a Pokemon AU….Because this story on its' own isn't enough of a behemoth)

So to summarise:

Merc and Em with new Bourne/Splinter Cell-esque outfits, you know you love it.  
Merc also steals Whitley's comic books, because why the fuck not.  
Atlesians are still casually racist.  
Okay I headcanon that Mercury due to his previous line of work with his father has a lot of skills that people don't expect from him, but he also doesn't know things that most Hunters think of as basic shit, like a landing strategy because Marcus always taught him "Best way to survive jumping out of a plane is don't jump out of a plane".  
Penny learned one of her moves against Cardin from watching Emerald fight.  
Whitley is not as much of a dick in this story as he is in canon, he has a devious streak but he doesn't turn it on his own family.  
Henry Marigold, I only bothered learning his name because I couldn't write "Not Neptune" in this chapter.  
Remember when Winter punched Gangrel in the throat in chapter 40, Weiss can throw just as good of a punch.  
As much of a bastard as Jacques was, his kids are still going to miss the last family they have outside of each other.  
Reinforcements from Vale.  
Winter gave Neo free reign to do whatever she wants to destroy Henry's family without the use of violence; do not give Neo free reign to get pay back and expect it to be pleasant.  
Infinipede: Giant centipede Grimm that generate an electrical charge, I got the idea from Tyranid Trygons in Warhammer 40k, I mentioned them before but never showed them.  
The lodging a grenade into its' body was inspired by that scene from Starship Troopers.  
Jaune having a connection to weapons, look Jaune either made his own fake transcripts or had someone make them for him, he is implicitly connected to the criminal underworld; he just isn't as active as people like Junior for instance.  
Even the White Fang grunts are starting to have doubts about Adam's sanity now; if only there was someone they could defect to, someone that the SDC had agreed to work negotiate with, a _'coalition'_ of some sort.  
Well we all know who that was watching the White Fang grunts.  
"Some horror movie shit" could almost be a fourth-wall break if you squint.  
Shadow-Stalkers, you thought I'd only use them once? Ha! no.  
They're smart and actually co-operate remember, I don't think I highlighted that enough last time.  
Cliffhanger-ish ending, haven't done that for a while.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	75. 75: Reconnect

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 75: Reconnect**

The Bull-Head neared its' destination, the grandiose and imposing Schnee Manor  
"Funny, you almost expect it to be some sort of haunted looking castle" Sun noted as he leaned against the wall of the cockpit while Tai occupied the pilots' seat keeping an eye on the controls of Oobleck's personal craft; slightly distrustful of a craft that was never intended to have auto-pilot flying itself  
"Villains who twirl their moustaches are easy to spot. Those who clothe themselves in good deeds are well camouflaged" Sun gave the older man who had become his mentor a quizzical look  
"Who did you just quote?"  
"Captain Picard" Taiyang shrugged.  
"So what's the plan when we get to Schnee Manor?" the Faunus asked choosing to ignore his teacher's taste in entertainment; he'd dealt with enough Sci-Fi quotes from Neptune. Taiyang paused to think for a moment, during the trip from Atlas he had managed to contact the scientist that that would be attempting to cure what had been done to Rover; the scientist had made the suggestion that another Hunter or Huntress gifted with super speed would be invaluable in running tests as Rover's body in its' current state of flux would be near impossible to collect samples from. Taiyang happened to know just such a Huntress  
"Ruby and her team are based at Schnee Manor, from what I understand there are special ops working out of the place….which I can't say I'm happy about my daughters getting involved in. We pick Ruby up; Artemis will come with us, obviously she'll go wherever her fiancé goes. Arc takes control of Fox and Yatsuhashi. I want you to stay with me, you're good sun but I don't think you're ready for whatever Atlesian Spec-Ops will be working on" Sun thought about arguing then thoughts of the battle of Vale hit him and his trademark smile faltered for a moment  
"You got it Teach"  
"And stop calling me that" Tai grumbled as he rose from his seat to inform the rest of his passengers that they were making their final approach.

"I can't believe you punched him the throat" Ruby gasped as she adjusted herself on Penny's lap; hands covering her mouth "That's like something Yang would do"  
"Hey" the blonde in question attempted to protest from her position across the room where Blake was leaned against her while reading  
"Fuck him he was a creeper, you should have kept swinging" Coco growled. It was early evening when Weiss had returned to Schnee Manor. She was currently nursing a glass of water and some painkillers to counteract the burgeoning headache her earlier drinking had caused  
"You could say she had a cold snap" Yang noted with a wink as the door to the sitting room opened  
"Puns as soon as I walk in the room" Jaune sighed "Just letting you know Klein says that a Bull-Head just landed outside of the grounds"  
"Then the reinforcements from Vale are here" Weiss said simply as she rose from her seat and made her way from her room to greet them, her team, Coco, Penny and the remaining members of Team JNPR joining following her. They reached the atrium at the same time the double doors opened revealing the new guests, Weiss instinctively made to give them the formal greeting that had been drilled into her since childhood but found herself cut off  
"DAD!" Ruby triggered her Semblance and reappeared in front of Taiyang in a shower of rose petals before throwing her arms around him  
"Hey kiddo" he replied simply as he returned the hug  
"Hey Mister Xiao Long" Jaune gave a brief wave of recognition as Taiyang had been the hunter in charge of Team JNPRs' first mission. The tall blonde woman among the reinforcements stepped forwards and Jaune gave a nervous gulp  
"Hey sis"  
"I'm gonna staple an Oum-damned tracker to your nut-suck if you keep running away from home" Victoria huffed as she casually cuffed her brother around the head before pulling him into a crushing hug "Nice work in Anquan-Jia though, Dad told me to tell you he's proud of you, there's an Arc in you after all" Weiss turned her attention away from Jaune's reunion with his sister as they made their way out of the atrium, Ren and Nora following; her gaze turned back to Taiyang whose attention was currently taken up by his youngest daughter introducing him to Penny  
"Hey Dad" Yang nervously got her fathers attention "There's someone I want you to meet" Taiyang turning his attention to Blake whom Yang currently had an arm around  
"Ah you must be Yang's missing cat" there was a moment where everyone visibly tensed before Tai simply held a hand out which Blake shook "Yang's had enough people running off because they thought they need to protect her, don't do it again and we won't have a problem"  
"Where's Velvet" Fox asked as the male half of Team CFVY approached, Coco stepped from behind Weiss and pulled them both into a bear hug  
"She went after Adam right before he bombed Atlas….she's okay, the CCT's up they manage to keep in contact pretty regularly"  
"And Gang's down there as well isn't he?" Artemis asked as she strode over "Of course he is, he can't resist a good war-zone apparently" she sighed upon seeing Weiss nod  
"Where's Rover?" Ruby asked as she made her way back over to her partner  
"Oh I'm around" the Dog-Faunus' voice echoed as he flickered into view  
"What happened to you?" Weiss gasped  
"I picked a fight with a Dragon Grimm, we'll call it a tie"  
"You know I helped take the Dragon down?" Ruby asked beaming  
"They grow up so fast" Rover pretended to wipe a tear from his eye "So basically the plan is there's a scientist somewhere in Atlas who thinks they can un-fuck this, but we need you to come with"  
"Me?" Ruby asked  
"Yeah, hope you're not scared of needles because I can't exactly give blood samples right now" Rover waved to his incorporeal form  
"Hey Ruby don't leave your girlfriend unattended around Dad or he will give her the Mistrali inquisition" Yang called over, the scythe wielder visibly paled before zooming over to them. Looking around Weiss saw that the members of Team CFVY present had vanished  
"How've you been holding up?" Artemis asked, seemingly giving the younger Huntress a thorough examination  
"I've been….coping" she sighed  
"I can smell the alcohol on your breath" the feline murmured "I'm not against a drink every now and then but don't start using it as a crutch; last thing we need is you and Gang enabling each other when this is over" Weiss made to protest but Artemis held a hand up to stop her  
"Look I know Atlas has a different attitude about it and I know I get overprotective. I'm just looking out for you"  
"Thank you" Weiss sighed "How've you been holding up after everything? Squish was a friend to me but Team GRAP were like family" Weiss asked gently  
"I'm coping….we all have to"

Gangrel and Velvet leapt from building to building keeping low to the surfaces as they did so, their Auras' pushing their muscles beyond natural limits allowing them to keep up with the Jeep below; the noise of its' diesel engine masking the sound of their movement even from sensitive Faunus hearing as it careened through the streets. The Grimm that the White Fang grunts had lured into the city had been left behind but the driver was behaving as if they were still on his tail, that informed Gangrel that they were most likely untested recruits.  
"Any idea where they're heading?" Velvet asked as she ran alongside him, camera component of Leporidae Rampant at the ready  
"Got a couple ideas, this far down into Lower Atlas everything's a little disorganised so its' hard to be sure" the larger Faunus stopped dead watching where their quarry went  
"What are you-" Gangrel held up a hand to silence Velvet as he saw the next turn the Jeep below made  
"Now I know where they're going" he growled before pointing to a specific roof in the distance "Set up there and be ready to snipe them, they're heading for the vent shafts I'm going to cut 'em off" seeing Velvet nod in understanding before sprinting across rooftops he gave her a head start before triggering his Semblance, a few line of sight teleport jumps later he was in position. The Jeep came screeching around the corner to find Gangrel waiting for them, he hadn't bothered drawing his weapons  
"Who the fuck are you?" the Skunk Faunus demanded as he hopped out of the vehicle, sawn-off shotgun at the ready. The Bear-Faunus gave a bemused snort  
"You don't know me? Wow you must be new….really new"  
"Oh fuck Diesel, that's Gang" one of the other grunts whimpered  
"Well at least someone in the Fang knows their damn history" the grunts were treated to a twisted smirk from Gangrel for a split second before he vanished with the echoing crack of his Semblance, reappearing in their midst and incapacitating the first grunt with a vicious haymaker before grabbing the driver by the scruff of the neck and smashing him head first into the door of the Jeep, bullets bounced harmlessly off of his raised Aura before a gunshot sounded out behind him, turning he saw that Diesel, the Skunk Faunus he had assumed to be in charge on the floor clutching his leg howling in pain  
"There! On the roof!" one of the two remaining grunts shouted indicating to where Gangrel could see Velvet taking aim again with her replica of Crescent Rose. Gangrel made to tackle one of them over before they could return fire at the Rabbit-Faunus. Before he could they were interrupted by something almost comically out of place, two humans bursting out of the ventilation shaft screaming; a few confused blinks later he realised that the humans in question were Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai  
"RUN! GRIMM INCOMING!" Mercury bellowed, straining his ears to tune out the panicked mercenary he heard something that made his blood run cold, the distinctive rattling hiss of Shadow-Stalkers in greater numbers than he'd ever heard it before  
"That roof!" he pointed to Velvet's current firing position before making to teleport  
"Please, please don't leave me here" Diesel begged as clutched his ruined leg, two of his grunts were unconscious on the floor nearby the remaining two having run. Gangrel withdrew Breaker  
"I'll make it a lot quicker than they will" with that he shot the Skunk Faunus point blank in the face and teleported as the first of the Grimm exited the shaft

"So does your dad just dislike me or is it everyone you introduce him to?" Blake asked as Yang climbed into bed behind her, thankfully the subject of sleeping arrangements hadn't been brought up in front of Taiyang  
"Okay how many people do you think I've been serious enough about to introduce to my Dad?" the blonde asked as her arms snaked around her partners' waist "He'll warm up to you, I promise"  
"I get why he'd have a problem with me, I really do….I never meant to hurt you Yang"  
"Hey" Yang kissed the Faunus' shoulder while reaching up and gently stroking her feline ears, the slow shuddering breath Blake let out assuring Yang that she was no less skilled at the task with her prosthetic limb "You didn't hurt me Blake. Adam hurt me….I would have rather had you there to help me get back on my feet, but I get why you did what you did and I promise you I don't blame you" Blake struggled to form coherent thoughts with Yang's fingers working her ears  
"I could have gone to Patch with Sun but I didn't"  
"You went after Adam in a blind rage, I'm rubbing off on you" Yang kissed her lovers' neck and whispered in her ear "Just not as much as I'd like to" with that Blake turned to face her, taking Yang's lower lip between her teeth as she kissed her slowly and passionately  
"Yang" she breathed out, eyes half lidded "If you don't stop teasing me your dad is going to hate me because I swear I will make you scream my name loud enough for this whole manor to hear" Yang's only response was to caress Blake's Faunus ears in a way that made her eyes roll back and make it clear that the blonde wanted her to make good on that threat.

"Oh my Oum you just shot someone in the face" Velvet looked as if she might be sick, Gangrel clamped a gargantuan hand over her mouth  
"Shut. The. Fuck. Up" his voice was an urgent whisper and the sheer panic in it drove all other thoughts from her mind  
"What the hell are those things" Emerald demanded almost inaudibly as the Shadow-Stalker pack poured out of the vent, Mercury watched fascinated as one of them seemingly examined the Jeep the White fang had arrived in before slashing the tires with its' sharp tail; other members of the pack reduced the unconscious grunts to grisly piles of barely identifiable remains. Velvet had to stop her self from retching and giving their position away  
"Winter sent us down here to help you deal with the White Fang" Emerald whispered "They were in the abandoned Air Purification Facility we used to get into Lower Atlas"  
"Please tell me this is all of them, if some of the pack broke off they could turn up anywhere in the city….You've obviously figured out they're smarter than other Grimm"  
"I don't think any broke off" the former thief murmured"  
"We need to deal with the ones down there first" Mercury pointed out  
"Agreed" Gangrel growled as he shifted the barrel on Breaker to fire Dust rounds "Velvet get a sniper rifle ready"  
"I brought one" Mercury informed them as he carefully pulled the collapsed weapon from his rucksack and began unfolding it  
"Then get ready to spread out and pick off survivors" Gangrel informed them as he fired an explosive round into the engine of the Jeep, igniting the fuel tank. Several Grimm died in the initial blast but the ones that remained hissed and snarled at the Hunters on the roof before trying to take cover in empty buildings before they could be gunned down. It was going to be a long night.

Winter had sent Whitley back to the manor with Neo after her fathers' wake before finding her way to the military base the Schleier Der Tranen was docked at while being repaired; deciding against visiting the vessel she hadn't been captain of for long enough before it was stormed by the White Fang to consider it home the way she had the Schweigen she had found her way to the bar frequented by off duty officers and enlisted alike. Currently she was propping herself up against the corner of the bar downing glasses of Whiskey at a rate that concerned even the staff while wearing a scowl that made it clear that she was not to be approached  
"Drinking cheap swill and brooding in a corner, apparently you think you're Qrow Branwen now" the ivory haired specialist turned, eyes narrowed to face whoever had the temerity to bother her. A scathing and insult ridden tirade the likes of which had earned her equal treatment among her fellow soldiers since she had first joined the military died on her lips as she took in the individual in front on her. Caramel skin and a curvy figure that her uniform did little to hide, chocolate brown hair cut short framing light brown eyes; hanging from their hips were a pair of custom made pistols longer than most peoples' forearms; Winter knew them well considering she'd had them made for 'The best damn gunner in the fleet'  
"Matte?" Winter exclaimed somewhat drunkenly  
"Scuttle butt around the base is you look like you need a shoulder. Everyone's scared you'll eat their heart and shit out their soul though"  
"Tastes like Red-Bull, it's disgusting" Winter mumbled "Where did you go after Vale Matte?" Matte sighed  
"Vale got to me, the fighting is a lot different when you're in the thick of it instead of raining death from above. Besides Atlas pulled back, there were a lot of people in Vale risking the trip to the other Kingdoms by sea, they needed someone on those ships"  
"I needed you on my ship!" Winter snarled "Matte, the Fang….before they killed my Father they stormed the Schleier Der Tranen to free one of their high ranking officers I'd taken prisoner, so many of the old crew are dead. So many people we served with for years"  
"I know" Matte's eyes screwed shut for a moment "It's why I re-enlisted"  
"I'll petition for you to be given command of my ship" Matte's eyebrows shot into their hairline at Winter's words  
"What?"  
"I lost two ships in two months, two of my agents are stranded in enemy territory" Winter laughed bitterly "I'm not fit to lead"  
"You stop that right fucking now" Matte snapped turning Winter to face them "You are the only superior officer I've had that earned respect rather than demand it. You're one of the best tacticians in Atlas, what did you think Ironwood made you his right hand as a favour? You're brave, you treat your crew like family and you're absolutely amazing when you lead from the front, any soldier who's served under you would say it was a privilege to do so. Now don't even think about denying others that privilege when you should be thinking about how we're going to take the fight to the Fang and take back Lower Atlas" colour rose in Winter's cheeks at Matte's impassioned speech, the taller woman cupped their cheek and leaned in to kiss them  
"Not when you're drunk Captain" Matte murmured as they gently pushed her away. Winter was known in the ranks for being affectionate when drunk and the younger soldier didn't want her to do anything she'd regret. Winter gave a lopsided smile before pulling her subordinate into a hug  
"I've missed you Matte, welcome home" with that she banged on the bar with enough force to get the attention of everyone present and exclaimed  
"Next round is on me, we're toasting to the best damn gunner in the fleet!"

 **Authors Notes:**

Told you I'd get Chapter 75 out by the end of the year.

Let's summarise:  
Taiyang quoting Captain Picard, as Sir Patrick Stewart and I are both Yorkshire-men that can only be meant as the highest form of respect.  
Coco Adel is 112% the sort of person who would encourage her friend to punch the guy who won't stop flirting with them.  
I can imagine Tai's first meeting with Blake being a little frosty after Vol.3 but he'll warm up to her.  
Gangrel is a legend in the White Fang ranks, not knowing him is the mark of a newbie.  
Shadow-Stalkers, they're so damn terrifying that Hunters would rather give someone a mercy killing than let them get caught by them.  
Bumblebee. That is all.  
Yet more proof that Shadow stalkers are too damn smart.  
"I'll eat your hearts and shit out your souls, it's disgusting they taste like red-bull" is a Rooster Teeth quote, anyone else know where its' from?  
Winter having a crisis of faith seems reasonable regardless of how bad-ass she is  
Also fuck yeah Matte Skye is back  
Thank you to Drake187 for reviewing the last several chapters, those reviews have been missed.  
You felt sorry for Neo….Oh I have things lined up for this arc that will change your feelings towards the crazy mute.  
Yang and Merc fighting is great, personally I think any scene with them both in has the potential to be comedy gold.  
Okay I'll give you a hint with what's going on with Cinder in regards to the Maiden's whose power she's stolen. If you're a fan/player of Warhammer 40k think of the Maidens as 'Lucius the Eternal' in this context.  
I don't think Salem is dumb enough to trust Adam with that kind of power.  
You didn't expect things to spiral out of control?….my friend have you seen the title?  
Yeah small child Spring Maiden, I'm going to break the heart of every reader I have.  
Ironically as much as the Shadow-Stalkers are inspired by Xenomorphs the film I had in mind when I wrote that scene was the original Power Rangers Movie.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	76. 76: Bonding

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 76: Bonding**

It had been a long, gruelling and perilous night. The four of them had spent hours picking off the Shadow-Stalkers as the cunning Grimm tried to make their way into the building they had taken up a firing position on top of before Gangrel and Velvet led Mercury and Emerald back to the safe zone of Eisenstadt Dritte  
"Do you trust 'em?" Velvet asked watching the supposedly reformed criminals as they made their way to an apartment block to search for a living space that was not currently occupied. Gangrel's expression when her turned to face her was one of cold calculating menace  
"Its' not about whether or not I trust 'em, give me my knife back" he growled  
"Gang, don't do anything stupid"  
"I'm not, I'm going to wait til they're asleep"  
"What the fuck?" the smaller Faunus demanded furiously as she realised what he meant "Seriously what the fuck is wrong with you!"  
"They killed Tukson" Gangrel snarled, knuckles cracking "This is long overdue"  
"So you're going to murder them in their bed?" Velvet was outraged at the suggestion  
"It worked in the Faunus war"  
"That we won at the expense of Menagerie" she seethed at the flippant answer before taking a deep breath and pulling him away "You're going to come and tell Winter that Merc and Em are here and if their story checks out we work with them. I'm going to forget this conversation ever happened and I don't ever want to have it again Gang" he gave a low rumbling growl at her firm tone before finally relenting  
"Fine" he stalked off towards his destination as Velvet fell into step beside him "But I swear to Oum if either of them give me a reason I'm killing 'em"  
"When did you get so comfortable with killing people?" Velvet asked, her tone genuinely worried "You weren't this violent even when you were in the White Fang" Gangrel stopped and gave her a confused look  
"You really don't get it?" upon seeing her expectant look he sighed "This isn't like when we were in the Fang, this is an actual war. It's kill or be killed now simple as that" Velvet stopped as the reality of his words hit her, she'd been so focused on getting through each day as it came that she hadn't considered the implications of Adams' actions  
"Gang….I don't know if I can kill someone" Gangrel ran his hands through his hair  
"I don't know what else to tell you to be honest Velvet" he sighed as they entered the building they had been making their way to. Ringo's home away from Club Depth  
"Mister Gangrel, Mister Gangrel" the high pitched voice of an exuberant child caught his attention and any argument that may have come about was instantly set aside. It was an unspoken rule between the adults of the Safe-Zone that they spare the children from as much of what was happening as possible  
"Hey kid" he ruffled Jade's hair as the Reindeer Faunus rushed towards him and clutched on to his leg bringing a smile to both his and Velvet's faces  
"Shouldn't you be in bed?" Velvet asked in the stern voice she had used on her siblings  
"Couldn't sleep" the child mumbled  
"Where's Ringo?" Gangrel asked  
"He's with some of his friends in the back room, they told me not to come in" the little girl pouted, Gangrel took that to mean that the mobster was either dealing with business or gambling again, due to the lack of raised voice he guessed the former  
"Well you need to get back to bed" Velvet tried to maintain a stern expression but Jade's puppy dog eyes were just too much for her "Okay fine you can stay awake a little longer" the child grinned as Gangrel picked her up and placed on his shoulders.

"I'm just saying, she probably got lucky" Coco smirked as she gave Weiss a salacious wink over her sunglasses  
"She did not 'get lucky' her former first mate returned to service, Winter is with them at the base the Schleier Der Tranen is docked at and allowing them to get familiar with the new ship"  
"Yeah starting with her quarters….or actually maybe those workbenches in engineering, they're on the way I wonder what getting bent over-"  
"Coco, enough" Weiss's tone made it clear she would tolerate no more, Coco simply shrugged as she followed her through the hallways of the manor. Whitley had returned home with Neo and a message from Winter stating that she expected Gangrel to make contact that night; while the CCT in Atlas had survived the White Fang onslaught Scroll reception in Lower Atlas was almost non-existent due to the damage done to the cities; Ringo Umi however had provided a workaround in the form of a signal booster intended to part of a warship, nobody had thought it wise to question where the Squid Faunus had acquired the item, the downside was that it took a lot of power to operate which limited the amount of contact between those stranded in Lower Atlas and the rest of the world. Entering the office that had always been her Fathers' which she supposed now belonged to Whitley though he seemed hesitant to accept it she connected her scroll to one of the large screens built in to the wall and waited, less than a minute later the scroll rang as she answered the video call the screen flickered into life revealing Gangrel, Velvet and a small child  
"Hey Velvet, I've missed you" Coco blew the Faunus a kiss as soon as she stepped into view  
"Eww" the little girl currently sat on Gangrel's lap made a show of pretending to be sick "Grown ups are gross" Weiss couldn't help laughing at the antics, the sound caught the little girls' attention, the child looked at her with an expression of wide eyed terror and her eyes began to shine with a vivid green light  
"Mister Gangrel that's one of the evil Schnees" Weiss fought to keep the sorrow at the fact small children were terrified of her from showing on her face  
"Hey, calm down, she's actually a friend of mine" Gangrel assured her"Really?"  
"Really" Velvet sniggered "He even kisses her sometimes"  
"Eww" the little girl exclaimed again before nuzzling between Gangrel and Velvet and making to hide behind them  
"Okay so who's the Munchkin?" Coco asked  
"Jade" Gangrel said simply "She's staying with us" his expression told Coco and Weiss exactly why the girl wasn't with her family  
"So how is everything up there?" Velvet asked "And where's Winter?"  
"She got lucky" Coco answered before Weiss could stop her "And we received reinforcements from Vale. Fox, Yatsu, Rover and Missy are here"  
"Nice" Gangrel noted with a grin  
"Rover is….well maybe injured isn't the correct word" Weiss added with a frown "He's heading to a specialist in Atlas tomorrow, Jaune's sister is here the one that you know from Beacon as well as Yang and Ruby's father and that Sun Wukong character" Gangrel and Velvet both smiled at that news, it seemed that Schnee Manor was amassing a considerable amount of trained fighters  
"Speaking of reinforcements, Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai showed up with a pack of Grimm on their tail. Don't suppose you know anything about that?" Velvet asked  
"They found their way to you so soon?" Weiss sounded surprised "Winter sent them into Lower Atlas to disrupt White Fang activity, we expected them to operate independently until they needed resupply"  
"Fuck them, what happened to Rover?" Gangrel asked concern his team-mate evident  
"His Semblance working against him is the best way to describe it" Weiss explained "He's going to be in the best possible hands" she added catching his worried expression  
"Anything else for us to let Winter know?" Coco asked Gangrel thought for a minute  
"That the vent shafts she sent Merc & Em down might actually make decent supply lines if we can clear 'em out and make sure the White Fang aren't using the same ones. Might be a job for Obsidian, anti-Faunus sentiments should be hard to keep up when it's Faunus feeding you"  
"That makes sense" Weiss noted  
"Then we can hit some of Adams' interment camps and break some people out. Once we're completely sure we've cleaned the Grimm out of the shafts we can send people up and just use the safe zone as a temporary refugee camp" Gangrel said slowly, understanding that it was a rough idea at best and the logistics needed to be worked out  
"Erm Gang…." Velvet trailed off getting his attention "You're getting drooled on" he looked down to see that Jade had finally fallen asleep leaning against him and was indeed leaving a trail of saliva on his clothes, turning his attention back to the screen he saw that Weiss's hands were currently over her mouth as she tried not to make a very un-Weiss-like squealing noise  
"I'll put her to bed" the Bear-Faunus chuckled as he gently picked her up and carried her out of the room, turning around before he left  
"Love you Weiss"  
"I love you too, I miss you" the former heiress waited for Gangrel to leave before turning to Coco  
"I'll let you two have some privacy"  
"Thanks, go see if any of the others are awake so you can gush to them about Gangrel with kids" the fashionista laughed  
"I have no idea what you're talking about" she tried to keep her tone neutral despite the blush creeping across her face "I think it's cute is all"  
"Oh please" Velvet's voice on the other end of the video call teased her "I'm a Rabbit-Faunus I know maternal when I see it….we could practically hear your ovaries exploding from down here" Weiss left the room to the sound of Coco laughing like a madwoman.

The pair of modified Bull-Head's flew through the sky as dawn broke over Atlas, the hive like nature of snow-covered Kingdom left few signs of its' current state of war across its' landscape; away from the Hive Cities Atlas was beautiful in a harsh and rugged way. None of that was what Ruby focused on  
"You know you don't have to keep an eye on her at all times" the turned to see her father giving her a warm smile. Ruby was currently on-board Professor Oobleck's personal transport being flown by Taiyang alongside Rover, Artemis and Sun. Penny was carrying Victoria Arc and the remaining members of Team JNPR  
"I don't have to but I want to" she grumbled earning a soft chuckle from her father who ruffled her hair  
"So like Summer, I don't know if it's a Rose thing or a Team Leader thing" Ruby cocked her eyebrow giving him a questioning stare prompting him to continue "I saw your mother confine Qrow Branwen to our dorm, confiscate his hip-flask and force feed him chicken soup when we were in first year and he had the flu"  
"Sounds like something Yang would do" Ruby noted with a smile  
"She'd be proud of you both" Taiyang sighed "But why don't you tell me what's really bothering you kiddo"  
"I just wanna keep her where I can see her and get to her" Ruby murmured "I don't want her to get hurt again"  
"We'll be fine up here kiddo. Besides, I asked Rover and Artemis if they know anything about her since their team helped train yours, they make it sound like she's perfectly capable of taking care of herself" he reassured her, Ruby let out out a groan  
"Daaad. Stop trying to squeeze information out of my friends" she finished with a good natured punch to his shoulder; the moment was interrupted by the bleeping of the Explorers' comm system which Taiyang answered  
"What's up?"  
"Radar detects something up ahead, we shouldn't have any airships this far away from Atlas itself" Penny's voice sounded concerned  
"I didn't think there were any airborne Grimm left in Atlas?" Taiyang asked  
"They were almost entirely wiped out, spawning pools almost never produce them here any more, with our current civil unrest taking our fleets' attention a few might have slipped past into our airspace though. Your craft doesn't seem to be armed"  
"No it's not" Taiyang admitted "Oobleck used it as a recon vehicle" Ruby was already on her feet making her way into the rear compartment of the Bull-Head, being one of the models produced in Vale its' hatches were located under the wings rather than the rear  
"Ruby what's going on?" Sun asked as she deployed Crescent Rose in its' rifle form  
"We might have Grimm ahead" at that Artemis deployed Hakai Suru in its' own rifle form  
"You take one side I'll take the other, we never did get to have a marksmanship competition" the feline grinned as the hatches opened  
"Wish I could help" Rover growled as he flickered into view  
"Yeah definitely Grimm" Taiyang called back "Flock of Nevermore inbound, no giant ones though"  
"A full jar of cookies says I take more" Ruby challenged as the beasts came into view  
"I'll take that bet" Artemis laughed as she snapped off her first shot, the enhanced senses allowing her to put a round squarely through the throat of a Grimm. Ruby triggered her Semblance, time seeming to slow to a crawl around her, rose petals being sucked out of the open hatch of the Bull-Head as she took aim. She let off a salvo of a dozen shots and every single one found its' way to the skull of a Nevermore. Taking a moment to glance to the other Bull-Head she saw the crafts' own weapons ripping into the flock while Nora and Victoria fired their heavy artillery into any that tried to sneak past and double back. Releasing her Semblance she stepped back to reload  
"I'm on twelve"  
"Fucking super speed….I'm on nine" Artemis grumbled before squeezing the trigger again "Ten" she amended as a pained squawk informed her she'd hit her target, Ruby chuckled to herself before making to return to her firing position right as a Nevermore flew directly at the hatch; a golden form flew past her and perched itself atop of the Grimm before firing a shotgun into the space between its' shoulder blades  
"Thanks" Ruby sighed as the monster began to dissipate, Suns' light clone fading along with it  
"No problem" Sun shrugged "Didn't feel like letting you have all the fun"  
"Okay kids I'm gonna show you how us pros do things" Taiyang announced with a grin as he switched the Bull-Head to autopilot and stepped towards the hatch Ruby was firing from  
"Okay old man, when was the last time you beyond the front lines?" Rover asked with a raised eyebrow  
"Kid Team STRQs' trips beyond the front alone add up to more than your entire record" the older Huntsman countered with a smirk before leaping from the Bull-Head deploying his weapon as he fell. The wrecking ball swung in a wide arc crushing the skulls and wings of the Grimm it impacted against before Taiyang landed on the back of a Nevermore with a resounding boom, dropping to a crouch and wrapping the chain of his weapon around its' neck he triggered his Semblance. The Hunters on the Bull-Head looked on as his entire body began to glow with golden light and fire before leaping back towards the craft his entire body seeming to resemble a comet as he landed back inside the transport and collapsed his weapon. The Nevermore faded from view as its' head fell away from its' body, severed by the chain that had torn through it  
"The old man has still got some moves" Taiyang said simply  
"Dad" Ruby sighed "I decapitated a giant nevermore during initiation, it's really not that hard to do" her father made his way back to the controls muttering under his breath and Ruby was sure she caught the words _'So damn proud'  
_ "That's the last of that flock, are you picking up anything else?"  
"All clear" Penny's voice replied "And very nicely done Mister Xiao Long. It's a shame I don't have my old swords with the tethers I could have learned to use a technique like that" Taiyang turned to Ruby with a smug grin on his face  
"See your girlfriend thinks I'm cool" the good natured ribbing between them continued for a few minutes before the comm interrupted it once again, answering it Taiyang realised it was a conference call and introduced himself  
"This is Taiyang Xiao Long, Huntsman from Vale delivering a Huntsman requiring specialist medical attention"  
"Understood, I'll alert Professor Polendina that you will be arriving shortly" a businesslike voice replied, softening as the speaker addressed the pilot of the second Bull-Head "And welcome home Penny, I see from the news report you've been using your personal craft to its' full potential"  
"Salutations Toni I have your brother and one of your sisters aboard, tell Father I'll be home shortly and I can introduce him to my girlfriend" Taiyang looked over his shoulder to see that Penny's last sentence had seemingly reduced Ruby to a nervous wreck.

Qrow stood outside the farmhouse situated at the edge of some nowhere village, miles from any of Mistrals' cities. His eyes narrowed as he scanned his surroundings, fingers tightening around the blade of his sword. Over his long career as a Huntsman 'Qrow Branwen's instincts' had become something as a legend spread by word of mouth from those whom he had served with and his instincts were currently screaming at him that something was amiss  
"Okay, whoever it is trying to earn a name for themselves come out now. Grimm aren't smart enough to sneak up on people….but then again neither were you" he taunted the unseen assailant he was sure was lurking here somewhere and then he saw it, a flash of movement on the roof of the barn. Without hesitation he shifted his weapon to its' pistol form and fired. His target vanished in a flash of Aura, the bird revealing its' true form. Unsheathing her sword Raven almost casually deflected a trio of shots before opening a portal in front of herself, Qrow instinctively spun and made to counter an attack behind him which never came  
"I know we haven't seen each other in some time but I didn't think our relationship had devolved this far" she noted as she pressed her blade against her brothers' spine  
"It's better to always assume the worst where you're concerned since nobody knows whose side you're on" Qrow growled. Raven removed her blade from his neck and sheathed it allowing Qrow to turn to face her, doing so he allowed that her helmet seemed to have been damaged and hastily repaired  
"Qrow if I was ever going to kill you it would have been in our first week of Beacon when you convinced everyone that my sword was actually called 'Edge-Lord'" Qrow smirked at that despite himself  
"Really not for when I walked in on-"  
"I don't ever want to think about that again" Raven cut him off grimacing at the memory  
"Why are you here" Qrow asked with a sigh  
"Searching for you. You've made yourself very hard to find"  
"I learned from an expert, you might know her" behind her mask Raven's eye twitched at the quip  
"You haven't been watching over Summers' child. You haven't been watching over Yang. I trusted you to look after my daughter Qrow" his grip on his weapon visibly tightened around his weapon at the accusation  
"Then maybe if you decided to be a mother-"  
"I had my reasons-"  
"THEN MAYBE YOU SHOULD TELL YANG SOMETIME BECAUSE SHE WANTS TO KNOW WHY HER MOTHER NEVER STUCK AROUND!" Qrow's fury had always been something to behold, even Raven was a little unnerved by it  
"Tyrian. One of Salem's generals went to patch in search of Summers' daughter and attacked Yang and Tai. You weren't there, I intervened. I brought Yang to Mistral and trained her. We were present during the battle at Anquan-Jia. Once again, _you weren't there_ " Raven seethed.  
"Where are they now? Are they safe?" Qrow demanded  
"They are, they've travelled to Atlas. I assume it was you who alerted Ironwood to their location?" Qrow nodded  
"Now" Raven continued "What is it you're here in the middle of nowhere trying to defend? Have your years of whoring finally caught up with you Qrow? If I go into that house will I find a baby with red eyes and blessed with the great hair of a Branwen?"  
"Don't joke with me like you're still my sister" Qrow spat furiously "Not when you're wearing that" he indicated to her helmet Raven was silent for a few moments before letting out a slow sigh  
"You're right you deserve to know and I gave Yang my word" bringing her hand to her helmet, the individual components sliding and folding away to reveal her corrupted flesh  
"Oh sweet merciful Oum, Raven I am so sorry" Qrow almost sobbed as he saw what had become of his sister  
"Do you understand why I didn't trust myself around my daughter and husband now?" she wheezed out, speaking without her mask as difficult as always "Ozpin trusted us both with the truth but he sent me to Salem's side to act as his eyes and ears. It's because of me he knew she had the capability to steal the powers of the Maidens. I was the test subject, Ozpin thought we could turn her own plans against her"  
"Can it be fixed?" Qrow whispered, Raven gave him an irate glare before allowing her mask to reform  
"Would I have allowed this to continue if it could" she snapped. Before reaching into her jacket and withdrawing a bottle of whiskey "I see you gave Yang Grandpa's old hip-flask. We still have things to discuss and I'm sure you'll need a drink for it"

 **Authors Notes:**

Regarding Episode 08:  
#SaveQrow2k17  
Blake, you need a third hand to slap sense into Sun Wukong at this point….who do you know who could lend one.  
The Belladonna are too pure for this world and I love them.

So welcome to the first Chapter of 2017, I seem to be taking longer and longer to post each chapter but I steadfastly refuse to accept that I may be losing my touch.

Also if you're reading this and haven't read the utter crack one shot I posted yesterday titled "P-Money" I implore you to do so.

Now let's summarise:  
Yeah Gangrel is roughly as happy to see Merc and Em as Ruby was Velvet will probably have to act as his better judgement around them.  
At the same time Gangrel does have a point, a literal war-zone is neither the time or place to get squeamish about pulling the trigger.  
"The Evil Schnees" Jacques Schnee was literally used to scare children in Lower Atlas.  
The people in Atlas have something approaching a plan now.  
The Coalition will be providing relief to the humans and Faunus of Lower Atlas because let's be honest the council will probably give zero fucks.  
Weiss squealing over Gangrel with a little Faunus kid. You know the idea made you smile.  
Ruby might not be as murder happy as she was, but I can imagine her being insanely overprotective of Penny and not wanting to let her out of her sight.  
Summer was totally the team Mum and looked after Qrow when he was ill and/or hungover.  
Taiyang does stuff, his weapon would totally be a wrecking ball.  
Ruby is meeting Penny's Dad, you know damn well she's going to trip over her own feet and break something expensive.  
A Qrow and Raven meet up was overdue in this story.  
Not only does Raven have a parasitic Grimm living inside her courtesy of Salem, she allowed it to happen on Ozpins' orders

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter:  
The problem with Nuking Grimm in Lower-Atlas is that the Bourgeoisie in charge of making that decision would have to hit themselves in the process.  
Indeed, Winter needed humanising a little.  
I have plans for what's going to happen with Rover, not quite ghost dude. I'll give you a hint "Antonia 'Toni' Arc" is Professor Polendina's assistant and the mind behind the "Arc Reactor" Penny runs on. That's relevant information

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	77. 77: Tension

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 77: Tension**

Qrow and Raven sat in the rafters of the barn adjacent to the farm she had found him protecting, a large and half empty bottle of whiskey between them. It brought back memories of much simpler times, times before even Beacon when they had sat like this in the rafters of the Branwen farm in their village beyond the walls of Vale drinking whatever they had managed to pilfer from their grandfather. Over time Taiyang and Summer had come to join them during breaks from the academy but lacked the fortitude to drink with them  
"Are you gonna drink any of that?" Qrow asked motioning to the bottle "I wish I'd seen you walk into a store to buy it with the mask on" he sniggered, he wasn't slurring his words yet but the drink was clearly affecting him  
"I haven't eaten or drunk anything in years" Raven lamented  
"Fuck….what are you?" Qrow asked "Sorry sis" he added feeling her glare eve from behind her mask  
"A monstrosity and a danger to be around" she said simply "Not only does the symbiote let me rip the soul and Aura from a still living person it connects me to the mind of the Grimm"  
"Mind of the Grimm?" Qrow asked  
"They share a hive consciousness, it develops as they age larger Grimm act almost like rallying points for smaller species" Raven explained "Freshly spawned Grimm will attack others of their kind because the connection isn't fully formed and the instinct to feed and kill takes over. I can sense Grimm coming but there are downsides, the more Grimm congregate in an area the more influence Salem has; I was taking a huge risk participating in the battle of Anquan-Jia. There was a very real possibility she could have called to me" Raven paused and saw that she had Qrow's attention even through the alcohol induced haze "Salem can assert total control over Grimm, when the symbiote was first implanted into me she learned within minutes that I was working for Ozpin so I fled before she could rip my mind apart for answers"  
"What on Remnant is Salem?" Qrow asked, regretting every time he'd let the old headmaster get away with half-truths and evasive answers  
"I have suspicions but I'm not certain" Raven paused for a moment "You never did answer before, what is it you're defending here"  
"Ozpins' successor" he mumbled drunkenly after taking another swig of the bottle  
"Because another Ozpin is exactly what we need" Raven hissed, she may not be able to get drunk with her brother but if she was near him for long enough he could bring out flickers of her former personality  
"Surely you know what Ozpin was?" Raven snorted at that  
"A manipulative old son of a-"  
"He was the Wizard" Qrow cut across her "That's how he knew so much about the Maidens and if things keep going as badly as they have been the Wizards' power may just be exactly what we need"  
"Then why haven't you brought it to bare?" Raven demanded  
"Because the Wizard is a fourteen year old farm boy who doesn't even realise what he is" Qrow growled "Each of the Maidens' is an embodiment of the seasons, the Wizard can control the flow of time itself. Seriously look at the crops growing here, we both helped on the farm you know as well as I do that something unnatural is going on there….he's literally warped time and space and just thinks that his family got lucky this year"  
"And you haven't begun training him?" Raven was slowly getting angrier with her brother  
"I'm not bringing another child into this war" Qrow snapped "Not if I can help it, both of my nieces came back from Vale with scars, Amber, Pyrrha….there's been too many casualties. I don't want another kids blood on my hands"  
"So you're watching over him by hiding in his families' barn and pretending to be a bird whenever someone enters" she surmised "Dare I ask how you've been finding food?"  
"You probably don't want to know"  
"I'm staying with you" her tone made it clear argument would be futile "We make contact with the child and begin training him to use the power. He's a danger to himself and everyone else around him if he can't control it Qrow. And maybe just maybe his family will be gracious enough to offer you a bed, you obviously still have trouble taking care of yourself outside of missions"  
"I-"  
"You live in a barn in the winter Qrow, I will not be mothering you the way Summer did when you get ill" Qrow forced the snide remark about Ravens' inability to mother anyone on the tip of his tongue to remain unspoken.

Winters' patience had been wearing dangerously thin all day. After waking in her quarters aboard her still docked ship head pounding and throat painfully dry, Matte sleeping on the couch had brought an annoyed expression to her face not only because she did not usually allow herself to get so intoxicated she needed to be propped up but because she was frankly unused to her advances being turned down and not just because she was a Schnee. The day had descended from that point, she had entrusted official duties not regarding the Black-Ops unit to Matte knowing her First Mate to be highly competent in favour of accompanying Whitley to explain the way things were to the board of directors, she had no patience for the avaricious and ill-natured vultures and made it clear that their co-operation with her brother and Obsidian Eadala was non-negotiable. Following that she had sat silently through a council meeting, as the Generals' right hand he expected her to be present and informed but she was not of a high enough standing to actually contribute and speak out against some the suggestions put forward, even Jacques hadn't had a seat on the council, her Father had simply used the effective monopoly on the Dust industry the SDC had to bully them into submission. Returning to the Manor had led to her sister meeting with her in the study with news that made it clear that the day was not yet done with her.  
"You're certain of what you saw?" Winter demanded  
"Yes, Gangrel and Velvet have taken in a child that shows signs of an unlocked Aura and possible Semblance unusually young, I think you're missing-" Winter held a hand up to silence her and gave serious consideration to finding a vintage bottle of anything that would help her deal with today before cursing herself internally for picking up Qrow Branwen's bad habits  
"Weiss I will ensure that the ventilation shafts serving Eisenstadt Dritte are secured and used as stable supply lines to the Safe-Zone. I will also have Whitley funnel funding to the Coalition and let them be the public face of the relief effort, Oum knows the council won't spare tax money on helping the people that actually paid it"  
"Thank you Winter"  
"However things are more complicated than that" Winter took a deep breath to steady herself before continuing "I believe that this child may be the Spring Maiden. What you're describing matches too closely with Mercury and Emeralds' description of the Fall Maiden and Jaunes' description of Cinder Falls' power" Weiss froze, Winter had chosen to brief her Black-Ops team on the Maidens after Team RNJR Yang, Penny, Mercury and Emerald had arrived at the manor already knowing the truth.  
"Oh my Oum" Weiss whispered as she took the information in "We have to get her out of there"  
"We have to proceed with extreme caution Weiss" Winter told her sternly "If we make an obvious effort to remove this specific child above everyone else it draws attention to her which is something we cannot afford. It could alert Cinder Fall to her presence and Vale proved that she will go to any lengths for these powers"  
"With Lower Atlas under White Fang control….Oh Oum she's a Faunus, she can't be allowed to fall into Adam Taurus's hands, even if he didn't turn her over to Cinder the things he could do with a Maiden at his disposal…." she trailed off, Winter nodded in agreement glad that Weiss understood the severity of the situation  
"It's worse than that, just the suggestion of a weapon of that power falling into enemy hands would give certain voices in the council the justification they're searching for….there are serious discussions being had about using biological weapons on Lower Atlas to bring it back under control"  
"That's, that's disgusting" Weiss's hands flew to her mouth "The council exists to protect Atlas how could they even consider that?" Winter shook her head, her sister was still a naive idealist in some regards it seemed  
"Indeed, but they are a collection of pampered and myopic fools who believe that the only parts of Atlas of any value are those which they make profit from and this conflict is costing the lobbyists and corporations that bribe them Lien. The lack of decisive action and our inability to locate Taurus is pushing them to call for a vote of no confidence in General Ironwood"  
"Preposterous" Weiss scoffed "We're at war, a vote of no confidence against him can be simply ignored"  
"Indeed it can" Winter nodded before her expression turned serious "But if the White Fang has taught us anything it's that ignoring peaceful protests will only lead to less civilised methods"

Ruby finally released her Semblance, body coated in sweat as she became tangible once again.  
"Thank you Miss Rose that will be the final test for today" the voice over the intercom announced, doubled over and panting she gave a thumbs-up to show that she had heard before staggering out of the testing area. Since arriving at the unnamed facility Geppetto Polendina had run her through a gauntlet of tests starting with blood and tissue samples, followed by comparative testing of both hers and Rover's abilities and ending with Ruby's powers being pushed to their limits.  
"My apologies for any discomfort" the man Penny considered her father said jovially as she stepped into the closed off section of the laboratory that the Professor had been monitoring her from  
"I'm okay" she managed to gasp out, right as her stomach gave a long rumbling growl "It just makes me hungry"  
"Ah I noticed that the use of your Semblance accelerates your metabolism, which is strange considering Mister Tan claims to have not eaten since the incident that left him in his current condition….Thoughts for another time" he shook his head before he could allow himself to begin rambling to himself and get sidetracked "Nevertheless, I allowed Doctor Arc to leave early today to spend some time with her siblings and I believe Mister Tan returned to the quarters assigned to himself and his fiancé but perhaps some of your friends will be at the on site canteen if you would care to join me"  
"Sounds like a good idea; do you think you'll be able to help Rover?" Ruby asked as the pair made their way out of the lab. Her nervous panic about meeting Penny's father had subsided when she discovered that he was a good natured old man who had hired the famed weapons designer and Jaune's sister Antonia Arc  
"I have multiple ideas about how it may be possible, it may take some time due to requiring an Arc Reactor to be constructed; Antonia doesn't usually keep spares on hand. Tell me, have you ever attempted this 'Overdrive Mode' that Mister Tan spoke of"  
"I don't do drugs" Ruby answered immediately  
"Hmm I'm glad that someone Penny is so smitten with doesn't partake in such things" he paused for a moment "Though as scientist and a specialist in Aura research I must admit that using narcotics as a delivery system to get raw Dust to interact with the users' body and Aura isn't something I'd ever considered and I'm curious if it could be used as the basis of a combat enhancing drug for Hunters" in his absent-minded rambling he failed to notice the blush creeping across Ruby's face as they made their way to the canteen which was mercifully near the lab they had been using  
"Hey kiddo" the sound of her fathers' voice got her attention, which was then promptly lost to a broadly smiling Penny sat next to him, clearly waiting for her who in then turn lost her attention to the multiple plates of food at the table  
"I saw Rover, he mentioned you were getting put through your paces" Taiyang grinned "I know you can eat anything up to and including Boarbatusk after training" he joked  
"Ah Mister Xiao Long, a pleasure to meet you"  
"Call me Tai" her father held out a calloused hand for the professor to shake "Pleasure to meet the family of the person who put that smile on my little girls' face"  
"Daaad, you're worse than Yang!" Ruby groaned eliciting a giggle from Penny who leaned over and kissed her cheek  
"No Yang would have added a pun as well" the copper haired girl whispered in her ear "She also knows that we fell asleep together at Beacon" causing Ruby to flush scarlet and instinctively reach for her hood to hide her face  
"Young love" Geppetto Polendina smiled "Sensational to see"  
"So this is what embarrassment feels like" Penny muttered sending Ruby into hysterics  
"If I'm getting grilled by both of our Dads' than we're both facing it together" she asserted as she pulled Penny onto her lap in a display that even the cooks couldn't help but laugh at

The lights flickered into life as Weiss stepped into the almost cavernous garage on the grounds of Schnee Manor. She strode through the rows of vintage and exceptionally expensive luxurious sports cars a determined expression on her face, none of her fathers' old toys and collectors items were what she was here for. Finally reaching the back of the ludicrously oversized garage she found it, the tarpaulin that had covered it for years having been replaced after Gangrel's father had finished checking the vehicle over as she had asked him to.  
"Well Nana Schnee, this adventure is going to be a little different to the ones you and Grandpa told us stories about" she whispered to herself, with that she pulled the tarpaulin free and took a moment to appreciate the marvel of machinery and work of art in front of her. 'Stardust' a product of a time before many modern health and safety laws and regulations that resembled a hybrid of a chopper motorcycle and an all terrain vehicle; a pair of front wheels with tires clearly intended for off-roading were fitted onto a pair of long forks which displayed an impressive suspension and shock absorption system and thick yet streamlined armour plating mounted on top. Even Larger rear wheels were set further apart to accommodate the experimental prototype engine that powered it, and engine that had inspired and yet still competed with modern Bull-Heads. The whole thing was a blend of white and gunmetal. Nana Schnee had told Weiss and Winter stories as children of how Nicholas Schnee had met her, one of the Huntresses on one of his expeditions to find Dust Mines in the mountains beyond Mantle and that Stardust was his way of saying thank you after they had cleared out a pack of over five hundred Beowolves alone. Smiling at the memory she wheeled Stardust into the space between the rows of cars and climbed on, sitting low in the seat before activating the ignition. The engine sprung into life with a simultaneous high pitched scream and a low bass note growl, a jet of blue flames spewing from the exhaust  
"Oum I love this thing" Weiss muttered under her breath as she became accustomed to the machine before calming herself and focusing for the next part of her plan. She had been training since the White Fang attacks, knowing that she wouldn't be able to fight effectively while riding Stardust she conjured a glyph beside her from which a glowing white Beowolf stepped snapping and growling  
"WEISS!" her triumphant smile faltered, moments later the summoned Grimm faded from view as her concentration was taken up by the approaching forms of Yang, Blake and Winter  
"Bjorn told us you were down here. I kind of expected Coco to be the one to make a gung-ho decision" Blake noted with a raised eyebrow "Admittedly I was in the running as well" she added  
"Besides the point" Yang gave Weiss's choice in vehicle an impressed once over "The point is Bike-caramba! You've been holding out on us….is this thing even legal?"  
"It was when it was built but then again almost everything was so…." she trailed off when she saw just how furious Winter was  
"I'm not speaking to you as your sister now Agent Schnee. I'm speaking to you as your commanding officer; this is either desertion or insubordination. Explain yourself"  
"This is me taking initiative!" Weiss spat furiously "I'm going to head to Eisenstadt Dritte, find my way through those ventilation shafts and retrieve the Spring Maiden myself. No more waiting for bureaucrats to make decisions something needs to be done!"  
"Huh, I was expecting this to be about Gang" Yang mumbled  
"So you would have head down into a Grimm Infested war-zone with no backup or communication with our assets already in the field when you know damn well that your name alone makes you a priority target?" Winter countered "We have already sent reinforcements-"  
"You sent a killer and a thief! Two killers if we count what Emerald did to Penny!" Weiss raged "The Spring Maiden is a little girl trapped in a war-zone, we know what it's like to grow scared of the White Fang Winter why are you willing to subject her to that?" Winter looked almost ready to slap Weiss across the face for that last remark, instead she simply removed the keys from Stardust and pocketed them  
"Weiss" her tone softened "Your plan is workable and I'll alert General Ironwood, he needs to be informed of developments like this and you won't be going alone"  
"Damn right you won't" Yang added as she placed a hand on Weiss's shoulder and winked  
"When we go down there we're going to rain Just-Ice"

 **Authors Notes:**

Today (4th of January 2017) marks four months since this was story was first posted.  
77 Chapters in and I'm not going to lie, it's a struggle to think of new chapter titles.

Anyway let's summarise:  
More Qrow and Raven, she hasn't always been a hard-ass in this, Qrow told Yang she used to be super charismatic.  
Also, the Branwen twins grew up on their grandparents farm, Qrow said he'll be a Hunter til the job kills him like his Dad. Need I go into more detail.  
Oscar will be in this but he won't getting haunted by Ozpin.  
Can you imagine what getting trained by Qrow & Raven would be like.  
Okay so almost everyone is in the loop about the Maidens now, the only people that don't know are Velvet and Gangrel, which is great considering they're ones with a Maiden falling asleep and drooling on them.  
The people in power are pushing for the use of a Biological Weapon. Remember Watts mentioning 'Project Hexxus' a few chapters ago? Whatever you think it is, its' worse.  
The best part is Adam isn't even in Atlas.  
So Geppetto Polendina has plans for how to help Rover. Also he's the Aura Specialist the mechanical genius behind Penny is actually Antonia Arc, also a safe bet that Professor Polendina provided the Aura transfer machine used on Amber and Pyrrha.  
The Polendina and Xiao Long parents have met, safe to say Nuts & Dolts is going steady.  
I told you I'd be making a Chibi Reference. Nana Schnee's bike "Stardust" although in this its' an experimental Dust Chopper/ATV that Grandpa Schnee (Who was canonically a bad-ass) made for her.  
Weiss has learned to summon, she didn't actually do it in the battle of Beacon in this story.  
Yang has bike envy.  
Also Yang puns make their long awaited return.  
Pissed off Weiss wants to get shit done.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review of the last chapter:  
The amount of things I've done to my readers' psyche to make them hate me….what's one more between friends?  
There can only be one short Yandere and I don't think Neo takes kindly to competition.  
Ozpin is discount Dumbledore….Scumbledore if you will

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	78. 78: Reassignment

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 78: Reassignment**

The tanned and freckled teen stepped into the barn, the pair of birds flying from the rafters garnering no reaction from him other than briefly casting his oddly coloured eyes towards the roof to see if they had flown in through a hole that needed to be mended  
"Well it was gonna be a long day anyway" he sighed as he found the offending hole before retrieving his gloves from his pockets and adjusting the braces that rested over his dirt stained shirt. He was planning to help his father work on the tractor today, but the war in Atlas was making new parts hard to get hold of, even companies based in the other Kingdoms tended to rely on Atlas when it came to machines which meant that tending the fields was going to have to be done by hand; Oscar supposed he shouldn't complain the manual labour combined with the growth spurt his mother constantly made jokes about had lead to him putting on a surprising amount of lean muscle. Stepping across the barn he made to start his first task of the day and dragged the ridiculously heavy sack of horse-feed back towards the barn door  
"Y'know contrary to popular belief you don't lift with your back, all putting your back into it does is give you a slipped disk. Use your legs" Oscar dropped the sack and whipped around to face the trespasser; a tall man with crimson eyes and dark hair beginning to grey around the edges wearing a grey dress shirt and a tattered cape, Oscar's eyes however were drawn to large sword sheathed on his back  
"Who are you?"  
"Qrow Branwen, I'm here to talk to you about your powers and help you"  
"I don't know what you're talking about, but you need to get the hell out of my barn!" Oscar tried to sound intimidating but his cracking voice refused to comply  
"You don't know what I'm talking about?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow and slight smirk "Because the fact you're growing strawberries in winter says otherwise"  
"It's just the compost!"  
"Sure it is compost King" without warning the man lunged forward Oscar flinched and made to try and block, the hit never landed. Looking up Oscars' jaw dropped; there appeared to be three of Qrow, each in different stages of lunging and throwing a punch frozen in place as they flickered in and out of existence  
"What on Remnant?" Oscar whispered, voice trembling as he stepped aside. A moment later everything seemed to return to normal  
"Was that the compost? Or just the product of a growing boy getting three good meals a day?" Qrow chuckled and the dumbstruck expression on the teens' face  
"This is pointless" a new voice hissed, sounding feminine yet distorted, Oscar turned to face the newcomer, a woman in crimson clothes and armour wearing a Grimm mask that covered her entire face  
"Holy shit!" he yelped at the sight of the second sword wielding intruder  
"You have powers that will either win or loose the coming war. We're going to train you to use them"  
"I'm not a Hunter!" Oscar snapped, voice rising with panic "I don't have a Semblance or anything like that, I shouldn't have powers or other peoples' memories or any of this!….what's happening to me?"  
"Other people's memories?" the mask wearing woman asked  
"Nightmares….sometimes I get flashes of something randomly. I remember being old. I remember fighting a woman with swords made of glass….I remember what dying felt like" the boy visibly shuddered, Qrow winced, a wave of guilt for what he had to do washing over him  
"That makes some twisted kind of sense" he ground out "Your abilities are tied to time itself and pass from one person to another, what you're getting glimpses of are the last moments of the previous Wizard….I knew old Ozpin, he could actually access the memories of Wizards before him almost entirely at will"  
"I don't want to be able to read dead people's minds" Oscar cried  
"Then let us train you" the woman answered  
"Raven" Qrow growled, the mask wearing woman merely shrugged before turning to Oscar  
"Whether you wish to use your powers or not you still need to learn to control them. If you don't the flashbacks will only get worse and you'll eventually lash out, untrained you're a danger to your family"  
"I….I don't have a choice do I?" Oscar asked, his voice a barely audible pained whisper  
"Honestly, not really"  
"Damn it Raven!" Qrow snapped, running his hands through his hair "I didn't catch your name kid"  
"My name's Oscar….But everyone calls me Oz"

The bruised and bloody Faunus eyed Hazel with a healthy mixture of fear and hate as the larger man entered the room, there was still some defiance left in his eyes; that would have to go.  
"I don't know which is more depressing, the fact you're chained to a wall in a puddle of your own blood and piss or the fact that your friends call you Lucky" his deep yet jovial voice a stark contrast to the actions he had taken. Since arriving in Vaccuo on Salem's orders he'd been gathering information about the criminal element of the Kingdom, searching for those that could be used as pawns in his mistresses plan. Upon frequenting a few dive bars and drug dens he had learned that the most prominent faction was currently a breakaway group of the White Fang, learning of a splinter group of the terrorist Faunus supremacists that had aided both Watts and Cinder in their devastation of Vale and Atlas was intriguing; discovering that they were much less hard line and were more interested in profit than revolution forced his hand, the Faunus Mafia would need to be utterly dismantled for chaos to reign.  
Which brought him to his current predicament  
"Go fuck yourself" the Faunus, Hazel only knew him by his nickname of Lucky spat. The towering man was begrudgingly impressed, he'd had Lucky kidnapped by some human criminals dissatisfied with the current status-quo that he'd recruited days ago and Lucky was yet to give him any information. His reluctance had already cost him his fingernails several teeth and one of the canine ears adorning his skull  
"You've got a lot of mouth" Hazel rumbled as he stepped forwards, producing a large and heavy wrench "Now let's see if we can make something useful come out of it" Lucky made a futile to scramble to his feet, his arms were chained behind his back securing him to pipes of the basement he was being held captive in  
"Brave, but stupid" Hazel grunted as he swung, bringing the hefty weapon down against his victims' collarbones with a pair a sickening cracks followed by agonized screams. Hazel kicked his victim's legs out from under him and made his way to the door he had entered the basement through upon opening it the sound of growling filled the room, when Hazel began making his way back over to Lucky he was firmly gripping a leash attached to the collar of a large mastiff which snapped and bared its' teeth at the wounded Faunus  
"Now this" Hazel started, the disturbingly cheery edge to his deep voice returning "Is Charlie, I'm looking after him for a friend of mine but with all the time I've spent down here with you I've actually forgotten to feed him for the last few days. Now, you're going to be useful to me one way or another so I'd think very carefully before you become dog food"  
"You're bluffing" Lucky managed to whimper out, focusing on anything but the pain from his broken bones "You won't do it"  
"You think that out of everyone in your crew I need you in particular?" Hazel chuckled before loosening his grip on the leash, the dog instantly rushed forward  
"I'll talk!" the Faunus screamed. The leash was yanked pulling the canine back, Hazel stared down expectantly  
"The leader of the Faunus Mafia is Fagin Grey, he's a Rat Faunus. He was the man in charge of the White Fang in Vaccuo, he severed ties with the rest of the organisation because he wasn't happy with the direction Taurus was taking things, we were loosing too many people and not getting enough to show for it"  
"So why hasn't he been replaced?" Hazel growled  
"He had everyone loyal to Adam taken care of the night Taurus took control of Lower Atlas. Nobodies' seen him since"  
"And yet you're not all running around like headless chickens, orders have to be coming from somewhere" Lucky looked up at his captor  
"What you think Mister Grey went around Vaccuo giving everyone their orders in person before? We've got a chain of command"  
"So if I were aiming to break your organisation apart I'd have better results by starting with the people that form the backbone of the beast rather than the head….good to know" with that Hazel dropped the leash and walked away, the sound of barking and screams filling the basement.

Weiss conjured an oversized glyph in front of her shielding both herself and Yang from the onslaught of bullets that impacted against it. They were training, on Winter's orders in the grounds of Schnee Manor which Weiss informed them was where she'd been trained by private tutors before attending Beacon. The eldest Schnee had been mercilessly drilling the members of her Black-Ops squad stationed at the manor ever since Weiss's attempt leave for Lower Atlas alone  
"Fox!" Coco snapped, the blind fighter sprung into action a silent understanding between the two partners evident as he rushed forwards directly at the glyph, blades at the ready, Weiss spared Yang an incredulous look  
"Surely he doesn't think he can cut his way through-"  
"Look out!" Yang interrupted as Fox reached the glyph and proceeded to run up its' surface, hooking one of his arm mounted blades onto the edge of the glyph in attempt to climb over  
"Yang deal with Coco!" Weiss called before she allowed her glyph to fade dropping Fox to the ground, he landed in a crouch and rushed forwards.

Yang zigzagged, bullets ripping through the snow after her as she rushed towards Coco, as she neared she saw the fashionista's lips curl into a small smirk as she suddenly changed targets and made to open fire on Weiss  
"Nope" Yang matched Coco's smirk as she focused her Aura into her hand and let loose a jet of flames from her left hand directly at her opponents face, sending her staggering back covering her eyes as she dropped Satani Arbor  
"Steaming hot Coco" Yang laughed and gave her a wink  
"Prepare to die" Coco snarled as she charged forwards. Yang braced herself and blocked the first spinning heel kick and sidestepping past the left elbow and right haymaker, Coco was a heavy weapons specialist but her hand to hand combat skills were not to be underestimated; blocking a left hook Yang threw a brutal right cross followed by a left to the ribs  
"You haven't got the muscle to box with me Coco, you've only got Mini-Guns" Coco tackled Yang to the ground with a furious roar and began raining blows as her temper finally got the better of her  
"I will take that Oum-damned smile off your face one way or another!" her next punches were halted as the blonde caught her arms, irises shifting into blood red as her Aura flared into life, forcing Coco's limbs down as she levelled the barrels of her Gauntlets at her chest  
"Hey Coco I've got Adel-ivery for ya" Coco's furious retort was muffled by the gunshots.

Weiss was currently maintaining a trio of smaller Glyphs which she kept perpetually moving to avoid the barrage of attacks Fox was unleashing from seemingly all angles  
"Your Semblance is versatile but you can't keep this up all day, I can" the blind fighter assured her as he back-flipped off of a Gravity-Dust infused Glyph intended to hurl him back before leaping into the air and delivering a devastating heel kick which forced her back as it impacted against one of the glyphs  
"All or nothing then" Weiss vanishing the smaller glyphs and summoning one on the ground behind her, her voice holding the promise of challenge that brought a smirk to Fox's scarred lips; rushing forward he leapt into the air aiming to connect his knee with Weiss's face when it happened, Weiss rolled to the side and something rose from the ground, something with no thermal signature that made almost no noise when it moved, he had no chance to react before the summoned Mantle Sentinel backhanded him sending him sprawling into the snow  
"Okay, you win. I've got no way to fight that" Fox admitted  
"Well fought" Weiss helped him to his feet as her construct vanished; Yang and Coco both limped over to them  
"Okay that's it" Coco grumbled "Sustrai and Black was one thing but this losing to first years shit stops right now. I swear when Velvet makes it back the drilling I put Team CFVY through is going to be double whatever the worst Winter throw at us is"  
"Really now?" the four Hunters turned to face the person who had spoken to see Winter regarding them with a somewhat bemused expression, Blake and Yatsuhashi stood beside her, the giant had been weight training while Blake worked on her marksmanship with the right Gauntlet of Ember Celica "If you think you could handle double my worst training regimen Adel perhaps I should put that theory to the test" Yang sighed before affecting a solemn tone  
"Now is the Winter of our discontent" Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose in frustration at her team-mate while Blake stifled a laugh  
"Okay that one was actually good" the Faunus admitted  
"I've had confirmation from the General" Winter's words got everyone's attention instantly "Neo is to remain aboard the Schleier Der Tranen acting as bodyguard to my First Mate while they have command of the ship, our security protocols have been proven to be inadequate. The rest of you are being redeployed to Lower Atlas, specifically the Safe-Zone established in Eisenstadt Dritte. Obsidian Eadala and his coalition have informed us that they have acquired a surplus of non-perishable foods and medicine. Officially you are being tasked with delivering the first shipment and setting up a secure supply line"  
"And unofficially?" Weiss asked hesitantly  
"Defend the Spring Maiden at all costs, that is a priority" Winter's tone made the seriousness of the order perfectly clear "Sustrai and Black have been tasked with destabilising White Fang activity as much as possible, if an attack on one of the human interment camps becomes viable then assist them. We'll use the supply lines to smuggle refugees out and hide the Spring Maiden among them. I leave that at your discretion"  
"Understood" Coco nodded, it was accepted among the Black-Ops team that she was directly under Gangrel in the chain of command due to both of them being the leaders of their respective team  
"Now get inside, you're no use to the people of Lower Atlas if you catch a cold from standing out in the snow" the Hunters tried not to be too obvious in their sighs of relief.

"That's my girl Ruby! You've got this!" Taiyang cheered  
"Kick her ass Rover!" Artemis laughed as the pair of them watched the unfolding sparring match, Professor Polendina and Doctor Arc had informed the pair of speedsters that the tests they had been subjected to had given the scientists a theoretical understanding of their abilities they wished to see how they worked in practice; this had led to the pair being fitted with a multitude of sensors and entering a training arena similar to the ones at Beacon Academy  
"So can either of you actually see what's going on?" Jaune asked as he watched the streaks of red and gold currently zooming around the arena, one of the fighters occasionally coming into view for a split second  
"Nope" Tai admitted "But I'm pretty sure Ruby's winning"

"Picking up speed running out of time, going head to head it's a way of life. You gotta fall down. Meet ground. To get back up again; Let's Beyblade!" Ruby sang as she ran inverted across the ceiling formed by protective barrier around the arena, dodging blasts from Rover's weapon Malis-Canis  
"I have a feeling you're not taking this seriously" the Faunus growled from behind his mask before shooting forwards in a burst of golden light and crackling electricity his own superior speed allowing him easily catch up with the younger huntress and aim a vicious swing with Malis-Canis which had been converted to its' axe form at the back of her head, he didn't expect his attack to miss completely. He stumbled forward at high speed as Ruby allowed his weapon to phase through her completely; he struggled to regain his footing as they completed their arc across the roof of protective dome and returned to solid ground, Rover had no chance to react as a round impacted between his shoulder blades hurling him forwards  
"Okay you've got better kid, but you're still the student I'm still the teacher" with that Rover pushed his Semblance to its' limits and shot back towards Ruby who struggled to shift Crescent Rose into its' scythe form fast enough to deflect the barrage of attacks that seemed to be coming from every possible angle, the air crackling with electricity. Eventually a shrill alarm pierced the air  
"Ruby's Aura has dropped into the red" Professor Polendina announced "That should be enough data, besides we don't want anyone to get hurt" Rover helped Ruby up as he replaced his weapon in its' holster over his shoulder  
"I was hoping things would go a little differently this time" Ruby grumbled as the pair exited the arena  
"You've definitely improved, remember the first time we sparred" Rover encouraged "Besides, you've still killed one more dragon than I have"  
"You were both awesome….even if we couldn't really tell what was happening from the outside" Taiyang chuckled as he pulled his daughter into a hug  
"Oh you're finished already, sorry I missed it. Salutations Mister Xiao Long" Penny's voice got Rubys' attention and she limped over towards the copper haired girl and made herself comfotable nuzzling into her  
"I've just received word from General Ironwood" Penny continued her words getting the attention of everyone present "Mister Xiao Long, the Hunters you brought here are being assigned to this facility. It's a classified outpost and having non-Atlas forces here is unconventional but since you already know about it the General has disregarded protocol. As you're not part of the Atlesian military you have the right to decline"  
"I came to Atlas to help" Tai said simply, making a point of not mentioning the fact the young Huntress was attempting to be professional with him while his daughter was currently showing no signs of letting her go  
"Sensational I'll inform the General that yourself and Miss Arc will be bolstering the guards stationed here. As for Team RNJR, you've been assigned to me; as I hold the rank of Specialist now I'm effectively your commanding officer"  
"So is that like honorary or…." Jaune trailed off seeing Penny shake her head  
"No, due to certain assets having to be reassigned and the amount of ships Atlas lost during the battle of Vale our unit is being put on active duty immediately, we'll be stationed here but performing routine fly-overs of Eisenstadt Sechste. The bio-domes there have been reporting unaccountable losses, we're being tasked with securing the area" there was a moment of silence while Jaune and Ruby, the only members of Team RNJR currently present took in the information, eventually Ruby looked Penny in the eye  
"So we're Hunters now. Like not just students who've been in battles; we're real recognised Hunters?" Penny nodded and Ruby pulled her into a crushing hug while letting out a squeal of delight.

 **Authors Notes:**

WE'VE HIT THE 20K VIEWS MILESTONE, THANK ALL OF YOU

Regarding Vol.4 Ep09  
Yang's still got hands, but is it just me that thinks she's working the rest of the body into her fighting style more to accommodate the loss of her arm now? Those kicks looked like a perfect copy of Mercury.  
Weiss is a bad-ass, and yes her summoning the knight in this was inspired by that.  
Chameleon Faunus with colour changing skin….I'm actually mad I didn't think of that first  
Also I was singing Karma Chameleon when Sun got hit, judge me.  
Don't you dare kill Qrow….Or Ren, or Nora.

So to summarise:  
So Ozpin isn't knowingly haunting Oscar in this, more that as the Wizards Powers take hold he is getting flashes of being Ozpin.  
Compost King….that is all.  
Writing time manipulation powers from the perspective of the person using them is tricky, I'm imagining it as Oscar seeing multiple points in time simultaneously.  
Raven's harsh but she kinda has a point.  
Everyone calls me Oz.  
My take on Hazel was inspired by Valkurion who writes him as the Negan of RWBY in his story 'Somewhere Over the Rainbow'.  
Lucky, haven't seen him since Vol.3 total Red-shirt  
Yes that was Cinder's dog Charlie.  
I think Yang's puns in this chapter are some of the best I've come up with.  
Yeah Fox would be pretty much helpless against Weiss's summons.  
The team are going to Lower Atlas. Polar Bear reunion and Full Team CFVY (Including Cross-hairs) reunion.  
Ruby singing the Beyblade theme in a rematch with Rover, I don't know if I need to stop drinking while I write or do it more often.  
Team RNJR are officially Hunters now, Ruby has got her childhood dream. Endless squealing.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	79. 79: Covert

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 79: Covert**

"I hate wearing balaclavas for this long, they're itchy and they make me sweat" Gangrel turned to face the source of the complaint with a glower. Mercury lay flat on his stomach next to him, face covered as he peered down the scope of the sniper rifle he currently had trained on the road below, the main route in and out of one of the White Fang's human interment camps  
"Take it off then ya daft bastard" the hulking Bear-Faunus grumbled from his position against the wall of the burned out and wrecked building peering through a shattered window, weapon at the ready  
"Seriously" he continued "If the White Fang see you without it they'll shoot you for being an armed human. If they see you with it on they'll just shoot you for having a balaclava and a sniper rifle"  
"He makes a good point" Emerald sighed from her own position, voice muffled by the scarf covering the lower half of her face though her exasperation at the incessant bickering between Gangrel and Mercury was clearly evident  
"If I knew we were gonna be waiting this long I'd have brought snacks" Mercury lamented. The trio had taken up position in the wrecked building in the early hours of the morning shortly after a truck carrying prisoners away from the camp had departed, the automated lighting system of the hive city being disabled allowing them to skulk through the darkness, staying far enough from the camp itself to be out of view of the guards' enhanced senses  
"People being kept in a labour camp aren't working eight hour shifts, imagine that. They probably don't have a union either" Gangrel growled "I thought you were meant to be a professional"  
"For the love of Oum will both of you shut up, Merc I love you but stop encouraging him" Emerald hissed "I think I hear something" Gangrel strained his ears, picking up the sound of approaching vehicle  
"Merc you know what to do" he murmured as he and Emerald made hurriedly their way down to the ground floor, crouching in the doorway of the building as the light from the returning trucks' headlights came into view with bated breath  
"Crunch time" he breathed out, eyes focused on the strip of spikes intended to puncture tires they had laid across the road. The truck ran over the spikes with audible pops and the hiss of air being released before coming to a stop, a single White Fang grunt dropping from the cab to inspect the damage  
"Only one of them, that makes it easier" Gangrel noted, Emerald took a deep breath and focused her Semblance, hiding the spikes from the grunts' view and ensuring that he remained unaware of what was about to happen, upon seeing her give him a nod of confirmation the Bear-Faunus triggered his own Semblance and teleported to the rear of the truck, he ripped the lock away with one hand and climbed inside to be confronted with a group of perhaps four dozen dirty and weary looking humans ranging in age from early teens to if he had to guess late fifties, each of them wearing shackles and chained to one another  
"What's going on?"  
"Are you here to rescue us?"  
"It's another Faunus he's here to kill the rest of us!" the voices assaulted his ears and wave of guilt for the news he had to give them washed over him  
"I'm not here to kill anyone" he sighed "But I'm not here to rescue you….not yet"  
"See! You can never trust a Faunus!" one of the prisoners spat, Gangrel forced his temper to remain in check, remembering that these people had very legitimate reasons to hate his people  
"I'm from the safe zone" he explained "Atlas is sending reinforcements and we're going to come for you all soon but we need to know what the White Fang are doing, where they're taking you" one of the prisoners shuffled to the front of the group, an old woman with greying hair and weathered skin coated in grime and a haunted expression. She clutched a boy Gangrel estimated to be roughly fourteen to her chest, he was bleeding heavily from a gut wound  
"Please help him, even if you can't take the rest of us please take him, he's my nephew" Gangrel reached down to the chains that bound him to the other prisoners and pushed a little Aura into himself allowing him to break them and scoop the injured teen up  
"Ma'am I'm not gonna lie to you, I can't promise he'll make it back or that we can save him. But I'll do what I can"  
"Thank you, it's all I ask" another prisoner came forward, a blading slightly rotund man  
"The Albain twins were having us work in the Dust mines up until recently" he wheezed out, wiping sweat from his brow "Now people from our camp and some of the others have been building a road. From what we've managed to get out of the others the White Fang are building a way back out of Lower Atlas for freight. We were going to work out how to sabotage it but then the ripper came"  
"What the fuck is the ripper?" Gangrel asked, confused by the tone of admiration in the prisoners' voice  
"We don't know" a wiry teen answered from the back of the crowd "The way the wardens were talking about it we thought it was some kind of Grimm but it can't be, it was too targeted. There were three Fang guarding our truck one minute, next thing there was one guard left and two headless corpses….we were unchained at the time a few people tried to make break for it the guards from the other camps opened fire, that's how that happened" he explained motioning to the bleeding teen in Gangrels' arms. The Bear Faunus took in the information, he knew that the Safe Zone wasn't the only resistance against the White Fang occupation; there were others within the hive cities who either couldn't reach them, preferred to try and survive on their own or simply distrusted all Faunus and wanted no part in a relief effort that involved them  
"Okay, I assume that at least someone in your camp knows how to make prison style shanks?" he asked the prisoners "If we spring you all now the Fang will be able to guess what's coming. When our reinforcements arrive we're going to try and hit as many of the camps as possible. Spread the word, make sure everyone is armed with something" seeing the prisoners nod and the flickers of hope and determination make their way across their faces he turned and jumped from the back of the truck taking the injured teen with him as he made his way back to the burned out building he, Mercury and Emerald had taken up position in. glancing upwards he could see the grey haired teen had his sights firmly on the lone White Fang grunt, ready to make a clean head shot if the situation went awry  
"We're bringing this one back" he grunted simply to Emerald  
"He's not gonna make it Gang" she said delicately as she took in the blood soaking into Gangrel's shirt from carrying him and the way the sweat coated teen trembled in his arms  
"He'll fucking make it" the Faunus snarled "He's from Lower Atlas. He's a survivor, we all are"

Yang forced herself to stop fidgeting in the heavy duty harness of the Atlesian Bull-Head and cast her eyes around the rear compartment. Weiss and Blake sat either side of her, the Faunus' fingers loosely intertwined with her own while Weiss sat rigid as she studied the map. Across from them Coco attempted to make herself comfortable, resting her feet on the wheel arch of the vehicle between them, Fox had somehow managed to fall asleep during the flight while Yatsuhashi seemed to be meditating  
"Approaching the drop-zone" Matte Skye informed them, the mission being as sensitive as it was Winter would entrust no-one else with it  
"Do you see our contact?" Coco asked as gently prodded Fox awake only to receive a slew of mumbled insults in return, a few moments passed before Matte spoke again  
"I see them, drop the hatch Adel. Operation Bulwark is a go" Yang watched as Coco detached herself from her harness and opened the rear hatch of the craft, habitually deploying Satani Arbor and scanning her field of vision  
"We're clear, bring us in low!" the fashionista called over the sound of roaring wind "Weiss, you're going down first!"  
"Understood" the ivory haired Huntress in question rose from her seat and clambered onto Nana Schnee's old bike, Stardust with an eager smile on her face that normally would have made Yang chuckle or make some sort of joke  
"Are you okay?" Blake asked softly, squeezing her lover's hand "It's the first time you've made a move against the White Fang since…." she trailed off  
"I'll be fine" Yang forced her voice to sound like her usual cheery self "I can Hand-le it" her Partner gave her a concerned glance and a kiss on the cheek before the moment was interrupted  
"Okay time to go!" Coco ordered "Yang, Yatsu give Weiss's new toy a push. Weiss don't start the engine until you're out of the Bull-Head the engine on that thing will cook us all. Yang and Yatsu drop after followed by Fox and Blake, I'll cover you from here in case of emergency and drop down last" with her orders clear Yang rose to her feet detaching her harness as she did so, Yatsuhashi opposite her doing the same. Each of them planted their hands firmly on the rear wheel arches of Stardust and pushed forwards, as the bike/ATV hybrid left the Bull-Head Weiss created a series of connecting glyphs beneath its' wheels forming a ramp for the vehicle to travel down, she kicked its' engine into life as it rolled towards the ground as it reached its' target; a small truck and a car with tinted windows parked at the side of the road, skidding sideways to a stop beside them  
"Is she really doing burnouts in the snow on that thing" Yang smiled "Show off"  
"As if you wouldn't" Coco noted "Okay you two. Go! Go! Go!"  
"You're way too into being the leader!" Yang called over her shoulder as she leapt from the Bull-Head, the craft was flying low enough that they didn't need landing strategies, something Yang was grateful for as she hadn't tested the replacement for her Gauntlet Mercury had built her in that way yet. Meeting the ground she rolled into a crouch and deployed her gauntlets, shotgun shells loading themselves as she trudged through the snow towards the vehicles at the side of the road, the passengers side window of the car being open, a heavily armed Elephant Faunus, identifiable by their oversized floppy ears and the tusks protruding from their mouth was leaning out of the window, he broke of a conversation with Weiss as he saw Yang and Yatsuhashi approach a pair of dull thuds alerting the blonde to Blake and Fox landing behind them  
"I'll wait until you're all here then" the Faunus huffed, the puffy cheeked gerbil Faunus in the drivers' seat drumming his fingers impatiently against the steering wheel. Moments later Coco reached the ground, sweeping the area with her mini-gun once again before collapsing the weapon and jogging over to the car  
"Mister Eadala sends his regards" the Elephant Faunus gave the assembled team a nod "The tuck is filled with non-perishable food, clothes, blankets, medicine, even a little ammo. Everything you need to run a resistance"  
"Tell Mister Eadala we're grateful for all the help the Coalition can give us" Coco held out her hand which the Faunus promptly shook before handing her the keys to the truck  
"Glad to be of service, look I'd love to stay and we could share inspiring speeches but I'd rather not hang around in the open like this" with that the window was rolled up and the car sped off  
"Rude" Weiss huffed  
"Can't blame 'em for not wanting to hang around though" Coco shrugged "Weiss can Stardust seat more than one person?"  
"Not really" she admitted, Coco suppressed a sigh  
"Okay here's the plan, our access point for Eisenstadt Dritte is through one of the mines that's been totally tapped, there won't be any White Fang there and we're pretty sure that this is one of the points that they had to blow a hole to let the Grimm into the city. The mine is big enough for us to get this truck through. Yang if you can ride a bike you can drive this truck you take the wheel. Fox I want you up front as well, keep your Semblance running and scout for any Grimm still in the mine. Blake, Yatsu you're in the back of the truck. Weiss be prepared to scout ahead for us and use your Glyphs as a bulldozer"  
"No problem" Fox yawned as he felt for the door handle of the truck Coco made her way to the passengers side before calling out  
"Okay team, let's go kick some ass"  
"I'd love to" Yang grinned as she opened the rear doors of the truck and helped Blake climb in before making her way to the drivers' seat "You could say that the pleasure is all 'mine'"

Velvet crouched in the bed of a Jeep, Leporidae Rampant creating a replica of Neptune Vasilias' weapon which she used to take pot-shots at any Grimm the four Jeep convoy convoy she was part of passed, the majority of which were simple Creeps that perished screeching and snarling as her shots connected. Velvet had insisted being part of the team sent to meet with reinforcements, the man running the mission, who had been a police officer before the White Fang attack had been unwilling to allow any Faunus on the mission until Flynt Coals' mother who seemingly outranked him had overruled the decision.  
"You sure you don't need something to hold on to back there?" one of the resistance fighters called back to her as they whipped around a corner at high speed, she merely vanished the current replica weapon and created a copy of Magnhild in its' grenade launcher form which she promptly fired into a doorway in which the glowing tail of a Deathstalker was visible  
"Yeah I'm good" She called back, eyes never leaving her surroundings. Moments later another Jeep driven by resistance fighters sped alongside them the driver calling over to her  
"Hey! We'll be reaching the extraction point for our reinforcements any minute now, I hope these Hunters we're getting are worth the risk"  
"It's the rest of my team!" Velvet called back with a broad smile "Served beyond Vales' front line"  
"We're not in Vale, that means fuck all to us!" the driver retorted, before the individual in the passengers' seat of her own vehicle interrupted  
"Hey, eyes on the road genius!" the driver responded with a mocking salute followed by a rude hand gesture, anything he wished to add was cut off by a cacophony of screeching and rattling hisses. Velvet knew those sounds well, having met the abominations that made them more than once  
"SHADOW STALKERS!" She called out, all four Jeeps picked up speed and feel into a square formation, the gunners covering their counterpart on the vehicle opposite them, preparing for the inevitable attack from behind the Grimm would make  
"There!" her driver roared pointing directly ahead, the first of the pack had lunged into the road and made to leap through the wind-shield of the Jeep opposite, the gunner turned to fire at the monster and was instantly set upon by another that appeared seemingly from nowhere to leap into the bed of the Jeep  
"Get down!" Velvet screamed before discharging replicas' of Ren's Storm-Flowers, shredding the Shadow-Stalker's flank and reducing it to a rapidly fading dark mist  
"We've got about a dozen of 'em behind us!"  
"We've got something coming from in front!" the driver bellowed swerving to the side and skidding to a halt as a something encased in white light rocketed between the Jeeps and barrelled into the Shadow-Stalkers with bone crushing force  
"What in Oum's name?" her driver demanded, Velvet's mouth hung open as she took in what she was seeing; Weiss Schnee using her Glyphs to form a barrier between them and the Grimm while simultaneously using the jet of flames issuing from the exhaust of the custom Dust-Chopper she was riding to immolate any Shadow-Stalkers that had managed to slip past, Velvet made to greet her but her voice was drowned out by the horn of an approaching truck speeding towards them  
"You Hunters have got style I'll give you that" her driver chuckled, Velvet smiled from ear to ear as she saw Velvet lean out of the passengers side window and deploy Satani Arbor. Seconds later there were no more Grimm  
"Hey babe, missed you" Coco attempted to sound nonchalant as the truck pulled up beside her Jeep, Velvet merely stood up and pulled her into a searing kiss and made no effort to end it when some of the resistance fighters wolf-whistled and cat-called; simply giving them the finger in response  
"Not to break up a moment" Fox got their attention "But we've got our own Grimm problem"  
"What! We didn't shake it off?" Yang sounded outraged  
"Alas no, all your driving did was make me sick" the blind fighter snarked  
"Okay what do you have following you?" one of the resistance fighters accompanying Velvet asked, their tone all business with the imminent threat  
"Big ugly thing….way too many legs" Coco informed them with a shrug, the vague description more than enough for the Atlas native who leaned out of the Jeep to shout to the rest of the convoy  
"WE'VE GOT AN INFINIPEDE INCOMING!" moments later the sound of countless legs scrabbling against asphalt and the stench of ozone filled the air as the serpentine Grimm approached buzzing and clicking emanating from its' mandibles  
"Weiss!" Coco shouted "Block it off, Me and Velvet will deal with it if you can hold it in place"  
"No problem" Weiss replied as she span Stardust around, tires screeching as she sped towards the oncoming Infinipede which reared up, lightning arcing across its' body before being fired from its' antenna; the attack being deflected by a Glyph, Velvet created a replica of Satani Arbor as Coco readied the genuine article, twin hailstorms of bullets ripping into the raised underside of the monster  
"So that was a thing" Yang grinned from the drivers' seat "The Grimm in Atlas are weird and they….'Bug' me"  
"Oh for Oums' sake" Coco muttered under her breath, Velvet simply wrapped her arms around her team-leaders' shoulders, their foreheads touching before whispering  
"Now, where were we"

Eisenstadt Siebte was the smallest and poorest of the Atlesian hive cities, the vast majority of its' construction undertaken after the culmination Faunus revolution, the bombardment of Menagerie leading to a massive influx of Faunus immigrants to the four Kingdoms; as a consequence the city had the largest concentration of Faunus residing within it Following the White Fang attacks many of the citizens that were not affiliated with the group had simply offered no resistance to them, feeling no loyalty to the Kingdom that had made its' disdain for them more than apparent, this had led to Eisenstadt Siebte being the White Fangs' base of operations within New Menagerie if not their main base. It was for these reasons that Adam Taurus could walk through the streets of the city beside Noctis Pandinus, one of his most trusted generals; the Scorpion Faunus' tail arching up behind him and quivering in excitement giving away more than his face which was obscured by a thick hood pulled low as usual  
"Can't believe it took us this long to find this jackpot, it's been under our nose the whole time" his rasping voice bubbling with excitement as the pair of them entered an industrial estate, the entrance to which was guarded by a pair of armed White Fang grunts  
"I do not appreciate being called somewhere by one of my ranking officers and told 'it's a surprise' when I ask why" Adam warned, irritation evident in his voice  
"Oh but you'll like this" Noctis sniggered as he made his way to a loading bay door of one of the small warehouses that comprised the estate and raising it. Any complaints Adam may have had were silenced by what he saw  
"Apparently when the council realised that this city was going to have so many Faunus in it they militarised the police here more than anywhere else after the war, the police didn't want to be seen patrolling the streets with these for fear of starting a riot so they were put in storage and forgotten about. They're not the newest models but they'll get the job done, the rest of the warehouses have more of the same….when we get that road out of here built we'll be able to launch an attack" the Bull-Faunus surveyed his new assets silently. The main body of each of the machines stood at almost two meters tall and four meters long and was wide enough to block a street, the turret mounted at the rear adding an extra meter in height and sporting both a long barrelled rail-gun and a hight calibre mini-gun, a dozer blade was mounted to their fronts and each of the vehicles was carried on three pairs of wheels each almost the same height as Adams' entire body; their entire hulls were made of thick pristine white armour plates.  
"You've done well Pan, really well" Adam breathed out as he grinned at the sight of his new tank division

Velvet curled up on Cocos' lap as the pair of them shared a moderately comfortable chair. They had made it to the Safe-Zone of Eisenstadt Dritte at roughly the same Gangrel, Emerald and Mercury had returned from their recon mission against one of the large human interment camps. After the rigmarole of debriefing and bringing each other up to speed she had brought the rest of Team CFVY back to the house she had been staying at with Gangrel and Neon. The energetic Faunus babysitting Jade.  
"Okay now that is adorable" Coco whispered in her ear Velvet turned to see what Coco was talking about, hands flying to her mouth to stop an audible 'awww' from escaping. Gangrel had fallen asleep on the sofa holding both Weiss and the young Spring Maiden; the reunion between the bear Faunus and the former heiress had been dampened somewhat by the fact that a prisoner from the camps Gangrel had intended to rescue had bled out on the journey, the five year old reindeer Faunus had sensed that something was wrong and simply held onto him and refused to let go  
"That is the cutest thing ever" Velvet whispered  
"She totally wants one of her own" Coco snickered  
"Oh and you don't?" Velvet gave her a sly smile, the taller Huntress simply pulled her into a slow kiss  
"Kids are a long way off, the only thing I want right now is you" she murmured as they broke apart for a few moments; at those words Velvet began kissing her neck gaining a gasp of pleasure in response and it wasn't long before Coco's hands began to wander sending shivers down the Rabbit Faunus' spine. Internally Velvet ran through a mental check list and made sure they wouldn't be disturbed; Neon had gone on perimeter watch when Gangrel had returned, Flynt was staying with his family in another part of the Safe-Zone, Blake and Yang had joined Emerald in helping out at one of the soup kitchens, Fox and Yatsu were helping unload the supplies from the truck and Mercury was skulking around somewhere probably on watch  
"Hey" Velvet whispered in her girlfriends ear as she rose from her lap "Not in front of the kid" she gave a wink and led Coco by the hand out of the room and upstairs to the bedroom she had claimed. It still had the furnishings left by its' previous occupants, but that was unimportant as Coco pushed Velvet down onto the bed before removing her own shirt and climbing on top of her, Velvet kissed along her neck and collarbone as she unhooked her bra, Coco's hands fumbled with Velvet's belt  
"Coco" she managed to pant out, eyes half-lidded as she pulled her partner into another kiss, taking her lower lip between her teeth "I've never done this with…." she trailed off, Coco smiled and moved from on top of her laying next to her instead  
"You've never slept with a woman before?" she asked gently, Velvet nodded Coco grinned as her hand traced from the Faunus' hip along her side eventually vanishing under her shirt "Don't worry, I have" she grinned as she elicited a low moan of pleasure from Velvet, it would be the first of many that night.

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Merc, Em and Gang make a pretty effective recon team. A teleporter, someone who can effectively blind enemy guards without them realising and a trained killer providing cover.  
The plan is to get the prisoners of the interment camp to start a riot at the same time the rescue mission happens to completely overwhelm the guards.  
'The ripper' not the first time it's been mentioned. I know what it is, let's see if anyone can guess.  
Yang might seem like she's recovering (In this story and in canon) but I've got a feeling the next time she has a run in with the White Fang she might freeze up, especially if Adam's there.  
The Coalition are providing the goods for a relief effort, the Atlesian military are delivering it; because Atlas is and will always be run by dicks.  
More Yang Puns, always a pleasure.  
Shadow-Stalkers, while terrifying are not much use against an armoured convoy….they're less use against Weiss Schnee showing off her new toy, Stardust.  
Team CFVY reunion.  
I like the idea that there are plenty of Faunus in Lower Atlas/New Menagerie who weren't personally affected by Adam bombing the exits to the cities and separating the two halves of the Kingdom who thought to themselves _"Ya know what, I'm not in the White Fang, but the humans have always treated me like a criminal anyway; so fuck 'em"  
_ The road that those prisoners thought was for transporting freight….isn't  
Adam has a tanks now and remember they're controlled manually not by any Watts induced antics; are you afraid yet.  
Weiss and Jade falling asleep on Gang, who is also asleep….picture it in your head and tell me you didn't 'awww'  
Emerald works in a soup kitchen in the Safe-Zone when not plotting to bring down the White Fang, because redemption arcs.  
Fade to black on Cross-hairs smut scene because I rarely write smut and I don't think I'm that good at it.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	80. 80: Testing and Training

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 80: Testing and Training**

The doors of Salem's great hall were forcefully kicked open allowing Hazel to enter without releasing his grip on that which he carried  
"Mistress" he gave a small bow before striding across the room towards his customary seat taking in the appearances of the people around him. Salem's expression could best be described as bemused, if she had eyebrows he felt certain that one of them would be raised expectantly awaiting an explanation. Watts, ever one to keep his own hands clean and avoid direct participation in the more unsavoury aspects of their cause looked revolted. Cinder, he noted, was an unsettling combination of pitiable and terrifying; her hair was reddening at the tips, her eyes, the left having taken on the vibrant green colour of Pyrrha Nikos were glassy, her skin was pale and coated in a sheen of sweat while the scars and tattoos of the former Summer Maiden appeared to be forming beneath her flesh; she took almost no notice of Hazel, instead muttering to herself inaudibly and trembling as he dragged his cargo behind him. The unconscious Faunus had the gills and scales of a fish but their most noticeable feature was the fact that their face had been reduced to a mass of deep purple and sickly yellow bruises. With a grunt of exertion Hazel picked the beaten Faunus from the ground and threw them behind Salem's throne where the Beowolf that resided there proceeded to gorge itself  
"Watts" Salem's voice was quiet and gentle yet it pierced the sounds of tearing flesh with ease, demanding the moustachioed mastermind who appeared ready to vomits' attention  
"Tell me" her voice was almost conversational "How goes your mission in Atlas?" Watts' eyes darted to the Beowolf again sending a shiver of panic down his spine before he answered  
"We-I things are proceeding as anticipated" he took a moment to compose himself before explaining "Adam Taurus, since taking control of Lower Atlas refused any attempts to communicate further, it would appear that-"  
"It makes no difference" Salem gave a cruel smile "The boy was promised a Kingdom for his services, he has received it; in his mind he believes our alliance to have concluded. Let him remain ignorant, his actions will serve us regardless of whether he does so knowingly"  
"I understand Mistress. Regarding the other components of the plan….General Ironwood is becoming a hindrance, he has vetoed every suggestion to use more extreme methods to combat the White Fang insurgents. Project Hexxus remains at my disposal, I am working on removing the General-"  
"Not yet Watts" Salem cooed "The plan requires true desperation; we will take Atlas for our own and cleanse my children of Merlot's taint but only when every last flicker of hope has been extinguished. You may leave"  
"As you wish Mistress" the corrupt businessman hurried to his feet attempting to keep his eagerness to be away from his co-conspirators hidden as he briskly left the chamber  
"We'll have to kill him eventually Mistress" Hazel grunted  
"Quite possibly" Salem agreed with a small smile "Tell me, how goes the mission in Vaccuo? I can only assume by your gift you've made some headway" she indicated behind her to the remains of the Faunus he had dragged into the chamber  
"The underworld there is almost entirely under the control of the Faunus Mafia, an offshoot of the White Fang who will not side with us willingly. My attempts to dismantle them have been met with heavy resistance; last night I found a group of disaffected humans I'd recruited frozen to death in a meat-locker. Their leader is impossible to find but they" he indicated to the mauled body "Gave me information that will help me find one of the generals"  
"I trust that you will have enabled us to take root when we turn our full attention to Vaccuo, you may leave" Hazel bowed as he rose from his seat before reaching behind Salem's throne to reclaim the body  
"I'm going to leave this one in the street for their friends to find, a message has to be sent" he rumbled upon seeing Salem's questioning glance  
"My child" the pale skinned abomination hissed, eyes beginning to glow subtly  
"Mistress" Cinder murmured as the voices screaming in her psyche subsided momentarily  
"Show me what your training has yielded" as she spoke the deep purple crystalline walls of the chamber began to crack, black ooze seeping from the fissures and taking form as it reached the ground. Cinder rose into the air, the powers of both the Summer and Fall Maidens issuing from her palms and setting her eyes ablaze  
"You're all my children" Salem chuckled as she took in the pack of Creeps hissing and snapping "But I do encourage a little sibling rivalry" with that Cinder launched herself forwards and began her attack.

"Hey, you're going to be fine" Rover felt Artemis's lips press briefly against his cheek; he turned to face her. Her hair had grown out and was currently tied back in a ponytail, its' natural chestnut colour apparent as she hadn't had the opportunity to re-dye it bubblegum pink. Pulling her into a tight embrace he gently kissed her forehead, he had managed to learn to control his Speed to an extent where he could interact almost normally with his surroundings while using it  
"I hope so….I won't lie to you babe, I'm scared. The thought of being stuck like this scares the shit out of me" his own voice sounded odd to him, like a record playing at the wrong speed  
"You want me to come with you?" Rover reached down and squeezed her hand, a small smile forming on his face at the sight of her engagement ring  
"I'll be fine" he sighed "I'd rather you not have to see it if anything goes wrong"  
"Don't think like that" Artemis's arms tightened around him "I'll be here when you get back, I love you" she assured him  
"I love you too babe" with that he took a deep breath and stepped out of the room they shared in the facility, loosening his control on his Semblance and speeding through the sterile halls of the complex to one of the various testing areas to find Professor Polendina and Doctor Arc waiting for him  
"Good afternoon Mister Tan, I trust you're aware of why we've asked you to meet us here?" Professor Polendina asked  
"You've got a way to fix me?" he asked hopefully  
"We have a potential proof of concept" Antonia Arc clarified from a table nearby before making her way towards them carrying what appeared to be a bulky armour plated vest which she handed to the canine Faunus before continuing to explain as Rover donned the item "Professor Polendina's testing has concluded that whatever happened when you interacted with the Dragon Grimm has somehow altered your Semblance so that it being active is your natural state, effectively it's reversed the on and off switch. The vest you're wearing is a prototype for a regulator that should counteract this"  
"Okay" he breathed out fastening the last of the heavy duty clasps and trying to get comfortable in the regulator vest which housed a circular device the size of his hand and several computerised components "I'm ready when you are"  
"Then let's proceed" Professor Polendina grinned eagerly "Doctor Arc fire up the reactor and commence trial run one" Antonia nodded before heading back to the table she had previously been situated at and punched in a series of commands on her laptop; suddenly the circular device mounted in the vest began to glow, Rover noted it was the same shade of green as Penny's eyes a few seconds of high pitched whining as the reactor powered up later he staggered forwards as for the first time in weeks his body stopped vibrating and the world around him seemed to speed up to match his perceptions  
"Holy Oum it worked" he breathed out, voice shaking and feeling suddenly off balance  
"At least in part" Professor Polendina nodded, Rover shot him a confused expression "Am I right in understanding you wish to continue your career as a Huntsman?"  
"You're damn right I do" Rover growled "I'm a Vale kid through and through and I want my home back"  
"An admirable admission" the professor nodded "But in that case there is another test we must conduct, Doctor Arc if you would?" Antonia silently nodded and began typing another series of commands causing the multiple computerised components of the regulator to activate in a series of bleeps and flashing LEDs before turning to face Rover  
"Okay, you're set. This should now allow you to use your Semblance the way you always have done"  
"Indeed so if you could kindly head outside where we have more room and attempt to your speed, we'll be able to monitor you from here" the professor added  
"With pleasure" with that Rover shot out of the laboratory and through the corridors finding himself stood in the Atlesian snow in less than a minute  
"Go time" he whispered to himself tail wagging enthusiastically behind him, slightly annoyed that he'd neglected to bring his mask with him but reasoned there would be very few bugs to accidentally swallow here. Taking a deep breath he surged forwards and triggered his Semblance golden energy resembling bolts of electricity coursing across his body and sparking as he picked up speed, by his third lap of facilities' perimeter he heard the tell-tale dull boom of the sound barrier being broken and couldn't help but smile, he was cured; by the time he had performed a dozen laps he saw something that made his eyes widen, he could see his own lightning contrail in front of him, this was faster than he'd ever been able to run before  
"Fuck it let's see what I can really do then" he tried to push himself faster when without warning one of the myriad advanced components of the harness exploded in a shower of sparks that trailed behind Rover as he was thrown of balance and sent skidding through the snow at incomprehensible speeds gouging a deep trench into the compacted powder before rolling to a stop, the Arc reactor of the harness flickering before failing  
"Fuck!" Rover screamed in utter defeat, attempting to strike the ground only to recoil in horror as his arm phased through the surface with no resistance.

Oscar focused, his oddly coloured eyes shining as if lit from behind as he tapped into the Wizards' power. Time seemed to halt around him as he peered around the woods near to his families' farm that the Branwen twins had taken him into for training, the flickering form of Qrow Branwen appeared to his side as Oscar managed to manipulate time in a way that allowed him to see the veteran Hunters' attack before he made it, the bird currently sitting on a nearby tree branch was in fact Qrow in disguise, as soon as Oscar released his control of the flow of time Qrow would deliver an axe kick from above. Twirling his the makeshift shaft he had broken a broom handle to make in his hand he grinned  
"Got ya" with that the light from his eyes faded and he dropped to one knee holding the staff over his head, deftly blocking Qrow's attack before rising to his feet in an attempt to throw him off balance. A second later pain exploded in his side and he thrown to the floor struggling to breathe as he stared up at the masked face of Raven Branwen  
"You're learning to use your powers consciously which is good, but if you can control time then you have no excuse for not being ' _fully'_ aware of your surroundings" she chastised  
"Raven" Qrow warned "He's not a Hunter like us, don't be so hard on him. And definitely don't break his ribs next time" he added as he pulled the teen off of the ground and saw the way he clutched at his side  
"Okay Oz head home, your Aura will probably be able to fix that in a few hours" Qrow noted that Oscar's Aura repaired injuries quicker than almost anyone he knew, he assumed it was a side effect of the Wizard's power "On the bright side, the way you're packing on muscle with this training you're going to get all the girls and every team needs someone like that" he joked  
"I'm not into girls but sure whatever" Oscar shrugged before wincing in pain again and limping off. Qrow waited until he was sure the teen was out of earshot  
"Raven I don't know if I can keep doing this, we're beating the snot out of a kid and telling him it's for his own good"  
"It's what needs to be done" Raven growled from behind her mask  
"You say that but from where I'm standing we've got me and you even old Jimmy. What's to stop us from opening a portal back to Salem's base of operations and storming the place with as many of his tin cans as possible?" Raven's irritation at what she considered to be her twins' flippant attitude was apparent  
"Have you forgotten Vale so soon?" she snapped "Let's say for arguments sake I opened a portal, Ironwoods automatons would be rendered useless within minutes, Salem's entire fortress is effectively a spawning pit. She would sense my presence and turn the tables on us, that's saying nothing of her attempts to hunt down the Maidens and harness their powers. We need the Wizard on our side Qrow"  
"I'm not losing another one" Qrow whispered, his voice taking on a haunted edge "Not again"  
"We may not have a choice" Raven sighed "If the time comes and we can sacrifice one person to save thousands then it should be done, regardless of who it is"  
"When did you get so Oum-damned cold hearted" Qrow asked looking at his sister as if seeing her for the first time  
"Do I need to take the mask off again" Qrow could practically hear her eyes rolling "I wouldn't have Oscar do anything I'm unwilling to do myself. I am prepared to sacrifice whatever it takes to stop Salem, even if it is my own soul"

Rover limped through the corridors of the facility, his arm around Artemis's shoulders helping support him as they made their way up a flight of stairs leading to Professor Polendina's office. It was currently early evening, hours after the failed test run of the regulator harness  
"Mister Tan, Miss Blush come in, come in" the balding professor ushered the genially into the room closing the door behind him, the office could best be described as organised chaos "Make yourselves comfortable, just move some of that paperwork from those chairs" he gestured to the furniture in question while bustling around behind his desk searching through folders eventually finding the documents he was searching for  
"Now in light of the success of today's test" he began seeing that the two Faunus had sat down, Artemis giving Rover's hand a reassuring squeeze  
"Success?" the canine choked out "The harness blew up and I dislocated my tail!"  
"Indeed" the Professor chortled "Our harness was unable to regulate your Aura at a sufficient rate but the concept has been proven to work in practice"  
"I've never moved that fast before, it felt like I could practically run laps around here and catch up with myself"  
"Interesting, I would hypothesise that the extended amount time you've spent with your Semblance active, combined with residual effects of imbibing Dust immediately before your accident have elevated your Semblance to another level"  
"So where do we go from here?" Artemis asked, ears laying flat against her skull giving away her apprehension  
"I believe surgery may be the way forward" the Professor solemnly informed them "Integrating some of the same technology that allows Penny to utilise her Aura directly into your body to give you the greatest possible amount of control of your abilities"  
"Do you think that would work?" Artemis asked nervously  
"I think it's the best long term solution I can provide though Nothing like this has been tested before" the Professor admitted "Even the extensive cybernetic replacements General Ironwood has had are orders of magnitude simpler than this"  
"I'll do it" Rover said suddenly "I don't really have much of a choice, I can't stay like this"  
"I would still have to discuss the specifics of the procedure with Doctor Arc and build an operating table that utilises the harnesses' technology to allow us to operate on you, also there is no telling what side affects there may be" the professor warned him, Rover closed his eyes and sighed  
"Fuck it, I'll gamble" he said simple before turning to Artemis "If anything goes wrong-"  
"None of that" she whispered "You're going be okay"  
"Indeed" Polendina huffed "I would not dream of deprive Miss Blush of you" he added with a soft chuckle as Rover rose to his feet  
"Thank you for this Professor" he held out his hand for the man to shake  
"Nonsense my dear boy, anything I can do to help a Huntsman I shall"

"Come on" Artemis chuckled "You promised you'd tell Ruby how the test went, I want to see her face when she hears your even faster"  
Hazel downed a pint of hard liquor in one before slamming the glass down on the bar for a refill to the sound of cheers and various shouted profanities from the drunken patrons of 'Duke L'Orange's' one of the countless dive bars in the poorer areas of Vaccuo, one run by the avian Faunus whose name hung above the door and was frequented by Faunus and human alike, a testament to the Kingdom's more open minded views despite its' reputation of lawlessness. Giving his head a shake in an attempt to clear it he saw a young woman approaching him, with icy blue eyes and dark hair streaked with purple reaching to the middle of her back, the pair of fangs protruding from beneath her upper lip a less obvious Faunus attribute; Hazel took one look at her and assumed that she was one of the local sex workers that operated out of the bar  
"Hi my name is Ebony Dark'ness Dementia Raven Way-"  
"I wouldn't even remember your name if I was interested" Hazel cut her off with a deep rumbling laugh which halted abruptly as he felt the barrel of a handgun pressed against his side  
"Come outside, there's someone who wants to meet you" a cruel smile found its' way across his face  
"Oh so that's what this is" he drawled drunkenly before making his way through the crowd, the cold fresh evening air hitting him as he exited the bar  
"Come here, we want a word" Hazel found himself grabbed and frog-marched a few steps by a pair of Faunus teens in hoods, smirking to himself as he allowed them to lead him down an alley in which a small group equally young Faunus were huddled around a fire which had been started in a trash can, a few more of them could be seen lurking at the top of a flight of stairs that constituted a fire escape for one of the buildings  
"Word is you're the one who knows where Lucky is?" one of the Faunus growled as they approached, hand reaching into the pocket of his hoodie  
"Yeah, I had to clean what was left of him up, apparently you're really fussy about where you let your dogs shit in Vaccuo" Hazel taunted, the teen lunged at him and found himself sprawled on the floor with a broken nose courtesy of the larger mans' right hand. The other Faunus began stalking towards him, Hazel cracked his neck and raised his fists  
"Enough" at the sound of the feminine yet firm voice the group of youngsters immediately stopped, Hazel turned to face the newcomer; a tall woman made even more so by the rabbit ears adorning her head with caramel skin and pale pink eyes clad in a dark business suit  
"And what can I do for you?" Hazel rumbled as he gave her an approving once over  
"The word is you were looking for the generals of the Faunus Mafia, you found one. Name's Orchid Hemlock" whatever Hazel had been expecting, that wasn't it, Orchid gave him a devilish smile as she continued "I see from the chewed up body you left hanging from a street light that you found the bodies of your friends; thanks for that by the way, that guy was a snitch I just let you take care of him for us"  
"So not just a pretty face. What lapse in concentration led to you using these rookies as protection for a face to face?" Hazel asked gruffly  
"That one is Lucky's brother, I promised him a shot just to see how capable you are on your own" Orchid gestured to the Faunus bleeding on the ground "Apparently more than he is, so let's talk business"  
"Business?" Hazel was taken aback and wished he could blame it solely on the drink, this was not how he'd expected this confrontation to play out at all  
"Fagin breaks from the White Fang at the same time Adam Taurus takes over half of Atlas and cuts himself off. I know Taurus had a business partner in Vale, obviously they sent you here to bring the Fang back under control" Hazel admitted to himself that her understanding of the situation was dangerously close to the truth  
"Something like that, so how come you didn't just have me shot in the back of the head in the bar?"  
"Well firstly I like the owner, I wouldn't want to cause trouble in his bar for no reason" Orchid shrugged "Secondly, I'm in this for the money but here's the thing Fagin purged the ranks when he broke from Adam, killed anyone who might have a problem with it. That's not what we're about, the point of the White Fang is we look after our own and if he's forgotten that then he isn't fit to lead"  
"Ah" Hazel grinned as he pieced the situation together "You want an alliance, you keep your hands clean while I root out the problem elements of your organisation?"  
"Something like that" Orchid conceded  
"Well then" Hazel held out his hand and was surprised by just how cold her flesh was when she shook it "We have a deal"  
"A pleasure doing business" Orchid chuckled

 **Authors Notes:**

This story has over 50 followers now, thank you people

Now let's summarise:  
Yes this was a full chapter that didn't include Gangrel or any members of Team CFVY or RWBY  
Hazel is just a bigger Negan with a deeper voice, he will do some fucked up shit to make an example.  
Has anyone figured out what's happening with Cinder yet?  
Adam may not want to bow to Salem but as far as she's concerned it doesn't matter his plans benefit her anyway.  
Project Hexxus…..oh just wait.  
Oscar is learning, he just needs a better weapon.  
"I'm not into girls but sure whatever" LGBT character confirmed in one sentence, it's not fucking hard and it doesn't require any build up (Glares at Rooster Teeth).  
So Rover is even faster and they might have a way to fix him.  
Duke L'Orange is a Mighty Ducks reference  
Yes I made a 'My Immortal' reference. No I'm not sorry….not even slightly.  
So Orchid Hemlock who first appeared at the end of Vol.4 is willing to work with Hazel and proved how ruthless she is by using live bait. Who do you think is going to fuck the other one over first?

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	81. 81: Prepare For War

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 81: Prepare For War**

Mercury's left footed spinning heel kick passed over Yang's face as she leaned back to avoid it, his boot narrowly missing the end of her nose. The moment his feet touched the ground the grey haired teen launched himself forwards and into the air, his right knee aimed at her ribs; Yang turned at the hip, the mechanical joint of her right elbow meeting Mercury's own cybernetic with a resounding clang. Her follow up backhand and left hook being the start of a combo that put him on the defensive and drew a series of cheers and heckles from the crowd that had formed on the street where the sparring match was taking place.  
"I'm all for putting on a show, but must they brawl in the street like a pair of brutes? There are children here!" Weiss huffed to Blake who had appeared next to her  
"You're in Lower Atlas Weiss" the Faunus chuckled, traces of her Atlesian accent creeping back into her voice "Everyone has seen a fight before, besides they both know what they're doing. Aura fuelled attacks but no weapons and no Semblances allowed-"\  
"Oh street rules" Emerald's raspy voice cut in as she came into view handing out food to the people outside the soup kitchen she had taken to volunteering at, when asked about it she said simply that no one should have to go hungry. A cheer from the crowd got their attention, Yang had been hit squarely in the chest with a flying kick that sent skidding across the street with enough force to crack the tarmac  
"Nothing but a flashy Semblance" Mercury teased as he bounced on the balls of his fee  
"Oh for Oum's sake take his jaw off Yang!" Blake called out in a very un-Blake-like fashion, earning bemused stares from Weiss and Emerald  
"What" she shrugged while trying to hide her slight blush "I don't just read books"  
"Miss Blake, Miss Blake!" the three Huntresses turned to see the tiny form of Jade trying to get through the crowd, a worried expression on her face  
"Hey, what's up?" Weiss asked softly as she crouched down to talk to the child, the reindeer Faunus staring at her in wide eyed terror before turning to Blake and trying to put the feline between the two of them  
"You don't need to be scared of Weiss" Blake smiled as she picked Jade up "You know Gang likes her" Jade had taken to following the towering Bear-Faunus around when he was inside the Safe-Zone and had taken to copying his mannerisms, leading to more than one person yelling at him about profanity  
"I know Mister Gangrel likes her" Jade chewed her lip nervously, new front teeth beginning to show "But she's one of the evil Schnees" Blake fought desperately to keep herself from laughing out loud as she hoisted Jade up onto her shoulders  
"Okay I need to get back to work" Emerald managed to choke out, having been less successful at maintaining her self control, Weiss saw the look on Jades' face as Yang and Mercury launched themselves at each other once again to the cheers and money visibly changing hands  
"You don't like seeing them fight?" she asked gently, Jade shook her head  
"I thought they were friends?"  
"They are" Weiss tried to explain, chest tightening at the child's worried tone "But they're both Hunters and this is how Hunters make friends"  
"That's just stupid, how can you be friends with people that beat you up?" Weiss looked at the small girl and secretly wished she's had the nerve to bluntly ask half the questions she did as a child, she might not have believed her Fathers' nonsense for as long as she had  
"They're not hurting each other" Blake explained as she set Jade down, she was clearly uncomfortable watching the sparring match "Besides this is actually keeping the Grimm away"  
"Mommy always told me eating my vegetables keeps the Grimm away"  
"That works as well" Weiss smiled before explaining the situation in a way that a child might understand "The Grimm come when everyone is scared or sad or angry, Hunters as well as beating the Grimm are supposed to stop everyone from being scared, its' why we use weapons that everyone thinks are cool and wear bright colours"  
"You're like the superheroes in the comic books, Hunters are like the Justice Society of Atlas!" Jade exclaimed  
"I'm one of the F-Men at the very least" Blake grumbled under her breath, Weiss paid her no mind and continued her explanation  
"So Yang and Mercury are putting on a show for everyone, all these people can see that these are the people looking out for them and they're not scared any more. It's why the Atlesian military has an entire Hunter corps, to keep the rest of the soldiers from being too scared" the crowd gave a huge cheer and Weiss stood on her tiptoes to peer over the person in front of her, Yang had floored Mercury and was currently helping up, she picked Jade up and let her see  
"Look, they're still friends" Yang held her arms out and played up for the crowd  
"AND HIS NAME IS JOHN CEDAR!" the blonde called out  
"She's silly" Jade giggled, Weiss carried her into the soup kitchen Emerald was working in determined to find this child some candy, a broad smile across her face.

"They call these gun emplacements?" Coco scoffed as she took in the makeshift defences being set up in a second story window  
"Coco what you call a gun emplacement would; one break the floor and two run our ammo dry in a week" Gangrel grumbled from his position next to her, he had accompanied Team CFVY and a number of resistance fighters as they saw to securing the supply line. Barricades were being set up blocking all streets leading onto the route between the Safe-Zone and the hole that goods were being brought in through, gun emplacements being set up with whatever high calibre weapons could be found  
"Hey! Any time you two want to lend a hand!" Velvet called from a window where she was helping rig some of the equipment Yatsuhashi was carrying up to her, the Rabbit-Faunus surprising some of the resistance members with her almost instinctual understanding of machinery and technology, when asked she simply informed people that her Dad was an engineer and she'd been brought to work with him since she was a child  
"I would but I'm tired, someone kept me awake all night!" Coco called up to her, lowering her sunglasses to wink at her. Velvet's remaining rabbit ear drooped over her face to hide her blush before she returned to work amid good natured teasing from her co-workers. The mood was abruptly changed when Fox leapt from a window down to the ground, he had been posted in a building near one of the unblocked side streets using his Semblance to keep watch  
"We have incoming" he panted out "I can hear an engine, a lot of footfalls. Probably Grimm" Coco and Gangrel moved into action  
"Fox you're with me!" the Bear-Faunus snarled as he readied his sword  
"Everyone inside! We've got incoming!" Coco ordered as she prepared her mini-gun and walked backwards into one of the buildings, taking position in a shattered ground floor window. The sounds of a large vehicle approaching reached her ears followed by the sounds of Grimm screeching as they met their end. Seconds later a semi-truck came speeding into view, several creeps hanging onto it; Coco opened fire on the wheels of the cab bringing the vehicle to a halt before turning her attention to the Grimm  
"THERE ARE HUMANS IN THE TRAILER!" a masked White Fang grunt screamed from the window of the cab causing her to instantly cease fire  
"I've got 'em!" Velvet called from the building she was posted in, creating a replica of Crescent Rose and picking the Grimm off one at a time, aided by Fox and Gangrel who reappeared and turned their blades on the Creeps  
"Sorry, we missed a few" Fox called out as he slashed the final monster from belly to throat before discarding its' fading corpse. Gangrel ripped the door of the cab loose and hauled the driver to the ground placing his boot firmly on the scraggly Faunus' chest before deploying Breaker, holding the barrel firmly under the grunts' chin. Behind him the other two grunts in the cab were dragged to the ground and restrained  
"We don't want any trouble! Please don't shoot!"  
"Everyone hear that? The White Fang doesn't want trouble!" Gangrel jeered  
"Gang wait, he said there were humans in the trailer" Coco shouted before turning to Fox proceeded to the rear of the trailer and used the blades of Hunger and Thirst to prise it open  
"Oh yeah" he drawled "There's people here. Okay everybody out!" Gangrel's eyes widened as a handful of of grunts were followed by almost a hundred humans, none of whom were chained the way the prisoners on the truck he and Emerald had stopped had been  
"The fuck is going on?" he demanded as returned his attention to the grunt under his boot  
"We wanted out of the Fang, we're freeing as many of the prisoners as we can. What's happening….this isn't what we signed up for man"  
"Sounds like a familiar story" Velvet murmured as she appeared beside Gangrel "Which part didn't you sign up for?"  
"Look separating Upper and Lower Atlas makes sense, the people at the top have always fucked us over, cutting them off from all the Dust that we do the hard work mining and get nothing back from was cool, having a Faunus in charge was cool" the grunt stammered out hurriedly "But I didn't sign up to put people in camps or corral Grimm into cities to eat people, that's the kind of shit they did in the great war….and I wouldn't wish the Albain twins on anyone" his voice trembled at the last part  
"Who the fuck are the Albain twins?" Gangrel grunted  
"The pair of sadistic bastards running the camps; I don't know where Taurus found 'em….the things they let happen are just sick, I heard in one camp they let the gaurds make the humans fight to the death for rations"  
"And Adam's okay with it?" Velvet asked disbelievingly "He's crazy but not the way you're describing"  
"He doesn't come to the camps" the grunt laughed bitterly "I've heard from the people stationed at Eisenstadt Siebte that he shows up there occasionally but nobody seems to know where he is most of the time. We're on our own out here being led by maniacs"  
"And now you want out?" Gangrel sneered "Fuck that. You made your bed, lie in it. Realistically either I'm gonna kill you or someone else here cuts your throat if I turn around for any reason"  
"Gang; give 'em a chance" Velvet implored meeting his incredulous stare "You did some messed up stuff when you were in the Fang, we both did"  
"I never took slaves or killed civilians!"  
"I think we're overcomplicating the issue" both of them turned to face Yatsuhashi, the giant had reached them silently "They are criminals yes, but we are not judge jury and executioner. Some form of law and order has to prevail"  
"I think we grew up very differently" the Bear-Faunus chuckled  
"He's right" Velvet sighed gripping Gangrel's arm and forcing him to remove the weapon pointed at the grunts' throat "Besides you said Ironwood promised that any White Fang captured would get fair trials; what's the point in fighting for justice if you're just going to start using an iron fist yourself" the towering Faunus let out a deep rumbling growl, more felt than heard before collapsing Breaker and hauling the Grunt to his feet  
"You pull your weight and when we get out of here you surrender. One wrong move I take you out into an abandoned part of the city, shoot you in both legs and leave you there. Understand?" the grunt paled and nodded, Gangrel gave one last parting shot as he turned away "And take those fucking masks off before I crack your skulls!"

Winter rose to her feet and saluted as Ironwood entered the room; they were meeting aboard the Schleier Der Tranen. The ship was finally air-worthy again, Matte currently having command of the vessel while Neo discreetly watched over them  
"At ease Winter" Ironwood wearily returned the salute and Winter took in just how exhausted the man looked, his face appeared drawn and his face was unshaven "How are things proceeding?"  
"We have had an unexpected development sir" Winter began "Almost one hundred prisoners have been released from one of the smaller camps by White Fang defectors who claim to have not known the extent of Adam Taurus's insanity before siding with him" Ironwood thought for a moment  
"We're preparing settlements for refugees for lower Atlas. Old Mantle outposts and settlements that can be modernised as well as decommissioned military bases. It'll spread the Hunter Corps thin but we can't have refugee camps in Upper Atlas, there'd be riots in the street; Mistral has agreed to take people in return for our assistance in dealing with some of their seafaring bandit tribes, we have intelligence that suggests the White Fang are attempting to negotiate trade agreements with them. What of the defectors?"  
"My operatives decided against killing unarmed prisoners who surrendered willingly. It would be prudent to honour the terms of our agreement with Mister Eadala and his coalition and give captured White Fang members trials rather than just having them executed or vanished" the was an accusation in her tone that the General bristled at  
"Black sites like the Chasm are sometimes a necessity, if the White Fang had known where we had their leader they would have mounted a full scale assault"  
"They weren't a guerilla army at the time" Winter countered  
"Nevertheless" Ironwood sighed "You are right, we will honour the terms of our agreement. White Fang members that are captured will be tried, in this specific instance their defecting and freeing human prisoners will be taken into consideration, if they choose to fight against their former allies they may be pardoned; hopefully between that and Eadala's leadership we'll never face a situation like this again"  
"One can only hope sir"  
"There is another important matter, the Spring Maiden. When she is brought to the surface I am placing her in your custody"  
"Sir?" Winter gasped  
"It may sound callous but I cannot leave an asset of that importance to simply be placed into an orphanage. Oum knows enough of our current situation can be laid at the feet of Faunus children with no roles models"  
"I appreciate your concerns sir but the child is quite frankly terrified of Schnees to the point that the Spring Maiden powers manifested when she saw my sister"  
"Your sister is currently stationed in the Lower Atlas Safe-Zone and there have been no incidents?"  
"True enough-"  
"Winter" Ironwood cut across her "I am entrusting this to you because there you are my right hand and I'm not sure how many of my own officers I can count on right now, you've been to council meetings you've seen how things are getting"  
"I understand sir" she relented "I'm sure Klein would love to have a child in the manor again; it just concerns me that the press may learn of a Faunus child residing in Schnee Manor"  
"I'm sure you can have Neo….handle the situation the way she did with the Marigolds" the General replied with a raised eyebrow, Winter looked somewhat abashed "You don't have to keep the child in the Manor, she would be perfectly safe on this ship"  
"A warship is no place for a child" Winter answered with a firm shake of the head  
"I was raised on a warship, regardless I have other duties to attend to. I leave the matter in your hands….and thank you Winter" Winter gave a reflexive salute as he turned to leave, internally wondering how she was going to deal with a small child.

Adam's generals were gathered before him, the Albain twins fidgeting nervously as if expecting repercussions for another failure; Adam decided he would look into that later. Panama Lime was as usual wrapped in several layers of clothing for warmth while talking animatedly with Teddy Russet, the frog and Bear Faunus' having been working closely on the infrastructure of their main stronghold in Lower Atlas, Noctis had removed the dark hooded trench coat he usually wore revealing his dark skin and lean yet muscular form, eight long braids of hair and a bone white mask that covered only the lower half of his face. Adam decided to indulge in some theatrics  
"Brothers and Sister of the White Fang. It's time" a twisted smile formed on is' face "Russet, Lime and the Albain twins have seen to the construction of our route to the surface. Pandinus has acquired some considerable fire-power for the cause. It's time that New Menagerie makes its' first attack against the old oppressors" there was no applause, that would come when he rallied the troops  
"Where is the hammer falling?" Corsac asked, hands running together eagerly  
"The first attack has to be one where we can utterly dominate any resistance to seize our objective, the CCT and the bio-domes of Eisenstadt Vierte are too well protected; the bio-domes on the outside of Eisenstadt Sechste however can be taken with our current assets"  
"We need resources to trade with the Mistrali tribes, it makes sense to hit the weaker target and bargain rather than risk our people needlessly" Panama noted, Adam nodded in agreement  
"Lime, Russet I want you to continue in your current duties, our Kingdom needs to secured and rebuilt. Noctis, I want all preparations on those tanks and the charges at our exit point finalised within the next twenty four hours. Corsac, Fennec I want every fighter you can spare from all of the camps to be here within the same time frame. We hit the humans tomorrow night, they'll never be used to the dark the way we are" he gave a small chuckle before his remaining eye blazed with his Semblance "We have our Kingdom and tomorrow we march to war"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so the street fight/sparring match was because a) Merc and Yang fighting is always cool. b) I like the idea of Weiss's completely different upbringing coming into play, seriously you know she's never seen a pub brawl before. c) I used it as a way to explain a thought I had when when Whitley asked Weiss "What can a Hunter do that an army can't" in the last episode; Grimm feed on fear and negativity, if you live under military occupation you'll be prime target for another Grimm attack. Hunters are super-heroes, they're flashy and they're supposed to bring hope and be inspirational.  
Jade is still a cinnamon roll.  
Justice Society and F-Men comics (References).  
Also I totally headcanon that Blake got into reading as a child through comic books.  
Justice Society and F-Men comics (References).

Even more of Adam's people are bailing; he's run out of close associates and now the people he has to delegate tasks to are the sort of people that are attracted to the idea of interment camps and murdering people on live TV; really bad for morale.  
Ironwood is preparing to get people out of Lower Atlas.  
Adam is getting ready to go on the offensive.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	82. 82: The Great Escape

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 82: The Great Escape**

Weiss nuzzled into Gangrel's chest, gently pushing him down onto the sofa and positioning herself on top of him  
"Really? You're just gonna start that right here?" Velvet gave them a bemused sigh and a pointed look from her own position curled up on Coco's lap, Yatsuhashi turned to Fox  
"Is it wrong that I envy your blindness my friend?" the giant grinned  
"Considering I can see body heat and can tell exactly how hot and bothered they're getting…." the scarred fighter trailed off  
"You know we're not actually doing anything right?" Gangrel grumbled as Weiss pressed her face into him attempting to hide her blush and mortified expression. The friendly joking was abruptly halted with the sound of the door opening  
"WE NEED TO GO! RIGHT NOW!" a breathless Neon Katt exclaimed "Flynt's getting the others ready come on!"  
"Okay slow down, what's going on?" Velvet asked  
"We were doing recon on the camp" Neon explained as she fidgeted on the spot, clearly eager to get them moving "We managed to get close enough to look inside, a load of trucks left. They were full of White Fang, no prisoners"  
"So the prisoners are still in the camp with a lot less guards" Velvet clambered off of Coco "We can launch a rescue mission"  
"Let's go then" Gangrel growled as he readied his weapons, Weiss and team CFVY doing the same. They were at the front door Ringo Umi appeared, iridescent blue markings beneath his skin flashing wildly as the rest of the Black-Ops team approached behind him, Flynt Coals' mother and a collection of resistance fighters in tow  
"They think it's a set up" the squid Faunus informed them without preamble "A bunch of White Fang defectors show up then suddenly we get a clear shot at one of the camps, it kinda looks like a trap" a low growl escaped Gangrel's lips, he hadn't considered that possibility  
"It's a risk worth taking" Coco stated bluntly  
"Agreed" Yang added as she and Blake reached them  
"I can't agree to this Slate" Sargent Coal told him firmly "If the White Fang base is vulnerable because their troops have gone elsewhere then by the same token a rescue mission leaves us vulnerable. Besides we're at breaking point as it, the supplies from Upper Atlas won't last forever"  
"So you'd leave the prisoners there? Even after what the defectors told us?" Blake asked, a disgusted look on her face  
"I can't put the people that are already here at risk. I'm sorry"  
"This is happening with or without you" the bear Faunus growled simply, silencing Flynt's mother as she made to object and handing his Scroll Ringo "My team are a Spec-Ops unit, we're not under your jurisdiction. Ringo contact Winter Schnee and tell her what's happening and that we'll need extraction sooner than expected, Coal put everyone on watch just in case this is a distraction. We're taking some of the trucks that supplies were brought in and we're breaking those prisoners out. Any questions?" some of the resistance fighters nervously shuffled behind Sargent Coal before making their way to the edge of the Safe-Zone. The Black-Ops set off, making their way to the collection of semi trucks  
"They have a point, this looks a lot like a set up" Mercury noted conversationally  
"It does" Velvet sighed "But it's a risk we're going to have to take"  
"Part of that being the hero thing" the grey haired teen sighed "I don't see the appeal"

Four semi trucks had been moved into position several streets away from the human interment camp itself and hidden from view of the remaining White Fang sentries, how reversing the vehicles into position hadn't given away their position was a small mystery that Gangrel was too grateful to wonder about too much  
"So how are we approaching this?" Coco asked  
"You and Fox are guarding the trucks. Your mini-gun will do more harm than good in there, there's no way you won't end up clipping civilians" the fashionista nodded, begrudgingly accepting the reasoning, Gangrel turned to Mercury  
"Get close and find a vantage point, they'll still have some guards even if it's a skeleton crew. Pick 'em off, Em can you blind their sentries?"  
"Not if there's more than one, two people at a time is a push for me anything more than that it is out of the question" the Bear-Faunus' brow furrowed  
"Direct approach then?" Yang suggested  
"I can give us cover as we get close" Weiss added from her position sat on Stardust  
"Okay teams of two when we're inside, we watch each others' backs" Gangrel agreed  
"There's seven of us" Yatsuhashi pointed out  
"I can look after myself" Emerald shrugged. With no more to be decided they set off making their way through the deserted streets, Mercury heading off alone as the camp came into view. Several sprawling housing complexes had been taken over, makeshift barricades had been erected around the perimeter, almost four stories high in some places; behind the piles of wrecked cars rubble Gangrel saw a very familiar alloy  
"The barricades are made from the same material as the blast doors at the divide, Weiss I don't think you're going to be able to plough through those gates"  
"Well think of something quick because those guards have seen us!" Emerald called out, her words punctuated by a bullet whizzing past Gangrel's ear. Weiss responding by conjuring a large Glyph in front of them which subsequent bullets pattered harmlessly against  
"Charge the gate!" Yang roared "I can blow a hole" she assured them as she primed the second weapon of her right gauntlet, Mercury had told her that the single shot photon accelerator was only for use in an emergency. With a nod Gangrel began sprinting forwards, the rest of the Black-Ops team following suit Weiss racing in front of them to provide cover. As they reached the gate the Dust ATV veered to the side allowing Yang to sprint forward, eyes blazing red with her Semblance and an orb of eerie glowing light forming in the mouth of her weapon as she brought her fist down against the gates' surface.  
"CHEKHOV THIS OUT!"

It was no understatement to say that the Albain twins utterly despised humans and had done for almost their entire lives, they were natives of the Mistrali city of Doupeng-He Bishou and had witnessed cruelty there that few people could imagine. The White Fang had little to no presence in the Kingdom of Mistral but when word had reached their ears of a group of Faunus that were willing to fight to protect their people the two of them had seen the journey to Atlas as a pilgrimage to be undertaken. Sheer ferocity and loyalty to the cause had allowed them to gain standing within the White Fang and allowed them to meet Adam Taurus himself, the twins had been less than impressed by the Bull-Faunus, seeing him as unwilling to subjugate the humans to the fullest extent; yet knowing that leaving was impossible, Adam's persecution of deserters was well known enough to deter most who considered it.  
"Lien for your thoughts brother?" Corsac enquired as Fennec steered the open topped Jeep the two of them rode in through the streets of the interment camp, the dirty, weary and occasionally defiant faces of humans staring at the Fox Faunus  
"Merely pondering how many would be informants loyal to Adam are currently elsewhere" the slightly taller of them chuckled, Corsac suspected that were his brother stood upright fix tail would be wagging  
"Ah you want to have some fun" he chuckled "Well brother, with so many of the sentries and wardens called away it was inevitable that some of the humans would be desperate enough to attempt a riot….they had to be put down, an example had to be made to prevent further violence" Fennec laughed at the grave tone Corsac affected. The justification they would give Adam decided upon the Jeep slowed to a stop  
"So any preferences on who I remove?" Fennec hissed as he withdrew one of his countless throwing knives  
"One of the ugly ones" Corsac sighed  
"They're humans brother. They're all repulsive; again I ask any preference?" before Corsac could retort to sound of gunfire reached his ears  
"Brother!" he snapped "We're under-" he was cut off by the sound of an explosion and tearing metal  
"THE GATES!" Fennec roared as he fumbled with the ignition, too absorbed to see the human prisoner rushing towards him  
"LOOK OUT!" Corsac screamed, a fraction of a second too late; blood sprayed from a severed artery as a shard of sharpened metal with a duct-tape wrapped around the bottom forming a handle was embedded in his neck. With a scream of rage Corsac leaned over his brother and grabbed the assailant, he barely registered the sound of the humans' neck breaking before he leapt from the Jeep trying to pull Fennec to safety, looking down he realised it was a futile task; Fennec had ceased twitching and jerking; one did not survive Doupeng-He Bishou by stopping to mourn for the dead. Reaching into his cloak and withdrawing his weapon in its' collapsed form, deploying the glaive with a feral snarl he roared out to any White Fang that could here him  
"KILL THEM ALL!" charging forwards the inside of the barricades came into view, a series of ramshackle watchtowers from which the troops under his command were attempting to fire on the attackers; he paused for a moment as one of the sentries slumped backwards over the railings of his watchtower, skull blown apart by an unseen sniper. Corsac then caught sight of a pair of the attackers making their way through the streets of the camps indicating to the prisoners that they should flee through the opening they had made, seeing a pair of feline ears atop one of their skulls he gave a low snarl. Any Faunus that fought with the humans was a traitor to their species and traitors needed to be dealt with.

Gangrel watched Weiss tear through the streets screaming at prisoners she passed to get to the main gate, as she did so he used his Semblance to teleport behind the wardens that at first tried to capture the humans then realising the impossibility of the task began killing indiscriminately. He showed no mercy, appearing behind one of the masked guards he brought his sword down in a brutal overhand slash that tore an arm from their body before aiming Breaker upwards and catching a monkey Faunus taking a firing position in a third story window squarely in the chest. Sprinting through the streets until Weiss came into view again he teleported himself next to her  
"GET TO THE MAIN GATE, WE'RE GETTING YOU OUT OF HERE!" he roared to a group prisoners he guessed to be in their late teens who had taken advantage of the chaos and set upon one of the guards, beating with lizard Faunus with pipes; looking up they saw the pair of Hunters and sprinted towards the exit, two well placed shots halting the cuttlefish Faunus that Gangrel saw moving out of the corner of his eye; their body returning to its' natural colouration as they slumped against a wall  
"GANGREL GET DOWN!" Weiss's panicked cry spurred him into action, allowing him to jerk away from laser-fire that would have punched a hole through the back of his skull, his nose was filled with the scent of his own singed hair and he was that one of the fleeing humans had taken the attack meant for him in the shoulder, their comrades helping to their feet. Turning to face the direction of the shot Gangrel saw a Paladin Battle-suit variant stomping towards him. Weiss pulled up beside him tires screeching before leaping from Stardust and drawing Myrtenaster  
"Of course they've still got some of these left" Gangrel snarled  
"Don't worry Team RWBY dealt with before, they're not as agile as the fully robotic versions" Weiss assured him. The Paladin launched another salvo, firing all of its' weapons and the two of them rushed forwards; a Glyph forming in the palm of Weiss's right hand expanding outwards as she swatted away an incoming missile, her momentum carrying her into a pirouette that allowed her avoid laser-fire coming to a stop she held her weapon out in front of her and created another Glyph, preparing to summon.  
Gangrel had teleported as soon as he had seen the Battle-suit fire reappearing above its' cockpit and trying to tear his way into the machine when he saw Weiss's summoned Ursa charge the machine teleporting away as the summoned Grimm collided with its' legs and bowled it over he began firing into the exposed engine components on the back of the machine until something caught fire before teleporting to Weiss once  
"Get down!" she snapped before conjuring another Glyph, forming a shield as the Paladin exploded. They took a few moments to catch their breath, Weiss pulling him down into a slow kiss  
"Do you have any sense of self preservation you dolt?" she asked with an exasperated sigh  
"My track record would suggest no" he laughed as he casually righted Stardust which had been flipped onto its' side by the explosion  
"Come on, there are bound to be some stragglers who haven't started making their way to the gates yet" she said with a satisfied grin as she climbed back onto Stardust, the exhaust spewing bright blue flames as the engine roared into life.

Velvet was a maelstrom of blows raining down on White Fang guards, a replica of Sun Wukong's staff swept legs followed by a replica of Nora Valkyrie's hammer landing between the floored grunts' shoulder blades. Velvet was against killing wherever possible, she was not however above beating her adversaries unconscious  
"HEAD DOWN THAT STREET, HEAD TO THE TRUCKS!" She called to the mass of approaching prisoners flocking towards the gate; a group of White Fang charged from the side only to be halted by Yatsuhashi, his Semblance allowing him to generate waves of concussive force from his hands, the grunts collapsed to the floor howling and writhing in pain as eardrums burst and organs ruptured under the force of the attack  
"YOU'RE NOT GOING ANYWHERE!" a gruff voice bellowed, Velvet and Yatsuhashi turned to face a towering feline Faunus, a coppery tail swishing behind him, a flame-thrower in his hands  
"It's the hell cat!" someone screamed, the fleeing prisoners rushing more urgently towards the gate, the remaining sentries attempting to pick them off  
"Velvet get them out!" Yatsuhashi growled  
"Yatsu I'll help you fight-"  
"Velvet" the giant placed his hands on her shoulders and looked her in the eye before whispering "I don't want you to see this" with that he rushed forwards, the air around his fists visibly warping, Velvet returned her focus to the task at hand  
"Go! Go! Go!" she screamed, the crack of a rifle sounded out and a prisoner dropped to the ground only to be trampled by the rest of the evacuees. Velvet's eyes narrowed as she found the watch-post that the shot had come from sprinting forwards she formed a replica of Yatsuhashi's sword Liequan and pumped as much of her Aura as she could into a single slash. The watch tower buckled as its' supports were decimated. Velvet then sought out Yatsuhashi and saw something that made her vomit into her mouth; the White Fang discharged his flame-thrower at the same time as Yatsuhashi triggered his Semblance, the Faunus screaming as the fuel tanks ignited setting him ablaze. It took a few moments for Velvet to realise that the screaming was coming from more than one place and that Yatsuhashi was shouting at her  
"VELVET THERE ARE GRIMM HERE!" those words brought her back to her senses sprinting through the gates Yang had destroyed what she saw chilled her to the bone, Shadow-Stalkers were picking off fleeing prisoners from the edges of the crowd and dragging them towards empty buildings. Forming a replica of Ren's Storm-Flowers she began spraying bullets into the pack of Grimm, Yatsuhashi sprinting past her and decapitating another as it neared the crowd  
"Velvet we have to get them to the trucks"  
"We need to hold the gate!" she countered  
"The others are still in the camp, they'll have to protect the rest of the prisoners. If you don't protect them they won't make it past the Grimm!" turning on her heel and switching to a replica of May Zedong's sniper rifle she fired a single shot into the face of a Grimm that attempted to leap onto her partners' back and realising just how surrounded they were and that Yatsuhashi was right before shouting to the escaping prisoners to follow her.

The White Fang grunt peered down the scope of his rifle, lining up a shot at the back of a fleeing humans' head  
"Got ya" they murmured, finger on the trigger. Before they could squeeze their world exploded into pain, a bloodstained blade protruded from the grunts' neck before being swiftly removed. Gurgling and choking on blood they found themselves prevented from collapsing by someone holding them up and dragging towards the edge of the watchtower.  
Emerald hurled the dying grunt over the railings of the watchtower they had been manning. Since entering the camp she had been stalking through the watchtowers killing the sentries in an attempt to help Mercury who couldn't hope to deal with them alone, her Semblance allowing to pick them off undetected. Peering from the watchtower she saw the Grimm worrying the rear of the mass of fleeing prisoners, a frown formed on her face as she readied the Artful Dodgers and began unloading into Shadow-Stalkers that were cunning enough to pick off people that were too far away from Velvet and Yatsuhashi for them to help. Her pistols clicked empty  
"Well this part's going to be fun" she drawled sarcastically to herself before leaping from the watchtower, landing on the roof of one of the countless wrecked cars stacked in front of the barricade before jumping to the ground and sprinting to catch up with the retreating members of her team, the blades of the Artful Dodgers shooting forwards on their chains as she eviscerated every Grimm between her and her goal.

"Come on! Head back to the trucks!" Yang called to Blake seeing that the steady flow of escapees was thinning, her partner reappeared in the doorway of the building she had been searching  
"Okay there's nobody in there, let's go" the two of them set off at a brisk jog only for a war cry and glint of metal to bring them to a halt as they rounded the first corner. Bringing her right elbow up and turning Yang using the metal of her cybernetic limb to deflect the glaive swung at her face, she was however caught off guard by the speed with which her attacker recovered and smashed the shaft of the pole-arm into the back of her head sending her staggering forwards. Blake looked on in horror as the Fox Faunus sent her partner skidding across the ground with a spinning heel kick to the ribs before turning to her and pointing with the blade of his weapon  
"I am Corsac Albain and I will take your head for the glory of the White Fang, any Faunus that sides against their people should be put to death" Blake offered no retort simply charging forward, Gambol Shroud at the ready. Sending a shadow clone rushing forwards caused Corsac to slash at where he perceived her to be prematurely, she capitalised by stabbing at his chest, he managed to block with the shaft of his weapon only for the right gauntlet of Ember Celica to form around her fist and discharge, flinging him back. Blake ducked under a backhanded slash before back-flipping over a spinning attack aimed at her legs and landed in a crouch before rolling to the side and leaving a shadow clone in her wake. As Corsac sprung forwards attempting to spear the clone Yang launched forwards with a roar, a jet of Aura fuelled flames issuing from the palm of her hand  
"Die human scum!" the Fox Faunus screamed as he threw his glowing and superheated weapon aside before charging the blonde and forcing her onto the defensive, forearms protecting her chest and head from the onslaught of knees, fists and elbows. Blake charged in from the side and made to slash at the back of Corsac's neck, the Fox Faunus' reflexes proved superior as he stepped back allowing the blade to pass him catching Blake's wrist in his right hand before driving his left fist into her elbow, buckling the joint at the same time Yang surged forwards. Time seemed to slow down as plucked Gambol Shroud from Blake's grasp and used it to block the furious blonde's attack; the blade shattering as as Ember Celica discharged against it giving Corsac no protection against the follow up straight right to the face the gauntlet discharging at point blank eating through his Aura and sending him staggering back, releasing Blake. Yang tackled him over irises turning red as she unleashed a barrage of punches at his face  
"NOT AGAIN! NOT AGAIN! NOBODY HURTS US AGAIN!" the screams of rage gave way to hyperventilating as Blake pulled her away. Corsac remained on the ground unmoving  
"Yang, Yang it's okay, It's okay he can't hurt us any more" Yang pulled her partner close and sobbed into her shoulder. Blake stroked her hair soothingly with her good arm, she didn't think her right was broken but she was unable to move it. Eventually she felt Yang's heart rate slow a little  
"I broke Gambol Shroud" she whispered aghast  
"Wasn't your fault" Blake murmured, gently pulling Yangs' face up from her shoulder to meet her eyes "I can replace my weapon Yang I can't replace you"

Mercury had been cursing to himself in a constant muttered stream of displeasure from the moment the first White Fang sentry had returned fire, their senses and reflexes were better than his and there was no way around it. As soon as one of the sentries had pinpointed his location they had him pinned, unable to move to the stairs and find a new vantage point without being shot. Then the Grimm had come. One had tried to drag its' victim into the building he had set up in, it died. Returning to his position he realised that most of the sentries had been dealt with, he began picking off the remainder. Then he saw Emerald leap from one of the watchtowers and into a horde of Grimm and his heart leapt into his throat as he fought the urge to run down their and fight alongside her  
"Don't get emotional on a job" he repeated the mantra to himself, growing more irate with every Grimm that died only to be replaced a moment later "Don't get emotional on a job it only gets people killed" another shot, this one punching a hole through the base of a Grimms' spine. The report of his rifle masked by the sound of an engine Weiss sped through the gate riding her insane Dust chopper while using her Semblance to plough through Grimm, a reverberating crack alerted Mercury to the sound of Gangrel teleporting  
"Everyone make it out?"  
"We lost a few to Grimm and their sentries, they had me pinned I couldn't fire back effectively. We're waiting for Blake and Yang" the Bear-Faunus growled before drawing Breaker and taking position in one of the broken windows; seconds dragging by until eventually Yang's distinctive blonde mane appeared through the wrecked gate  
"I see 'em" Gangrel called over to Mercury "We give 'em cover fire until they're near the trucks then we get the fuck out of here"  
"We did it, we actually did it" Mercury laughed  
"Was it ever in doubt?" Gangrel snarked, Mercury raised a bushy eyebrow  
"Put it this way, if I still doing contract work I'd have turned this job down….but holy Oum we just pulled it off"  
"Feels great to be the hero sometimes right?" Mercury snorted before snapping off a shot that punctured the chest of a Grimm  
"Nobody will believe you if you tell them"

 **Authors Notes:**

Oh you thought this chapter was action packed? Wait for what comes next.

Let's summarise:  
As much as Coco going nuts on the White Fang would have been there is no way to fire a mini-gun into a crowd without hitting civilians. Also Fox, his Semblance would probably be more of a hindrance in that environment.  
The gates were made from the same material as Gangrel's old armour, just not as well crafted.  
Yang's one-time only heavy duty weapon, you don't think Mercury built it for no reason? Also google the term 'Chekhov's Gun' and you'll get the pun she made. Even more entertaining to me is that in this instance, Chekhov's gun….is also a gun.  
Since Menagerie isn't a thing in this story I needed a little explanation for the Albain twins, they're from the same city as Emerald (remember what Raven said about Doupeng-He Bishou at night, you can find people selling the organs of Faunus children there) they're actually even more extreme than Adam, not only should humans be wiped out it should be done with a rusty butter knife and a smile.  
You thought Adam was out of Paladins, not quite. I just don't think that the battle-suits are much use, considering the controls are manual there's no way to fight against single opponents effectively because you can't react fast enough. I headcanon that the Paladins were intended to fight in urban areas as a smaller alternative to tanks in the Hive Cities.  
Velvet is like Batman. She won't kill you but she will fuck your shit up.  
Yatsuhashi knows how Velvet feels about hurting and killing people that's why he tried to get her to look away before SETTING SOMEONE ON FIRE.  
Emerald in an area with cover is basically the Predator.  
Yes I shattered Gambol Shroud, with Ember Celica. That happened, but don't worry I have a remedy in mind and that will get an even bigger emotional response from you. Besides Blake still has the right gauntlet.  
Also, Yang's outburst. She's not as over what happened to her as she likes to let people think. After Adam stabbed Blake and took her arm being faced with another highly capable White Fang general got a fight or flight reaction out of her.

Thank you to Adox for their review of the last chapter.  
Indeed that was a John Cena reference.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	83. 83: Total War

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 83: Total War**

"Hey Dad!" Ruby beamed as she saw her father enter the cafeteria on the facility, the room was almost completely deserted due to the fact shift change was approaching  
"Hey kiddo" Taiyang pulled her into a hug "I thought you were working tonight….which is still weird for me to say, my baby girl's all grown up"  
"Daaad" Ruby whined as he ruffled her hair "You're as bad as Yang. Yeah Team RNJR are heading out with Penny for the night shift, we still haven't managed to find who's been stealing from the Bio-domes, but no more inconsistencies have been found in audits yet so hopefully whoever it was quit while they were ahead"  
"Well the night shift starts at ten o'clock and it's currently nine fifty two" Tai noted, indicating to a clock mounted on one of the walls  
"I've got time" Ruby shrugged, knowing that her speed would indeed ensure she was aboard Penny's Bull-Head on time "I just wanted to grab some snacks for the shift but they don't even have cookies here….what is wrong with Atlas" she added in a stage whisper, this drew a deep belly laugh from Taiyang  
"Please don't you start as well, I've had to listen to Sun complaining about Atlas since he got here. Apparently it's too cold for him"  
"Has he tried buttoning his shirt up?" Ruby asked with a smile that was a little too innocent  
"I think he'd consider that to be blasphemy, oh by the way have you spoken to Rover or Artemis today?"  
"No I didn't wake up until mid afternoon" Ruby admitted, night shifts were proving difficult for her to adapt to "I haven't seen them anywhere"  
"Rover's surgery is in a few hours" Taiyang informed her "Artemis is probably with him"  
"Is he going to be okay?" Ruby asked, her father shrugged at the question  
"I couldn't say, I trust Professor Polendina and Doctor Arc know what they're doing but I don't think there's any completely safe way to open someone's chest up and graft machinery into them specifically to manipulate their Aura" they both tried to repress a shudder at the thought. The brief moment of silence between them was interrupted by the small speakers mounted in a corner of the ceiling crackling into life  
"Can a Miss Rose make her way to the hangar please, that's a Miss Rose. It's urgent as the rest of us would prefer not to get court marshalled" Jaune's voice teased while Nora could be heard cackling gleefully in the background  
"Get going kiddo, you've got work to do" Taiyang ruffled his daughters' hair once more "And Ruby, I'm really proud of you. I love you"  
"Love you too Dad" she gave him a brief hug before rushing through the facility leaving a trail of petals scattered behind her.  
"Glad you could finally join us" Jaune joked as she came skidding to a halt in front of the Bull-Head's lowered ramp  
"Oh be quiet vomit boy" Ruby laughed giving him a playful punch on the shoulder as she passed him and made her way aboard  
"Oh come on that was one time!" he called after her  
"That reminds me" Nora gave Jaune a piercing stare "How come you never throw up when you're using Dragonslayer?"  
"I uh, don't actually have motion sickness" Jaune shrugged  
"You were just terrified that you might be uncovered when you arrived at Beacon" Ren realised, the blonde nodded silently  
"We're combat ready" Penny called back to them from the cockpit, Ruby in her usual place next to her, having taken to using her Semblance to get a better look at anything the craft's sensors may have missed as her speed made the rest of the world seem as if it were moving in slow motion. The Bull-Head lurched forwards as its' wing mounted engined fired up  
"Combat ready but no combat" Nora grumbled "It'll probably just be another routine patrol"  
"Let's hope so" Ren sighed as he fastened himself in.

The armed security guard shuffled over to the window of the gatehouse he was was manning as the sound of an engine approaching reached his ears. Opening the bulletproof glass he was greeted with a semi-truck pulling up outside of the gatehouse heading away from the Bio-domes that housed several thousand acres of artificially grown crops and livestock and the attendant food processing plants  
"The fuck is this?" he asked giving the two men in the cab a suspicious glare that only intensified when he saw that while the driver was human the drivers' mate was an older Faunus whose serpentine tail sat coiled in his lap "This isn't one of our trucks"  
"Nah this one's on loan from the agency that supplied him" the driver jerked his thumb towards the snake Faunus "Apparently the people upstairs are getting itchy about getting their own stuff stolen so we're using civvies, cheaper to replace their shit than ours"  
"That sounds like Ursa shit" the guard grunted "None of the stolen goods even came off of a truck as far as we can tell, I should know they had me upstairs getting grilled over it for three straight hours"  
"Yeah well it is what it is, do me a favour and open the gate will ya, the mileage on this thing is bad enough without sitting here letting half a tank chug away while we talk" the driver chuckled, the guard stepped over a computer occupying a corner of the room and opening a spreadsheet  
"Yeah can do" he called over his shoulder "Just let me check you out of the system….hold on, it's saying there isn't a shipment due to head out"  
"Check again, we've got the papers here" hearing that the security guard moved back over to the window to see the Faunus staring at him intently, iridescent green eyes with slit for pupils capturing his attention as everything else seemed to blur and slide out of focus  
"Trust in me" the words echoed in the guards' mind as Obsidian Eadala leaned forwards' "Our paperwork checks out, you're going to open the gate for us"  
"Your paperwork checks out I'm gonna open the gate for you" the guard slurred before pressing the series of buttons that would allow the reinforced barrier to part  
"The people of Lower Atlas send their thanks" Obsidian assured the man with a wide smile, his lower jaw separating revealing his long fangs before the truck carrying goods for the relief effort drove off.

"I spy with my little eye-"  
"Jaune, you're my Team Leader and a great friend but I swear to Oum I will throw you out the hatch" Nora growled from her position next to Ren, her head resting on his shoulder. The team had been aboard the craft for several hours now, almost half way into their eight hour shift their had been no sign of any suspicious activity, thief, Grimm or otherwise  
"Okay we're looping back around for another fly over" Penny called back to them. She remained sat at the controls preferring to fly manually than let P.E.A.R.L take over  
"I still can't believe that those things are real, in any other kingdom they'd be considered science fiction" Ruby breathed out as she took in the series of interconnected domes of gargantuan proportions that formed the exterior of the hive city, the largest of which seemed as if it would comfortably accommodate her island home town  
"I remember hearing something about the Atlesian Council making an effort to lease the technology to Vaccuo as part of a trade agreement years ago. The Vaccuan response was that they would rather farm their own land and mine their own dust than effectively hand over their sovereignty to the Schnee Dust Company. Apparently in some parts of Upper Atlas giving something the 'Vaccuan response' is a euphemism for telling someone to go fuck themselves" Ruby giggled uncontrollably both at the notion and the fact that she'd just witnessed Penny cursing for the first time  
"Now that's the kind of history lesson Oobleck should teach" Penny smiled before looking below and seeing a single truck travelling the road away from the city  
"That's odd….P.E.A.R.L are there any outbound trucks scheduled?"  
"Negative, the next outbound convoy is scheduled for one hour forty eight minutes from now" the synthetic voice answered  
"Switch to autopilot"  
"Confirmed" Penny rose to her feet  
"It might just be a shipment running late from the last convoy or replacements for missing goods but we have to investigate" Nora rose from her own seat bouncing on her heels in excitement as Penny and Ruby stepped into the rear compartment  
"Okay we might have something" Ruby grinned  
"Then let's smash!" Nora gripped Magnhild  
"Wait" Jaune looked thoughtful before attaching a small ear-piece "I'll go down first and see if I can get a better look at the situation" Ruby nodded  
"Okay that makes sense" with that Jaune opened the rear hatch before leaping out and deploying Dragonslayer in it's jet-pack mode; the glow of his thrusters clearly visible in the night sky. Ruby put her scroll on loud speaker so that everyone could here  
"Well they sped up as soon as they saw me so that's a pretty clear indication…..and they've used black duct tape to change the licence plate" Ruby's jaw set with determination  
"Okay Team RNJR let's get 'em!"

"Fuck we've got a Huntsman on our tail!" the driver spat  
"Relax my friend we are in the right" Obsidian replied completely unperturbed  
"That's not going to make a very compelling argument!"  
"I can convince them"  
"You mean convince them" the driver laughed "Or _'convince'_ them"  
"I hope it doesn't come to that" the Faunus answered simply  
"OH FUCK!" the driver screamed slamming his foot down on the breaks, a small read headed girl had just dropped to the group in front of their truck and was now rising to her feet levelling what appeared to be a grenade launcher at the vehicle. A pair of thuds sounded out  
"More on the trailer" the driver panicked as the truck screeched to a halt, wheels skidding on the icy surface of the road. The hunter that had been behind them flew to the drivers' side door, jet-pack collapsing and forming a sword and shield which made their way to the blonde teens' arms. Barely a second later yet another Hunter appeared at the passengers' side door in a shower of petals  
"Step out of the truck please" Ruby kept her tone polite  
"Surely that's unnecessary my child" Obsidians' question was met with the two hunters who had landed on the trailer leaping down. The petite ginger that landed on the passengers' side keeping a cautious hand one of her holstered weapons  
"Sir we have reason to suspect that this vehicle is transporting stolen goods, please step out of the truck" the hooded Huntress reiterated. Obsidian complied  
"There has been a misunderstanding" he explained "I am Obsidian Eadala, head of the Coalition. I am also acting under the orders of General Ironwood to ship goods into Lower Atlas for the relief effort"  
"I am a special operative and I wasn't informed of this" Penny countered, eyes narrowing. Obsidian suppressed a sigh, he hadn't wanted to use his Semblance for the same reasons he opposed violence; coercion of any form was was both unethical and ineffective in the long run but his options were currently limited. Eyes glowing slightly he turned to the Huntress in the hood, seemingly the more willing of the two to reason  
"This has all been a misunderstanding, we'll just be on our way and-" he was cut off by Penny grabbing him by the scruff of the neck and forcing him against the side of the truck  
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING TO HER?"  
"Penny calm down, this has all been a misunderstanding" Ruby tried to prise her away from the ageing Faunus, Penny looked from Obsidian to Ruby then back Obsidian  
"Mind control Semblance" her voice lowering as she reached for one of her pistols  
"Penny! Penny! Just contact Ironwood" Ruby begged "If they're lying we'll bring them in" Penny kept a weapon trained on the Snake Faunus  
"Face the trailer, if you move I shoot" she warned him before contacting the General.

"Operative Polendina, how can I help" General Ironwood answered, Penny being one a handful of his troops to have his personal contact details  
"Sir we have apprehended the individuals responsible for the thefts from the Bio-domes. A man by the name of Obsidian Eadala, he insists that he was acting on your orders sir" Ironwood pinched the bridge of his nose and gave a frustrated sigh. The head of the Coalition was acting not under his orders, rather with his implicit permission; Ironwood understood that if the Coalition was to be the face of Faunus rights activism in Atlas and a viable non-violent answer to the White Fang then they had to seen as a separate entity to the government and able to hold their own against law enforcement the way the White Fang had; it was to this end he had seen to it that productivity at all food production facilities in Atlas was increased and instructed Obsidian Eadala to have his people to steal what they needed for the relief effort in order to earn the goodwill of the people. He had not expected the man to attend to the task personally  
"Sir?" Penny was waiting for an answered  
"I am aware of Mister Eadala's activities' Polendina, let him proceed"  
"Understood-" she was cut off by the sound of a thunderous explosions  
"PENNY, PENNY! WHAT'S GOING ON!"  
"Multiple detonations sir! Sink hole opened on the-" she trailed off "SIR IT'S THE WHITE FANG! THEY'RE ATTACKING THE BIO-DOMES, THEY HAVE TANKS!" Ironwood felt as if his heart had stopped beating at those words, the sounds of heavy gunfire could be heard  
"Hold the line Polendina!" he bellowed before activating the comm system in his office, sending a message to every ship in the fleet  
"All available ships, the Bio-domes of Eisenstadt Sechste are under attack. We are now at code red!"

"FALL BACK TO THE DOMES!" Penny bellowed, pistols discharging bursts of pale green light that burned through the armour of the seemingly endless wave of tanks that the White Fang seemed to have acquired as she retreated. Ren and Nora were beside her, Magnhild having noticeably more impact especially when aimed at the armoured wheels the war machines had in place of treads, Ren's Storm-Flowers unleashed an endless hailstorm of bullets that did little to the armour  
"I'm getting these people out of here!" Jaune called as he took to the air, Obsidian Eadala and the driver of the truck, which was now reduced to a burning wreck firmly in his arms  
"JAUNE LOOK OUT!" Ren screamed as he saw the turret of one of the tanks turn to target him, as the rail-gun fired a crimson blur shot into the air in front of the blonde, Ruby had caught the projectile under her arm she then proceeded to spin in the air at an insane speed before throwing the shell back towards the tank that had fired it like a shot-putter; racing to the ground she tackled Penny, Ren and Nora moments before machine guns raked the space they had been occupying  
"We can't fight them here!" Ruby exclaimed "You three run I'll cover you"  
"Ruby I-" Penny was silenced as she was pulled into a searing kiss. Ruby deployed Crescent Rose as she pulled away  
"Go"

Adam sat upon the turret of one the several hundred tanks he had deployed for the attack, his footsoldiers would form the second wave. He watched with a cruel smile as the Hunters retreated from his forces' inevitable advance. The familiar Huntress in the red cape zigzagging around the other three on the ground forming a protective barrier as she used the flat of her scythes' blade to deflect bullets. Further and further they were pushed back until the first of the Bio-domes were within range, scores of Atlesian soldiers rushing forwards. The Huntress wielding the grenade launcher turned and seemed to stare directly at him before firing a single round, Adam rose to his feet and unsheathed Wilt in a single motion, the blade cleaving through the grenade  
"FIRE ON THE DOMES!" the night sky was set alight as over two hundred rail-guns fired in unison, shots impacting against the protective shields of the domes with enough force to shake the ground. The shields wavered and rippled but held. Behind the Atlesian soldiers he could see battle-suits marching out to meet them as well as fighters being hastily scrambled. A single Bull-Head soared overhead and discharged a Photon-accelerator, the weapon was intended for capital ships and obliterated half a dozen tanks in a single blast before veering off to avoid the counter attack, Adam snarled turning to see that his infantry had begun to make their way to the ground when a burning sensation spread through his back and nearly sent him toppling from the turret; turning he saw the freckled Huntress with a pistol in her hand which was rapidly reforming as a sword. His Aura flared into life, the bloody glow emanating from his body making him a beacon in the darkness as he held his sword high  
"EVERY HUMAN OPPRESSOR WILL DIE AND THE REMAINS OF THEIR KINGDOM WILL BE LAID TO WASTE! WITH ME!" with a roar of pure fury he charged forwards launching himself from tank to tank until he was at the front of his forces, his infantry sprinting between the war machines to catch up with him as he leapt to the ground sprinting towards the Huntress that had shot him in the back bringing Wilt down in an overhead slash intended to cleave his opponent in two before something hit him with the force of a moving train.

Ruby watched Adam fly through the air before coming to a rolling stop after she shoulder barged him knocking his attack off course, a satisfied grin forming on her face  
"Penny are you-Oh my Oum, no, no please no" she rushed over to where Penny was standing, catching her as she staggered forwards dropping to her hands and knees blood dripping into the snow  
"Ruby I'm okay" she slurred out, blood and the same viscous blue liquid that Ruby had seen pouring from the fatal wounds of her previous body trickling from her mouth. Adam's attack hadn't found it's mark but it had still done damage, the right side of Penny's skull had been sheared away, the ear removed in its' entirety and leaving her inner workings visible  
"Don't leave me again" the scythe wielding Huntress clutched her close and began sobbing, seemingly oblivious to the carnage around them. When Penny next spoke it was in a flat monotone voice that held no emotion  
"Nan-bots active, commencing field repairs" Ruby looked on with a mixture of relief, amazement and detached horror as the alloy of the mechanical girls' frame seemed to bubble and regrow itself as if it were a living thing, the ragged hole in her cranium sealing itself as she forced herself to sit upright, eyes glowing a deep emerald green as she forced her Aura into healing herself, Penny being what she was had no organs, no tissue and no skeleton meaning that the entirety of her Aura could be focused on healing the torn flesh. Within a minute that seemed to stretch on for an eternity Penny was fully healed, the only indicator that she had been injured was a bloodstain on her jacket  
"I'm never going to leave you again" she breathed softly as Ruby helped her back onto her admittedly somewhat shaky legs. Any hope of a tender moment between them was cut short as a bestial scream of rage filled the air, the two of them turned to see Adam Taurus entering the fray once more, single handedly tearing through half a dozen Paladin Battle-suits before launching his Semblance skywards and tearing a trio of Bull-Heads worrying his tanks out of the sky. Ruby's face morphed into a mask of pure hatred and unadulterated fury at the sight of the man who had tortured her, stabbed Blake, taken her sisters' arm and now attempted to take Penny from her, eyes glowing with pure white light she screamed out to him as she charged forth  
"YOU MONSTER!"

"Mistress! I'm sorry to arrive unannounced but this urgent I-"  
"Then cease your genuflecting and speak" Salem hissed cutting across Watt's babbling and drawing a small smirk from Cinder who seemed to be at least self aware enough to appreciate the man who would mock the true Maiden and avatar of Salem silenced and reminded of his place  
"It would appear that Adam Taurus is no longer consolidating his power, he has gone on the offensive and attacked the Bio-domes that produce food for the people of Atlas"  
"An interesting development, and the people of the Kingdom starving to death would bring about the true desperation I require"  
"Mistress, there is something else, I believe to be of far greater importance" he fumbled with his Scroll before displaying an image "I have eyes and ears in every part of Atlas, when the attack was reported I managed to find my way into the camera feeds of domes themselves and even some of the battle-suits stationed there. The silver eyed warrior is taking part in the battle as we speak"  
"Ah" Salem cooed "Dear Cinder, would you like the chance of revenge that Tyrian failed to deliver before his demise" the false Maiden gave out a predatory snarl that devolved into a berserk scream as she let her power consume her, twin Auras of gold and magenta forming around her body, pupils dilating until her eyes were pools of inky darkness within which the green and gold of her irises could still be seen, her muscles seemed to bulk up and gain definition as her swords formed in her hands. Foaming at the mouth she turned to face Salem  
"Watts, leave my presence" Salem ordered, the businessman fled as the walls of Salem's great hall began to crack and the darkness from which Grimm were spawned trickled down the walls  
"Ruby Rose will die" Cinder snarled, seemingly struggling to form coherent sentences, her mind reduced to a level of savagery comparable to the Beowolves snapping and snarling around her  
"Indeed my child" Salem smiled "Kill the girl, burn the crops of Atlas, remove the head of the White Fang. Leave nothing but corpses and broken souls to mourn them"

Ruby crashed into Adam with devastating force, the Faunus was sure he felt the bones of his remaining forearm creak as he blocked her wild slash, the light of his Semblance blazing from his own eye seeming paltry in comparison to pure white radiating from her. Daring to cast his eyes around he desperately sought someone he could attack, he had seen how she needed to protect everyone around her; the Blonde with the sword and shield was currently holding his own against and insane amount of White Fang fighters, the scarred Hunter with the long hair and bladed pistols was mangling anyone who approached his partner, the short redhead disabled tank after tank with a gleeful smile. The copper haired girl who seemingly refused to die was leading a charge against his forces. Seeing nothing he could exploit except perhaps Ruby's unrelenting fury he dropped to one knee, the blade of Crescent Rose still forcing its' way down as he deployed the machine gun integrated into his cybernetic arm and fired indiscriminately; Ruby staggered back as bullets collided with her Aura. Adam launched himself forward channelling his Semblance into his limbs as he deliver a Muai Thai kick to Rubys' ribs, smirking as he felt bones crack he stepped behind her ad wrapped his arm around her neck, attempting to choke the life from her  
"Last time it was your fingers, now I'm going to break your neck" Crescent Rose slipped from Rubys' grasp, blood pounded in her ears and she couldn't focus enough to use her Semblance to phase through Adams' body. Suddenly one of the many self defence lessons Taiyang had given his daughters long before they had begun trained to be Huntresses repeated itself in her head and she flung her head back, breaking Adam's nose with a sickening crack before driving her left elbow into his ribs. The Faunus couldn't stagger back fast enough as Ruby reached for the sword she had taken from Pennys and slashing, leaving a bloody gash in his stomach. The two circled each other, swords drawn and Auras shining when Ruby caught sight of a Bull-Head approaching that was not part of the Atlesian forces defending the Bio-domes, it was a craft she recognised and her blood ran cold when she saw the turret of one of Adams' tanks tracking it  
"NORA TAKE OUT THAT-" It was too late Professor Ooblecks' Bull-Head exploded and Ruby knew that it had been her father piloting it. The fighting seemed to halt for a brief moment as three distinct forms leapt from the still falling wreckage  
"KING KONG AINT GOT SHIT ON ME!" Sun Wukong roared as he landed crouched o the exterior of a Paladin Battle-suit and began firing into White Fang fighters. The second was Jaune's sister, only now did Ruby realise what it meant to have the warrior that had inspired Pyrrha Nikos on her side, Victoria Arc crushed the tank she landed on, Siegebreaker in its' rail-gun form slung over her shoulder fired once and half a dozen tanks were torn asunder leaping into the air she shifted the gargantuan weapon into its' war-hammer form and stuck a tank with enough force to utterly collapse the front of the vehicle. It was the third that restored Rubys' hope, a comet of pure fire landing a few feet away from her, Taiyang Xiao Longs' Semblance ' allowed him to generate heat as he built up momentum, his landing had done nothing but allow him to charge up. Her father wore an expression unlike any she had seen on his face as he stalked towards the Bull-Faunus, his ball and chain in hand, the chain retracting as the handle extended into a full shaft turning Huanglong into a mace  
"Dad"  
"Ruby stand back" Taiyang growled before fixing Adam with a murderous glare "Adam Taurus, I've been hoping to get my hands on you boy, this ends with you face down in the snow" Adam's only response was a low chuckle before rushing forwards, Wilts' blade glowing as he prepared to attack. His slash was halted by Ruby rushing forward at blinding speed and catching his wrist allowing Taiyang to swing his mace at the Faunus' skull. Adams' mechanical had shot out, catching the weapon, he felt Rubys' sword press against his throat  
"It would seem we have a stalemate" Adam sneered, Tai responded by releasing his grip on his weapon and delivering a brutal kick to the Faunus' ribs sending him flying backwards, Tai pressed the advantage retrieving Huanglong and bringing it over head, his Semblance sending what appeared to be a tsunami of flames crashing down that Adam barely managed to roll away from. Ruby rushed forward, grabbing Crescent Rose and making to end the battle in a single decisive strike; before she could the air filled with the sound of a thousand tortured souls screaming, turning to the source of the cacophony she saw reality tear itself apart as a portal several stories high opened; endless waves of Beowolves and Nevermore flocks pouring forth from it and setting upon anyone within reach. Among them, striding forth from the portal and engulfed in twin Auras was a woman Ruby recognised. Cinder Fall took to the air, portal closing behind her and issued a single challenge  
"RUBY ROSE! COME FORWARD AND MEET YOUR END!"

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Tai is a total Dad.  
"Has he tried buttoning his shirt up" that is all.  
I actually had to have an explanation for why Jaune can use a Jet-pack without treating everyone to the wonders of the technicolour hiccup.  
This is where the Coalition have been getting the food they've been sending to Lower Atlas. The Atlesian Council is full of dicks so Ironwood and Obsidian have been doing a little scheming together. I also like the idea that he's reluctant to use his Semblance as well as being a pacifist, there's very little point to being against violence if you're perfectly willing to mind rape someone (Cough Professor X Cough)  
The 'Vaccuan response' occurred to me as I was writing, a little bit of world building and in this story Vaccuo and Atlas have a pretty rocky relationship with each other even without mentioning the war.  
You know Adam would be sitting on the turret of one of the tanks watching the battle first hand.  
If stadiums have forcefields around them then something as important as the places Atlas mass produces food would obviously have them.  
Did I scare you with the Penny scene? This is why her new body doesn't have the giant cannon. She has a nano-bot chassis that can repair itself, on top of that as her skin is the only living part of her (Living skin grafted over a machine, she's a terminator) it's the only part of her that her Aura needs to heal.  
Ruby using Yang's "You Monster!" line.  
Ruby using her Silver eyes and staying conscious.  
Cinder heard Ruby was there and went full Broly (I watched TFS Broly abridged before writing this).  
"Leave nothing but corpses and broken souls to mourn them" Now that's how you do hardcore edgy shit.  
Taiyang getting hold of Adam, this is what he came to Atlas for.  
His Semblance is pretty cool, the more momentum he has the more heat he can generate, it basically turns him into a human comet.  
His weapon is a ball on a chain/mace called Huanglong, named of the Yellow Dragon from Chinese mythology.  
And now Cinder's here. Because I haven't dished out a fuck you in the form of a cliffhanger for a while.

Thank you to Drake187 for their review on the last chapter.  
Yeah the twins needed a back story, if they're going to be total cunts their needs to be at least some explanation for it.  
A Paladin would be effective against something like a tank of crowds, against a single Hunter there's no way the pilot would be able to move react fast enough to move the limbs and defend, we've seen the inside of one the controls are all manual. If they operated like an Eva Unit and had a neural link they'd be more viable.  
Oh don't worry I've got something in mind for Blake's new sword.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	84. 84: Wrath

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 84: Wrath**

Oscar rose from his bed shaking and soaked with cold sweat as an unshakable feeling of dread clenched his heart in a vice grip. Dressing as quickly as he could with trembling hands he made his way hurriedly through his families' farm house before stepping out into the cold Mistrali night and heading into the barn  
"Wake up! Wake up there's something wrong!" Raven was awake in an instant, sword in hand and scanning her surroundings. Qrow rolled into a crouch and reached for his weapon  
"Are we being attacked?" the masked woman demanded, Oscar gulped realised how what he was about to say sounded  
"It's not here but there's something wrong, I can feel it" he insisted "I don't know what's happening but I woke up with this feeling of-"  
"So help me Oum if you woke us up because of a nightmare Salem will be the least of your worries" Raven snarled. Qrow gave a dark chuckle  
"Kids" he rubbed his bleary eyes before looking at Oscar "Oz did you bump your head on something? Your nose is bleeding" the teen brought a hand to his nostrils, surprised to see blood staining his fingers when he brought it away. Without warning a wave of dizziness washed over him  
"What the-" the sentence remaining unfinished, cut off by a wordless howl of pain as he dropped forwards clutching his head. Raven caught the teen he seemed to be having a seizure, blood flowing freely from his nose and trickling from his ears  
"What's happening to him!" Raven sounded panicked  
"I don't know" as soon as it began it ended, Oscar came to and vomited on the floor of the barn before taking several deep gulps of air. Helping him to his feet Qrow saw that several blood vessels in his eyes had burst  
"I saw things" the boy whispered, voice trembling "A battle, tanks, Grimm ripping through both sides….a, a woman using other peoples' Auras"  
"Cinder" Raven hissed "Where was it? Where was the battle happening?"  
"I don't know" Oscar shook his head "At the base of a giant mountain, everything was covered in snow. There were gigantic domes, like the biggest greenhouses I've ever seen"  
"The Atlas Bio-domes" Qrow realised "Raven we've been there before" it was true, Team STRQ had taken part in an assignment guarding the structures when they had travelled from Beacon to Atlas for the Vytal Tournament as students; Raven vaguely remembered getting Tai drunk on Atlesian whiskey for the first time  
"Then I'll go"  
"You mean we'll go" Qrow countered  
"No" she shook her head "This is an opportunity to land a decisive blow against the enemy. But you need to stare here and continue to train the boy"  
"I can help" Oscar insisted, sparing him a glance she saw that his eyes had already healed  
"No" Raven sighed, mask distorting her breath "Not against this, you're not ready" Qrow stepped forward and placed a hand on her shoulder  
"I just got my sister back. I mourned you once and I refuse to do it again"  
"Hopefully you won't have to" Qrow was rooted to the spot as his sister did something unthinkable, she hugged him "Protect the boy, protect Yang protect Summer's daughter" with that she stepped back and turned away from him holding her arm out and opening a portal a few feet away from her outstretched palm. Sword at the ready she stepped through, missing the light in Oscar's eyes as she did so. The young Wizard activated his powers, seeing Raven in various stages of leaving as past, present and future appeared before him, as the portal began to close he grabbed Qrow who was frozen in place and pulled him through. Releasing his control on the flow of time he staggered forwards, hands numbing as they met the cold of Atlesian snow. Both Oscar and Qrow's eyes widening as they saw the scene before them, Beowolves running between the burning remains of destroyed tanks tearing wounded fighters apart and leaping on battle-suits using their numbers to drag them down, Bull-Heads flying overhead firing indiscriminately while trying to outmanoeuvre flocking Nevermore, the Bio-domes burning on the inside, holes punched through their defences. Ahead of them, hovering in the air engulfed in twin Auras of gold and Magenta and screaming threats and challenges, was Cinder Fall.

Ruby looked on in horror as Cinder formed a ball of light like a miniature sun illuminating the night in her palm before unleashing a beam of heat and light on the battlefield, engulfing tanks, battle-suits and fighters on both sides of the previous conflict and leaving nothing put twisted glowing steel in her wake with a demented scream  
"I WILL KILL EVERYONE HERE JUST TO ENSURE YOUR BODY IS AMONG THE PILE!"  
"You're not killing anyone else!" Sun bellowed as he leapt from the back of a Paladin, staff at the ready. A cruel smile found its' way to the False Maidens' lips as she caught the blonde Faunus, single handed by the top of the head  
"Insect unworthy of my attention" with that she delivered a devastating elbow strike to his chest, Ruby saw blood fly from Suns' mouth as his ribcage seemed to collapse, hurling him into the air and catching him by the ankle she threw him aside, his body smashing another hole in the surface of the Bio-dome as he fell, discarded like litter. Ruby's eyes blazed with white light once more as she raced forward, Crescent Rose at the ready  
"You want me, I'm right here!" with a scream of defiance she ran up the surface of the dome, petals trailing behind her before leaping into the air above and behind Cinder. Time slowing to a crawl in her perception she aimed and fired twice, eyes widening as Cinder turned to face her, glass swords forming in her hands and shattering as she deflected Ruby's shots. The shards raced towards her in twin streams, Ruby sped downwards faster narrowly avoiding the attack, as she brought Crescent Rose downwards Cinder knocked the shaft of the weapon aside; Ruby brought her head forwards connecting with the bridge of Cinders' nose. The two fell to the ground trading blows before Cinder flung them apart with a burst of Aura and landed in a crouch, blades reforming in her hands. Ruby stepped forth from the flaming shell of a ruined tank, eyes still blazing. A Beowolf lunged at her, dissipating with a yelp of pain before it made contact. With a snarl Cinder tapped into the powers of the Summer Maiden and launched burst after burst of burning light channelling them through her sword, the attacks failed to mind their mark and she caught only fleeting glimpses of the silver eyed warrior as she dodged  
"Yes child, flee and let the rest of them burn in your place" Cinder cackled "Come coward, your friend died a hero! Avenge her if you can!"  
"NORA NO!" Cinder turned with a raised eyebrow to see a hammer wielding huntress charging at her, Cinder raised her hand and drew upon the power of the Fall Maiden. Electricity crackled around her hand before travelling along her blade, bolts of lightning struck her target flinging her back to land in a crumpled steaming heap, snow melting around her as the Hunter with the long hair rushed to her side. A roar of rage on the opposite side alerted her to the blonde boy who had been in the vault a second to late, his shield smashed against her face driving her back; hastily bringing her swords up she blocked his overhand slash before planting a foot firmly on his chest and kicking him back  
"HEY" Cinder turned to see the redhead she had struck with lightning rising to her feet, electricity crackling across her body, eyes a pair of radiant turquoise lights in the darkness "YOU'RE NOT TAKING ANYONE ELSE" she charged forwards, Cinder noted that there were tears in her eyes. Nora brought Magnhild down and forced Cinder to one knee, ground shaking with the impact and sending a web of cracks through the surface of the dome as the False Maiden used both of her swords to block  
"DIE" she screamed lunging forwards sending a blast of Aura outwards that shattered her swords and flung Nora backwards. Sensing another attack she turned and drove her fist into the throat of Ruby had attempted to charge her leaving her to drop to her knees struggling to breathe as she rounded on Jaune who had returned to his feet. Taking to the air once more she tapped into the powers of both Maidens at her disposal, twin Auras blazing  
"THIS ENDS HERE AND NOW!" blinding pain erupted in her skull, constricting, gouging, burning. Jaune looked on eyes widening as he saw Pyrrha's circlet around Cinder's head glowing with the dark Aura of the Invincible Girls' Semblance as it seemed to crumple, dark blood oozed from the False Maidens' flesh where the metal cut into her, the Aura seemed to spread to Cinder's whole body and moments later one the ruined tanks of Adams' mostly defeated forces flew at her ploughing through the barrier of the Bio-dome and warping to envelop her  
"Nora! Ren! Ruby!" Jaune called as he limped through the snow towards his friends. Ruby had managed to rise to her feet, the white light surrounding her had faded  
"I'm okay" she managed to gasp out as she headed towards Ren who was helping Nora to her feet  
"What happened to her?" the hammer wielder asked  
"It looked like Pyrrha" Jaune choked out, the conversation halted at the sound of crunching snow, turning they saw a masked woman approaching through the still raging battle, both sides attempting to fight each other as well as the Grimm  
"You should leave"  
"You're, you're Yang's mother" Ruby gasped at the realisation  
"And you are Summer and Tai's child, leave now. I will deal with-" she cut off by the side of the Bio-dome exploding outwards, the hole Cinder had created forming the epicentre of the blast  
"WHO DARES!" the False Maiden's furious scream reverberated  
"Leave us. Help elsewhere" Raven ordered them, placing a hand on the sheath of her katana causing the tube like object to shift as mechanical components whirred and clicked; seconds later Raven unleashed a storm of blades at her target, the sheath acting as a Gatling gun. Cinder batted the projectiles aside catching the last one inches from her face before descending to the ground, a demented look upon her face as the pair sized each other up  
"Apostate" Cinder snarled  
"Foolish girl" Raven sneered. The two leapt at each other and the fight began anew.

Tai hit the ground, rolling into a crouch and launching himself forwards once more, leaping to the side to avoid Adam's Semblance; a scream informing him that someone else had paid the price. The fight between the two of them had renewed moments after Ruby had rushed to face the insane woman burning through tanks and he had been brought to a standstill by the Bull-Faunus. He'd known from what Yang had told him that Adam Taurus could fight groups of students with ease but he hadn't been prepared for him to be this skilled. The two of them circled each other looking for an opening  
"You fight like someone who hasn't had to for a while" Adam taunted "You're past your prime and desperately clinging on against someone who hasn't had the luxury of getting soft; you're a perfect metaphor for your species" Taiyang however was not above getting inside an opponents' head himself and had been watching news stories regarding the White Fang religiously since Vale fell  
"You must be so glad you don't have parents, because they would beat your ass if they heard what a pretentious little snot you are" Adam rushed forwards, body consumed by the crimson glow of his Aura; Taiyang leapt forward rolling under the horizontal slash and wave of his Semblance, the head of Huanglong striking the Faunus in the shins sending him staggering forwards  
"CAW!" the bird swooped low, shifting into human form to deliver a punishing kick to the jaw as Adam fell  
"I see you haven't lost your touch for entrances" Tai noted  
"I see you haven't lost your sixth sense" Qrow chuckled  
"It's basically shivers down my spine and the sound of my fridge being raided any time you're nearby" Adam rose to his feet eyes shifting between the two bantering veterans before settling on the newcomer who was unsheathing his sword from his back  
"So who are you and which one of your family have I killed or maimed?" Qrow gave him a mocking bow  
"Qrow Branwen, your personal bad luck charm. And if Tai left any part of your ass un-kicked then I have dibs on it" with an annoyed growl at Qrow's antics he charged forward and was forced to leap and roll over the blade of the sword which had suddenly become a scythe and almost carved through his chest; he was sent to the ground with a thud when Tai pressed the advantage and brought his mace down on Adams' ribs while he was still in the air. Rolling away and forcing himself to his feet Adam launched his Semblance in yet another wave, swaying on his feet slightly as fatigue began to set in. As Tai and Qrow made to rush him the ground between them exploded as a shell impacted against the ground. Crawling away from the impact, sensitive ears ringing he looked up to see Noctis screaming something from the open turret of an imobilised tank, the scorpion Faunus was bleeding heavily from a pair of gunshot wounds to the shoulder; shaking his head as he struggled to his feet Adam managed to make out what his general was shouting  
"Adam we need to go! This is turning into a fucking massacre and they have warships coming our way!" looking around him Adam saw the truth of that statement, the remains of tanks, Bull-heads and battle-suits lay strewn across snow that was stained with the blood of both his people and the Atlesian military; the sound of gunfire and the scent of blood and burning filled the air  
"FULL RETREAT!" Adam barked "EVERYONE PULL BACK!" Adam lurched towards' the sink hole the White Fang had blown and clambered onto the hull of one of the few tanks still functional as it passed, propping himself up against the turret right arm pressing against the gash Ruby had left in his stomach while his mechanical left arm deployed its' machine gun and peppered any Grimm that harassed the fleeing White Fang.

Penny fired her plasma pistols into the wings of a Nevermore, the beast crashing to the ground and tearing through several Beowolves before it faded away. Her Bull-Head swooped overhead, it's primary weapon basking the surrounding area with green light as it tore through another tank. Beside her Victoria Arc was using her Rail-Gun to punch holes through enemy armour. The two of them had formed the spearhead of the counter attack, dispatching Grimm and White Fang alike as soldiers and Battle-suits rallied behind them. A snarl alerted her to a lone Beowolf that had attempted to pounce on her from behind, turning and shifting her weapons to their sword forms she made to slash the Grimm but it had already begun to fade away, riddled with bullet holes courtesy of half a dozen soldiers taking a knee and firing one of them limped forward, visor cracked and a bloody palm print visible on his armour where a fellow soldier had died in his arms  
"Ma'am" he saluted both Penny and Victoria "Orders from Ironwood are to fall back and hold the breaches in the domes. We have friendlies inbound"  
"The White Fang are retreating, we should press the advantage" Victoria spat  
"Negative this takes priority"  
"Understood, give the order to fall back" Penny nodded  
"Will do ma'am, will we be able to fight our way past….whatever she is?" he indicated to Cinder Fall, Auras still glowing as she fought someone Penny didn't recognise  
"Find other entrances" she ordered "Do not put yourself at risk unnecessarily. Arc, lead these soldiers"  
"Will do" Victoria didn't need to ask why, simply saying "And when you find her look for my brother as well".

Raven and Cinder's blades clashed at blinding speed, the False Maiden's tenuous control of her stolen powers had faltered after the voice of the Huntress she had slain in Vale began to scream in her psyche once more reducing her to occasional bursts of destructive force  
"Give up child, you were always a poor replacement" Raven sighed as she blocked and parried, Cinder let loose a bolt of lightning which was almost casually avoided  
"Our Mistress will reward me for bringing her your head apostate"  
"She was never my mistress child" Cinder gave a cruel laugh at Raven's denial  
"She is and will always be the owner of your soul, I can sense her influence on you, she calls to you even now doesn't she" Raven faltered for a moment before blocking a series of slashes "Mistress Salem would forgive you if you if you were to return and submit. I am less generous" the two lunged at each other once more, Cinder forcing Raven to block as she shattered her blades and sent the shards at the eye holes of her mask; as Raven brought her blade up to guard the False Maiden a landing a heel kick to stomach sending her crashing back. Before she could press the advantage Ruby appeared between them in a storm of petals  
"Eager to die?" Cinder snarled  
"I told you to leave this to me" Raven hissed. The scythe wielder collapsed Crescent Rose and drew Penny's sword. False Maiden and Silver eyed warrior circled each other. Before they could begin a missile screamed through the air, flipping several tanks as it impacted against the ground. Cinder regarded the approaching war-ship with a hateful expression realising immediately that she couldn't hope to win this battle any more; launching her blades forwards as twin streams of glass she opened a portal behind her  
"This is far from over" Ruby reached a portal a second to late to drag Pyrrha's murderer back through it before it closed and instead trudged back to Raven helping the masked Huntress to her feet as the ground shook under the Atlesian fleets bombardment  
"They've got the situation handled, we need to take cover" Raven told her  
"You go" Ruby shook her head "There's still soldiers out here, I'm getting them" with that she sped off.

Oscar hadn't realised how vastly unprepared it was possible for someone to be until Qrow had seen the blonde man and the Bull-Faunus fighting and told him to take cover before joining their fight. He had used he abilities liberally, having no intention of cowering on the sidelines, he had frozen time for a few seconds at a time to pull people out of the way of pouncing and swooping Grimm or out of the path of tank shells about to impact. He couldn't fight like a Hunter yet but he could still save people, dropping to his knees of exhaustion he felt the ground tremble under the might of the warships arriving above, he tried to crawl and drag himself forwards having severe doubts in his ability to make it to safety before was inevitably caught in one of the blasts  
"Oh fuck" he mouthed out silently "Oh fuck, I didn't even tell my parents I'm here. Please Oum, please don't let me die here" as if to answer him he felt a rush of wind and something brushing against his numb flesh looking down he saw petals; before he could make sense of the situation he was pulled to his feet and looking into the silver eyes of a girl barely older than himself  
"Kid I don't know how you ended up out here but I'm getting you to safety" Oscar didn't answer, his eyes focusing on the lone Beowolf behind her. As it pounced he forced the last dregs of power he could muster to the surface, blood trickling from his nose again as he over exerted himself; he pulled his rescuer out of the path of the Grimm before his control of time slipped from his grasp. Ruby was disoriented for a moment before simply grabbing Oscar and rushing into the Bio-dome  
"Okay how did you do that?" Ruby asked genuinely curious "Are you fast like me?"  
"Fast? No I just slow time down" she blinked a few times at the answer  
"That is way too cool!"  
"I know right" he managed to mumble before collapsing unconscious.

 **Authors Notes:**

Vol.4 Episode 10, I'll try to keep this brief OH MY FUCKING GOD, I DIDN'T THINK IT WAS POSSIBLE TO SHIP REN AND NORA HARDER THAN I ALREADY DO WHAT THE FUCK. Seriously, the instrumental version of Boop playing when he gave her the hammer. I have never needed something so badly and not known until I received it, my frosty dead heart began beating for the first time in countless aeons.

OVER 25K VIEWS, THANK YOU I LOVE YOU GUYS

Now to summarise:  
Oscar had a vision of Cinder's attack moments before she arrived, yeah I know plot convenience but y'know what fuck it. People who can control time can see the future it's not that much of a stretch.  
Raven can only open portals to places she's been (Hence the mention of Team STRQ having been to where the battle was taking place) Cinder, through Salem actually has more freedom of movement.  
It was at that moment Sun knew, he fucked up.  
Okay so Ruby is channelling the power of the Silver Eyed Warrior, she didn't use it all in one burst this time, hence not evaporating the parasitic Grimm within Cinder and Raven but she still can't turn it on and off at will yet.  
Cinder mentioned Pyrrha, Nora & Jaune got involved.  
Cinder made the same mistake Tyrian did in canon.  
She tried to incinerate Jaune and Pyrrha's Semblance turned against her, are you getting it yet?  
Raven's sheath is also a Gatling gun, Raven was actually the artillery of Team STRQ.  
The trash talk between Tai, Qrow and Adam. Also Tai and Qrow knowing each other that well that they can set up team attacks on gut feeling.  
The White Fang attack was a failure, they may have had a chance if Cinder hadn't turned up.  
Cinder may also have won if it wasn't for Pyrrha's Semblance and the Atlesian warships.  
Oscar can't fight yet but he makes a good support.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	85. 85: Counter Attack

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 85: Counter Attack**

The screen remained black as Ringo attempted once again to contact Winter Schnee with Gangrel's scroll hooked up to his screen and signal booster, the entirety of the Black-Ops team crowded into the room  
"Merc you're good with sort of stuff, check the booster hasn't packed in" the squid Faunus sighed, his irritation made apparent by the glowing blue pigment dancing across his skin.  
"That won't be necessary" Winter's voice answered as the screen flickered into life. Weiss saw that her sister was on edge, despite how well she hid it from her crew; Neo could be made out in the background clad in an Atlesian Uniform with Roman Torchwick's hat obscuring one of her eyes  
"We've been trying to contact you for hours" Ringo started  
"The White Fang have gone on the offensive against the Bio-domes of Eisenstadt Sechste, they have acquired roughly two hundred tanks, my ship is currently on stand by to support inbound forces" Winter's informed them  
"Holy fuck" Gangrel breathed out, realising the severity of the situation  
"Well that explains why the guards left" Coco muttered, Winter's eyes narrowed at that  
"One of our scouts saw the White Fang mobilising, leaving one of the larger camps with minimal defences. We organised a strike against it to free human prisoners" Weiss explained  
"You were successful?" Winter's eyebrows raised slightly, her voice hopeful. A smile found it's way to Weiss's face  
"We managed to save the majority, there was a Grimm attack, we lost a few people in the process"  
"You performed admirably, all of you" the eldest Schnee congratulated them  
"Problem is we need an out, ASAP" Gangrel growled "We don't have the supplies to keep everyone here for more than a couple of days. We can't expand outwards into the city without sacrificing our perimeters' security so it's overcrowded here as well" Winter inhaled deeply to keep her composure  
"I'll contact Ironwood but until the current threat is resolved I will be unable to assist"  
"You think Adam can win the fight he's picked?" Velvet asked, subconsciously rubbing the remains of her right Faunus ear. Winter shook her head in response  
"The Bio-domes are defended by Huntsman and military forces at all times and we currently have ships en route. It's merely a matter of limiting the amount of damage the White Fang can cause. I should hopefully be able to get you out there within twenty fours hours"  
"That gives the people we broke out some time rest and eat, the conditions in that camp looked pretty bleak. I'll bet a lot of them haven't eaten in a couple days" Yang noted  
"Captain Schnee you need to take a look at this!" Matte Skye's voice interrupted, Winter turned her attention to something out of view, paling visibly at whatever it was  
"Oh my Oum" she whispered  
"What is it?" Weiss demanded  
"Cinder Fall just arrived, she's attacking both sides….I've never seen one person with power like that before. I have to go" without another word she ended the transmission leaving the Black-Ops team to look to each other in open mouthed horror  
"Fuck!" Yang raged "The bitch who killed Pyrrha is back and we're down here!" Blake took the blondes' hands in her own  
"I know Yang, I know. But there's an army up there, the people we just saved down here didn't have anyone else" that calmed her almost instantly, Yang pulled her partner close and kissed the top of her head  
"Okay, I'm going to go see what I can do to help" Emerald informed them, taking Mercury's hand and leading him out of the room  
"We'll come with, I need to be doing something right now" Yang admitted, hands still shaking slightly after the battle as she and Blake followed the former criminals out  
"I think me and Yatsu are actually due to be on watch tonight" Fox noted  
"You've just come back from a mission" Coco protested  
"Yeah but it's not fair on whoever has to cover for us" the blind fighter shrugged "Come on big guy"  
"Is anyone here actually going to be able to sleep?" Coco asked as she looked between those that remained  
"Not a chance" Gangrel chuckled "But I'm heading back to our place anyway, I need to check on Jade" with that the four of them bid Ringo goodnight and made their way through the safe-zone, Weiss and Gangrel hand in hand with Coco and Velvet similarly connected behind them. Reaching the house they taken up residence in they saw that there were people outside sleeping wrapped up in blankets that the Bear-Faunus recognised as his own, making his way into the house he saw several strangers sleeping huddled together on the living room floor  
"What the fuck?" the annoyed growl escaped his lips  
"Hey, I'm sorry about this" an exhausted looking Neon apologised as she came into view, Jade trailing behind her staying as close to the familiar face as possible before immediately making her way to Gangrel who picked her up  
"You've got red on your shirt" she pointed to a stain  
"Hey kid, yeah I think I dropped something on it" he lied as he gave the child a brief smile before turning to Neon expectantly  
"I let some of the new arrivals sleep here, we need all the room we can get. I gave our blankets to some of the others, there isn't room for everyone but I'm not letting people sleep on the floor with nothing" she stated firmly  
"Fair enough" Gangrel shrugged "Doesn't bother me too much, I'm used to sharing and crowded rooms. I grew up in care"  
"I'll put Jade to bed" Weiss said gently as she took the child "No arguments young lady it is a long way past your bed time" the reindeer Faunus stuck her bottom lip out, obviously sulking  
"Fine" she huffed "But, can I sleep with you and Mister Gangrel tonight?" Weiss head Velvet's 'awww' from behind her  
"Of course you can"

Corsac rolled over as he regained consciousness, his entire world a blurry kaleidoscope of pain that slid slowly into focus, a coughing fit racked his body sending broken fragments of several of his teeth falling to the ground. Staggering to his feet the fox Faunus took in the sight that greeted him with a mixture of rage and dread, the prisoners were gone and the bodies of his brothers and sisters in arms lay strewn across the ground; several buildings burned though he was unsure if it was the battle itself that had started them or vengeful humans putting their prison to the torch. He spied his glaive lying on the ground where he had discarded it, the metal twisted from the fire based attack of the Huntress who had bested him; he limped towards the weapon to retrieve it pain pulsing through him with every movement. Using the glaive to help support his weight he made his way through the remains of the camp before coming to a stop when he found the open topped Jeep that he and his brother had been patrolling in prior to the attack, Fennec still lay lifeless at the side of the road. Pushing down the swell of grief and ignoring the lump in his throat Corsac clambered into the drivers' seat to find the keys still in the ignition and pondered his next move  
"Adam will have me killed for this….If he doesn't decide to do it himself" he muttered to nobody in particular. If he attempted to make his way to the surface he would eventually be caught by the Atlesian military and he had no desire to ever be at the mercy of human authority ever again. The Vaccuan White Fang had defected, he knew he would either be killed by those still loyal to Adam or by those who recognised him as a ranking officer if he set foot in the desert Kingdom. The only feasible way back to Mistral would be through Adam's main base of operations outside of the Atlesian hive cities  
"I am a dead man and the only choice I have is how to spend my last moments" the wounded Fox Faunus muttered bitterly to himself before the sound of growling in the distance caught his attention; Grimm. An evil smirk made its' way across Corsac's face as the course of action became clear and he started the engine.

Professor Geppetto Polendina and Doctor Antonia Arc stepped back from the metallic slab connected to a plethora of machines that their sedated patient lay upon, sutures holding the canine Faunus' chest together as it rose and fell slowly  
"Doctor Arc" Professor Polendina tried to hide his trepidation "Deactivate the Aura regulators on the operating table"  
"So soon?" the Doctor asked "Surely that would put him at risk?"  
"Everything about this situation is risky and unprecedented" the balding man chuckled softly "But I believe the sooner his Aura interacts and synchronises with the implants the better" Antonia sucked in a deep breath, fingers crossing nervously as she followed the Professors' instructions. The machinery attached to the operating table was a larger and more stable version of the regulator they had developed for Rover Tan, designed to totally suppress all Aura allowing them to operate without having to struggle against the accelerated healing and ability to metabolise anaesthetic their patients' Semblance afforded them; the multitude of lights and displays faded to black with a low hum as they were shut down  
"And now the moment of truth" the Professor murmured, eyes fixed on Rover's body as his Aura sprang into life  
"It isn't working!" Doctor Arc cried "We need to restart the regulators right now!" Rover's body had begun to spasm uncontrollably, the machines monitoring his vitals reporting errors as his Semblance once again caused him to phase in and out of tangibility  
"It has worked" Professor Polendina motioned to the Faunus' chest "If it hadn't the implant would be visible when he becomes incorporeal. It has worked" he laughed triumphantly, Doctor Arcs' expression of terror morphing to one of stunned confusion and then elation as Rover's body stilled and became solid, an emerald green light visible beneath his flesh as the Aura regulator implanted into his body began to perform its' task  
"It….it worked" Antonia beamed  
"Indeed Doctor" the Professor noted "But this causes another problem for us, he's waking up" Antonia turned her attention back to Rover to see that his eyes were moving frantically beneath their lids and his incisions were starting to seal themselves  
"His Semblance allows him to do more than run fast" the Professor smiled as he stepped forwards  
"That's incredible" Antonia gasped. Rover grunted in pain as his eyes opened, widening for a moment as he attempted to make sense of his surroundings  
"Easy there my boy, the operation seems to have been a success as far as we can tell; though I would expect there to be some discomfort for a while. Rover forced himself into a sitting position clutching his ribs in pain as he did so before asking the only question currently in his drug addled mind  
"Where's Artemis?"

The sentry rested in a blown out third story window, the building they occupied was otherwise uninhabited, one of the buffer of vacant buildings around the edge of the Safe-Zone intended to give the occupants some time to prepare if an attack came. Stifling a yawn the adjusted the shoulder strap of the rifle on their lap before casting their eyes downwards to the half a dozen Atlesian Knights stationed below; the Safe-Zone had a considerable supply of the automatons since one of the Hunters prised the cranium of one of them apart and used it to send a homing signal to others in the area; some of the scouts had reported seeing lone Atlesian Knights patrolling buildings that were no longer standing and holding the line against Grimm to protect citizens that were no longer there. A sound reached the sentries ears and their eyes narrowed as they tried to make out its' source  
"You hear that?" the sentry in the next building across called out, the noise became more distinctly identifiable; an engine. Readying their rifle the sentry peered down the scope as the open topped Jeep came into view, driven by a hooded fox Faunus screaming challenges for all to hear  
"FOR THE WHITE FANG AND THE GLORY OF THE FAUNUS RACE! FOR NEW MENAGERIE! FOR-" the tirade was cut short as the Atlesian Knights opened fire, the Faunus' head jerked back and entire body jolted as bullets passed through him; the Jeep veered out of control before ploughing into a wall and the sentry leapt into action rushing through the building down to ground level and sprinting towards the smoking vehicle, weapon trained on the unmoving body of Corsac Albain  
"Oh yeah, he's dead" the sentry muttered to themselves, lowering their weapon and trying not vomit at the sight of brain matter before turning to the Atlesian Knights that were still approaching with weapons trained on the corpse  
"Target neutralised" then they heard the screeching, whipping around they saw the first of the seemingly endless swarm of Grimm and realised that the dead White Fang hadn't been screaming like a madman for no reason, he had used himself as bait  
"WE HAVE GRIMM INCOMING, SEND WORD BACK TO THE OTHERS!"

It was utter chaos. The safe-zone had devolved into a mass of terrified bodies screaming and pushing past each other in an attempt to get to safety  
"YOU, YOU AND YOU!" Gangrel roared pointing to a group of police officers "STOP FUCKING STANDING THEIR LOOKING LOST AND GET THESE PEOPLE ON THE TRUCKS, THEN GET THE TRUCKS MOVING!" the Grimm attack had fortunately hit from the opposite side as the route to the surface being used as a supply line; the officers snapped to attention and set about the task given to them, chain of command and any bigotry towards Faunus went out of the window when a Hunter took authority of a situation  
"Gang Velvet and I are going to be in the back of two of the pick ups, heavy artillery at the rear of the convoy when it gets moving. Neon is going to be with us, her Semblance can form a barrier" Coco panted out as she sprinted over to him  
"Good thinking, get on it. Where are the others?" she pointed towards a crowd of civilians piling into the trailers of semi trucks before making her way to help someone else. Gangrel ran over to the truck to find Weiss and Ringo trying to maintain some kind of order while Weiss held a clearly terrified Jade in her arms, a pale green light beginning to form around the child; Blake and Yang could be seen doing the same in the distance  
"Weiss" Gangrel got her attention "Take stardust and get Jade out of here"  
"I will not abandon"-  
"You're not abandoning anything" he lowered his voice "You know what she is, you know how important she is look at her Weiss" the ivory haired huntress's eyes widened as she saw the light emanating from the spring Maiden, Gangrel took the girl and hugged  
"Hey, Weiss is going to get you out of here okay. Just be brave for me, can you do that?"  
"B-b-but I want to stay with you Mister Gangrel!" he wiped the crying child's tears and kissed the spot at the top of her head where her Faunus antlers met her skull  
"I'll see you soon and it'll be at the surface, have you ever been to the surface before?"  
"N-no" she sniffled  
"Well you're going to see it tonight, Velvet, Coco and Neon are going to be behind you. I'm going to be behind them"  
"Promise?" Gangrel held his little finger out for her  
"Pinky promise and you know I can't break a pinky promise" Jade gave a watery laugh at that before Gangrel passed her back to Weiss  
"Stay at the front of the convoy, I love you Weiss" his head was pulled down as her hand reached around to the back of his neck and she pulled him into a desperate kiss  
"I love you too, just come back this time Gangrel"

Mercury tackled a Creep as it pounced at one of the defenders who refused to abandon the Safe-Zone, grappling with the beast on the ground before managing to drag a knife blade across its' throat; he hadn't had chance to reassemble his sniper rifle which he'd taken apart for cleaning when the attack started. Throwing the fading body to the side he was immediately set upon by another pair of creeps, one being dragged back mid pounce by a pair of blades on chains that could only have belonged to Emerald; the other screeching in agony as a blade piercing its' side  
"You sure you're a Hunter?" Fox smirked  
"People are a lot easier to kill than Grimm" the former mercenary grumbled  
"I'm gonna pretend I never heard that" the scarred fighter retorted before slashing through more oncoming Grimm; Mercury responded by pulling a grenade from one of his hidden pockets and hurling it at an infinipede that was rearing, preparing to launch lightning from its' antennae the explosion engulfing the Grimms' head from its' body  
"MERC GET DOWN!" Emeralds' voice screamed out, he turned in time to see another Grimm leaping towards him only to be caught from behind and thrown back as Gangrel teleported into the fray with an echoing crack before drawing Iorek and Breaker  
"IF YOU'RE NOT A TRAINED HUNTER THEN FALL BACK!" He barked out to the motley collection of police, former gang members and civilians unwilling to abandon their homes to the Grimm before turning to Mercury  
"Who's still here fighting?"  
"Me and Em, Fox, Yatsuhashi and Flynt" a plan quickly formulated itself in his mind  
"Everyone pull back!" he fired into Grimm and slashed through any of the monsters that neared him as he waited for the Hunters to reach him  
"What's the plan?" Flynt gasped out before aiming Duke Ellington over his shoulder, the concussive blast of the sonic weapon tearing a Grimm asunder, Gangrel checked to ensure that the resistance fighters had indeed fallen back  
"Merc, go find a car we can use to get the fuck out of here. Yatsu your Semblance and Flynt's weapon together should be able to form a makeshift shield, all we need to do is hold the line. Fox. Em you're with me" Mercury pulled his partner into a brief embrace  
"Stay safe, love you" Emerald planted a soft kiss on his lips and readied the artful dodgers and nodded to Gangrel  
"Let's go kill some Grimm" the former thief, scarred fighter and the Bear-Faunus sprinted forwards, blades at the ready into the remaining beats. Moments late a deep thrumming bass note could be felt in the diaphragms of the fighters. Sparing a glance over his shoulder while his sword was embedded in a bone white carapace he saw Flynt and Yatsuhashi at opposite ends of the defensive line they had formed, the concussive force of Yatsuhashi's Semblance meeting the shock wave produced by Flynt's sonic weapon creating an impassable barrier. Gangrel, Fox and Emerald fanned out continuing to carve their way through Grimm until Mercury became visible behind the distortion of the barrier waving his arms  
"He's saying he's got us a pick-up!" Flynt called  
"Okay time to go!" Gangrel shouted, Flynt and Yatsuhashi ceased their sonic barrage and the five of them sprinted towards the vehicle Mercury had procured. It seemed to happen in slow motion, a Deathstalker scurried forth from the periphery of the battle towards Yatsuhashi, the giant of a man made to reach over his shoulder to unsheathe Liequan but was struck in the upper arm by the glowing stinger of the Grimm. Gangrel triggered his Semblance appearing in front of Yatsuhashi, knocking him out of the path of the beasts' next attack; the Bear-Faunus dropped to the ground as the edge of a serrated claw ripped through his face  
"COVER YOUR EARS!" no sooner than Gangrel had made sense of that instruction did a sonic blast from Flynt cause the Deathstalker to seemingly implode  
"Fuck, fuck that hurt" Gangrel spat pulled himself to his feet clutching his face, blood leaking through his fingers  
"Gang, Yatsu's burning up!" Fox shouted, turning to the giant Gangrel saw that the Deathstalker venom had already begun to affect him, dark veins visible reaching from the point of impact and a layer of sweat coating his pale trembling body  
"Has anyone got any fire Dust?" Gangrel asked nervously "Because we might need it to cauterise-"  
"You're not cutting his fucking arm off!" Fox spat "Can't we try sucking the poison out?"  
"It's Deathstalker venom Fox! You'd just poison yourself before you made a difference"  
"Get him in the pick up!" Emerald yelled, look I know a little bit of first aid but I can't promise it'll work" Fox and Gangrel Acquiesced, Flynt helping them carry the larger Huntsman  
"Come on big guy" the blind fighter muttered panicking "You're not dying on us, we'll get you out of here"

"Mister Gangrel said he'd be here" Jade whimpered  
"He will be Jade, I promise" Weiss replied as she pulled the child closer trying to keep her warm in the cold of the Atlesian winter, the two of them were atop Stardust"  
"HEY! WHERE THE FUCK ARE THE ARMY! THEY'RE MEANT TO BE GETTING US OUT OF HERE!" someone shouted, the evacuees had exited the trucks and were milling about knowing that they would freeze before they reached safety on foot. Weiss watched as Coco glared down at the individual responsible from her position atop one of the trucks before leaping down and grabbing them by the scruff of the neck; Weiss instinctively covered Jade's ears before the tirade started  
"Listen up jackass. We contacted the military the moment we were near enough to the surface to do so, there is a literal war on but they are sending ships right now. So shut up, get back in the truck if it's too cold out here and calm down because so help me Oum if you scare any of the children here I will tie a knot in your spine" Weiss suppressed a snort at the fashionista's vitriol before looking down at Jade who had taken to looking up at the sky  
"Miss Weiss, what are those?" she pointed up, Weiss struggled to see what it was the girl was pointing at until realisation hit her with a wave of sadness  
"The stars? Have you never seen them before" Jade shook here head, as Weiss kept her eyes skyward, she saw something. Eyes widened and a relieved smile found it's way across her face  
"THEY'RE HERE!" she called out for everyone to hear, indicating at the approaching ships; a veritable fleet of civilian transports flanked by a pair of warships, one of which Weiss realised as they neared belonged to Winter  
"Are we going without Mister Gangrel?" Jade asked, eyes wide and fearful, at that moment the sound of an approaching engine made itself known  
"I think that's him now" Weiss smiled letting out a breath she hadn't realised she'd been holding, seconds later a battered looking pick-up truck came barrelling out of the mouth of the disused mine that had formed the entrance to the supply line before skidding to a halt  
"WE'VE GOT INCOMING! EVERYONE WITH A WEAPON COVER THAT ENTRANCE!" Gangrel snarled as he clambered out of the vehicle, Weiss leapt from Stardust carrying Jade as she rushed to him  
"Oh my Oum what happened?" she demanded as she took in the deep gash along his face that still oozed blood  
"Grimm" he said simply "Where the fuck are those ships, Yatsu needs a medic right fucking now"  
"What happened to Yatsu-Oh my Oum" Velvet's hands shot to her mouth as she saw her partner laying in the back of the pick-up, convulsing  
"Deathstalker venom" Gangrel spat "We couldn't cut circulation off enough without taking his arm and we've got nothing to cauterise it with" the sound of buzzing and clicking began to emanate from the entrance to the mine  
"And the infinipede is here too" the Bear-Faunus gave an annoyed sigh as he lurched forwards dizzily to deal with the threat. The Grimm burst forth, electricity arcing across it's armoured back as it reared up and prepared to attack. Before it could do so something struck it with enough force to tear its' body in two and send a visible shock-wave through the snow leaving a crater in the compacted white powder and steam as it evaporated; the half of the Grimm containing its' head attempted to scurry away but was halted by several shotgun blasts. A single figure strode through the steam, fading Grimm mist and snow, replacing a weapon over their shoulder, a dim green light emanating from their chest  
"Yeah that's what I thought, the Dragon got lucky" Gangrel's jaw dropped at those words. Rover Tan came into view a mischievous grin on his face  
"Hey, quick summary the White Fang got their asses kicked, Cinder ran away and everyone's meeting up on Winter's ship. Oh and I am absolutely starving"

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Even Winter is scared of the kind of power Cinder can throw around.  
Jade is a precious cinnamon roll, that is all.  
Corsac is still alive, this is why you double check you've killed the bad guy.  
Antonia 'Toni' Arc creator of the 'Arc Reactor' which is powering the Aura regulating implants in Rover's body; I swear if I have to explain that to anyone….  
Artemis is literally the first thing on Rover's mind when he wakes up after surgery.  
Corsac's plan was basically "Fuck it I'm dead either way, so I'm taking the humans with me".  
"Just come back this time Gangrel" because let's be honest, Gang and Weiss getting separated has a habit of ending badly for Gang.  
Yatsuhashi getting stung by a Deathstalker; to be one hundred percent honest I was originally going to have him die. There was originally going to be a Shadow-Stalker pack and he was going to get a bladed tail in the neck but a) I thought I was overusing the Shadow-Stalkers and b) I can't bring myself to kill the big guy off.  
Jade is from Lower Atlas, she's never seen the sky before.  
Rover made an entrance, like a boss.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	86. 86: Journey Home

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 86: Journey Home**

The medical bay of the Schleier Der Tranen was currently overcrowded, the sounds of bleeping and whirring equipment punctuating the several hushed conversations taking place. Qrow's eyes scanned the room slowly, in the furthest bed to the left and nearest to the door was Oscar; the boy seemed to be suffering from simple fatigue and Aura strain, the medical staff aboard Winter's vessel had given a rough estimate of how long they expected him to be unconscious. Qrow had shrugged them off, time was an uncertain thing around the Wizard after all. In the bed next to him lay Ruby, similarly drained; Raven had said very little about what she had seen, telling her brother simply that she would inform him after she had spoken with Taiyang. Yang Blake and Penny watched over the Young Huntress, her partner having stopped in before heading to her debriefing.  
"I can't believe she went toe to toe with Adam Taurus and Cinder" Yang murmured as she stroked her sisters' hair  
"She was incredible" Penny beamed from the opposite side of the bed where she held Ruby's hand gently. Qrow didn't want to intrude on the moment and turned to the next bed where Nora Valkyrie, the girl who referred to him exclusively as 'stranger danger' was situated; apparently her Semblance was the only thing that had stopped her from being utterly obliterated by the False Maiden and her body was still covered in burns that were rapidly healing due to her Aura, they had been aboard the ship for a few hours now and Ren had not left her side for even a moment  
"Is there anything I can get you?" he asked quietly as he adjusted one of the pillows the normally hyperactive girl was propping herself up on; Qrow watching them quietly gave a bitter-sweet smile as he was reminded of Summer  
"Renny I'm fine don't worry. I just want to get out of this bed" Nora groaned with a roll of her eyes  
"Are you sure you're okay?" at Ren's question she leaned over and gently stroked the scar running from his hairline down to his jawline  
"I've got you here don't I?" she grinned before pulling her partner down into a kiss, Qrow turned away from another private moment he didn't wish to intrude on to the next bed where Yatsuhashi Daichi lay unmoving, the rest of his team around him. Coco gave Velvet's hand a squeeze, the rabbit Faunus turned to face her, eyes red and puffy from crying over her wounded but stable partner  
"The doctors said he'll be fine" the fashionista said, her tone was gentle but had a firmness to it that almost dared reality to disagree with her  
"Well he'll wake up" Fox shrugged "Might be some nerve damage on that arm but it won't keep the big guy down. If I can fight blind he can fight one handed" Qrow turned his attention to the fifth and final occupied beds, whose occupant had just woken up with a fit of pained coughs and gasps for breath  
"Holy fu-" the exclamation was cut off by another coughing fit "What the fuck happened" Sun Wukong gasped out, bandages covering vast swathes of his body what skin remained visible was a mess of ugly bruises  
"You jumped in without thinking and you're lucky you're not dead" Taiyang informed his apprentice bluntly, the Faunus gave a series of muttered curses under his breath before gazing up at his teacher  
"Okay teach, how bad is it" the older blonde shook his head  
"You're pretty much done here. When they discharge you you're either going home to your family in Vaccuo or you can go back to Patch back to your girlfriend"  
"Come on I got-" Tai held up a hand to silence the Faunus  
"I'm not saying I won't train you ever again but I am putting my foot down and saying you're in no shape for it right now. All of your ribs were broken Sun, all of them. Collapsed right lung, broken right leg and ankle, cracked left shoulder blade, cracked skull, three broken bones in your tail, multiple lacerations where you went through the Bio-domes barrier and some internal bleeding. If it wasn't for your Aura she would have killed you and she didn't even have to put any effort in to do it" Sun flopped down onto the bed as the magnitude of his miscalculation sunk in  
"Shit" the single word summed up his current situation succinctly in his mind "Yeah okay. I'll head back to patch, see if Miltia's seen sense yet or if she still wants to keep a bum like me around" he chuckled weakly. Taiyang nodded  
"Get some rest kid" with that he turned and saw Qrow watching them and made his way over to his former team-mate  
"Where is she?" there was no need to specify who he meant, the greying man raised an eyebrow at the venom in his old friends' voice  
"I told her to wait outside, I thought it might turn into a shouting match and I don't want that to happen in front of Yang or Ruby"  
"Thank you" he took a deep breath, steeling himself for what was to come "Come and get me if she wakes up, I know she's going to be okay but I want to be there" Qrow silently nodded as Taiyang made his way to exit to the medical bay, the automated door sliding opening with a hiss and closing behind him as he stepped through. Stood a few feet away, masked and imposing as ever was Raven  
"So I see you've found another child to involve in this war. Apparently taking Yang with you wasn't enough"  
"Yang came with me of her own free will which you know perfectly well and I tried my best to keep Oscar away from the battlefield, but by all means Tai take your anger out on me if it helps" she rasped out  
"It doesn't" he laughed bitterly "It'd help if I had the full picture of what is going on"  
"I'll try and condense this and make it as simple as I can" Raven started "I trust you're familiar with the tale of the four Maidens?"  
"Everyone knows that story but-"  
"Ozpin was the previous incarnation of the Wizard" Raven said simply, cutting his interruption off "That boy Oscar is his successor we've been training him to harness his powers. Qrow and I alongside a handful of others were among the few Ozpin trusted with the truth; Cinder Fall is attempting to find and kill the Maidens to steal their powers, so far she has succeeded in taking the power of the Fall and Summer Maidens"  
"So where does Ruby come into this?" Taiyang asked  
"Ruby is one of the silver eyed warriors, just like Summer was. I don't know of anyone else with the gift, rest assured if I did I'd by having this conversation with their family instead. Cinder Fall is powerful but she is still only a pawn, her master is a being known as Salem who can control the creatures of Grimm, the way Cinder steals the powers is through a parasitic Grimm inserted into her body. I know all of this because Ozpin sent me on a mission to infiltrate a cult that worships Grimm, I was perhaps a little too successful and came to the attention of Salem herself-"  
"You have the Grimm implant" Taiyang realised "That's what happened to you….It's why you left"  
"Exactly" Raven's fists clenched "I wanted our daughter to grow up in a world without monsters and in the end I allowed myself to become one"  
"Ruby's powers?" Taiyang looked thoughtful "We both saw Summer dissolve Grimm by touching them, I mean we never really brought it up directly but….could those powers fix you?"  
"No" Raven shook her head "Ruby could kill the Grimm within me, which is what she almost did to Cinder during their confrontation in Vale but I would die as well"  
"I'm so sorry" Taiyang had no clue what to say, several moments of tense silence passed between them before Raven finally spoke again  
"Qrow tells me Adam Taurus was there. I let him leave the breach because I knew he was Cinders' accomplice and I thought I could find a way to use him to get to her. If I'd known everything he was going to do I would have taken his head then and there"  
"So where do we go from here?"  
"We do everything in our power to stop Salem" Raven answered simply "If you think things look bleak now you need to realise that the White Fang in their entirety are a single pawn in Salem's plans. If Cinder gains the powers of the other Maidens, her forces will become unstoppable" both of them turned to face the door as it opened with a hiss, revealing Qrow  
"They're awake, both of them"

Elsewhere on the Schleier Der Tranen Gangrel and Weiss made their way through an empty corridor; Jade clinging onto the towering Faunus and constantly shooting worried glances to the open gash beneath his left eye  
"Mister Gangrel does that hurt?" the reindeer finally asked  
"Yeah it does" he admitted bringing his free hand to the wound and touching it gingerly taking some small relief in the fact it had stopped bleeding  
"You should have gotten it stitched up" Weiss sighed  
"The doctors have enough to deal with, I'll get I looked at when we land or something" he turned to her and saw the worried look on her face and squeezed hand gently "I promise, it'll probably scar but it's not too serious I'd rather the doctors focus on Yatsu"  
"Okay" Weiss said simply, squeezing his hand in return as she relented. Knocking on the door of Winter's office and attached personal quarters aboard the ship  
"Come in" Winter's voice sounded as the door opened with a soft whooshing hiss, Gangrel gently set Jade down, the small girl instinctively hid behind his legs as they entered. Winter's attempt at professionalism lasted mere seconds before she rushed from behind her desk and pulled Weiss into a crushing hug  
"Thank Oum you're safe" she breathed out before turning to Gangrel "You need medical attention soldier"  
"It's a flesh wound not a priority" he grunted as he stepped to the side "This is Jade Rangifer" Winter crouched down to the child's level and held a hand out to her, tone softening as she spoke  
"Hello. I'm Winter Schnee, Weiss's sister there's someone I'd like you to meet" at her words Neo stepped out of a dark corner of the room wearing a bright smile  
"This is Neo" Winter continued "You're going to be staying at mine and Weiss's house for a while and Neo is going to be looking after you if they're away" Jade took in the sight of the new comer  
"But is she's a grown up then why is she so small?" she asked innocently, unable to understand why Gangrel had started laughing. Neo blinked several times, stunned by the sheer gall of the child, eyes changing colour with every blink which gained a sharp intake of breath from Jade  
"Wow, her eyes are so pretty" Neo rapidly withdrew her Scroll and began typing, showing the message to Winter  
 _'I want twelve of her XD'_ Winter suppressed a small grin at that before returning her attention to the child in question  
"Okay Jade, I need to talk to Weiss and Gangrel for a while, Neo will look after you until will land is that okay?" Jade looked up to Gangrel who gave her a reassuring smile  
"Okay she nodded" before allowing Neo to lead her out of the room  
"Are you sure it's safe to leave her with Neo?" Weiss asked, still not entirely trusting of the mute  
"Protecting Roman Torchwick was seemingly almost her entire reason for being before she came to us. I'm tapping into that same impulse and giving her someone else to protect" Weiss pursed her lips  
"Okay, I can see your reasoning I'm just concerned" Winter made her way back to her seat, rubbing her eyes with tiredness before continuing  
"So how bad was it?" Gangrel asked "The battle?" Winter screwed her eyes shut for a few moments  
"A lot of good people died, the Bio-domes were heavily damaged and there were fires burning inside them. Additional forces will be moved there and Victoria Arc elected to stay there and oversee things. Adam Taurus escaped but I have no doubt General Ironwood will use the route the White Fang created to leave Lower Atlas against them, hopefully the direct action will be enough to silence some of the calls for the implementation of….other options" her tone darkened at those last words and Gangrel wasn't sure if he wanted to know what she meant  
"The Fang are mainly holed up in Eisenstadt Siebte but have smaller bases scattered around the other cities with the exceptions of Eisenstadt Dritte and possibly Prime. There are Grimm in all of the cities; also I've got a feeling you won't find Adam in Lower Atlas, the defectors made it sound like he has another base of operations" Winter looked unnerved for a second before forcing her expression to remain neutral  
"Noted, I'll pass that information on to the general. You did well down there, the whole Black-Ops team did. You'll be returning to Schnee Manor as will Operative Polendina and her team, protecting the Spring Maiden will be your number one priority until further notice"  
"What about the others?" Weiss asked  
"The General has arranged temporary homes for the evacuees, several decommissioned military bases are going to be used as accommodations, Mistral has agreed to take in several thousand and Vale has offered sanctuary to anyone who wishes to help them rebuild their own kingdom"  
"And Vaccuo?" Weiss asked with a raised eyebrow  
"Gave the Vaccuan response" Winter growled "They stated that they've already taken mass refugees from Vale and would rather their Kingdoms' identity wasn't diluted by a massive influx of people who do not share their values. It seems the war remains unforgotten. Nevertheless we shall overcome, Mister Flynt has already volunteered to assist in anyway he can alongside his mother who will be the de facto head of one of the refugee settlements until Atlas Academy reopens. Neon Katt has left for the vessel her parents serve aboard"  
"What about Ringo?" Gangrel asked, he hadn't seen the Octopus Faunus since the escape from Lower Atlas  
"He and Obsidian Eadala will be attending a meeting with the General to discuss any input they might have with making the re-taking of Lower Atlas run as smoothly as possible. Ringo Umi has officially taken a position within The Coalition and will be helping with humanitarian aid"  
"It looks like we're getting somewhere" Weiss gave a hopeful smile  
"Retaking half of the Kingdom is going to take some time but the White Fangs' control of Lower Atlas will be brought to an end. You're both dismissed you look exhausted, Gangrel go get that wound stitched up"

Nora led Ren through the corridors of the ship by the hand having finally been dismissed from the medical bay, Gangrel making a joke about which one of them wore facial scars better to Ren as they crossed paths  
"Nora where are we going?" Ren asked, stifling a yawn as he did so; he would follow her to the end of remnant without question but the fact remained they were currently aboard a warship and going on one of her adventures was probably ill advised  
"Finding Jaune" she said simply "When that tank hit that psycho he told me it was Pyrrha, I'm worried about him" with that any concerns Ren had about entering parts of the ship they shouldn't were silenced; he would pull this entire vessel apart if he had to and to hell with the consequences. Making their way through the section of the ship that held the crews' quarters which was where the Hunters currently on the ship were being housed until they landed Ren came to a sudden stop, Nora turning to face him with a questioning look on her face. The scarred Hunter brought a finger to his lips while listening carefully, then he heard the sound again; someone crying in one of the nearby rooms. Finding the door to the room the sound was coming from Nora knocked  
"Jaune? Jaune it's us"  
"Hey" their leaders voice croaked, followed by the sound of sniffling "Come in" the door slid open at his words, Nora rushed in with Ren behind her to find Jaune sat on the floor in the corner of the room. Nora made her way across the room and sat down next to the blonde pulling him into a concerned hug at the sight of face, she knew well the face of someone trying to hide the fact they'd just been crying; having seen it on both Ren's and her own face enough times  
"Talk to us Jaune" Ren sighed gently as he sat down on Jaune's other side and wrapped an arm around his friends shoulders while the other snaked around Nora's waist as he discreetly triggered his Semblance, calming Jaune down enough to articulate  
"It was Pyrrha" a shudder passed through his body and fresh tears welled up in his eyes "That woman that we fought, she's one who killed Pyrrha but down there….It's like Pyrrha was still in there somewhere"  
"Jaune" Nora started "I know you miss, we all do but-"  
"I know what I saw" Jaune spat "She was wearing Pyrrha's circlet, when she tried to attack me it started collapsing and cutting into her face; then that tank hit her. I saw Pyrrha's Aura"  
"That's not possible" Ren breathed  
"I know what Pyrrha's Semblance looks like" he insisted "I trained with Pyrrha more than either of you, I'd recognise her anywhere….if she can steal the Maiden's powers, who's to say that Pyrrha isn't still there somewhere?"  
"Jaune, please don't anything-"  
"Ren don't tell me not to try and get her back if there's a chance to, You know I can't do it" both Ren and Nora tightened their grips around him  
"We know that" Nora whispered "And I would do literally anything to bring her back, but we couldn't do anything to that maniac and me and Ren have lost enough people, we can't lose you as well" Jaune fought in vain to stop himself from sobbing as he pulled his team closer, the three of them stayed like that until they were found asleep by a member of Winter's crew informing them that the ship had landed.

Adam staggered through the streets of Lower Atlas, clutching the wound in his stomach while occasionally turning to fire as Grimm that had followed the White Fang survivors made their presence known while he pushed himself forwards on muscles that burned in protest, for the first time in months his eye had stopped blazing crimson and the bloody glow had faded from his body as his Aura was reduced to a point where his Semblance was unusable  
"That was not supposed to happen" Noctis grunted clutching a stitch in his side, the scorpion Faunus' tail trembled with nerves  
"Humans can never be trusted" Adam growled "I brought Vale to its' knees for Cinder Fall and this is how she repays me….She'll suffer for this, I'll see to that" he punctuated his words by turning and gunning down a trio of Beowolves  
"Better you fighting her than me" Noctis managed to wheeze, Adam gave a small smirk  
"I'm going take a handful of the survivors back to our main base, I need you to take the rest and return to Eisenstadt Siebte. Atlas will capitalise on our failure today, send people to our other bases tell them it's time to evacuate; there will be a new Menagerie but we'll build it Vaccuo"  
"What about those in Vaccuo that betrayed us?" Adam gave a feral snarl  
"I'll kill them all myself" Noctis nodded and motioned to the fighters around them before turning to the Bull-Faunus  
"I hope to see you in Vaccuo commander"  
"We may have to abandon our bases here, but the White Fang shall rise again" as the two parted ways, neither of them noticed that they were being watched. The ripper was stalking them.

 **Authors Notes:**

So everyone survived, Oscar and Ruby pushed themselves to their limits, although notice how every time Ruby uses her silver eyes she seems to have it more under control.  
"I've got you here don't I?" I ship them so fucking hard, when she said that in episode ten, I swear someone just needs to give those kids a hug.  
Yatsuhashi isn't dead but he isn't in fighting condition either.  
Sun is out of the fight, he Flynt, Neon, Ringo and Obsidian have pretty much served their purposes within the story at this point.  
Tai and Raven's conversation was pretty much a chance to just sum up the situation so everyone is on the same page.  
Cinder is the Fall and Summer Maiden, Jade is the Spring Maiden, Oscar is the Wizard and we've actually met the Winter Maiden but you don't know it yet.  
Gangrel is going to have a pretty nasty scar on his face, because he hasn't had a brush with death for a while.  
Neo meeting Jade was always going to be interesting because that child has no filter, besides if you want something protecting then tell Neo to guard it.  
Let's be honest if Jaune realised that Pyrrha's soul was trapped in Cinder he'd break down crying.  
Vaccuo won't take refugees from Atlas, they were on opposite sides of the great war and Atlas's long history of institutionalised racism is not something that the more accepting Kingdom wants to import  
Nora is the glue that holds Team JNPR together.  
Ren's Semblance, seeing as we know what it is now.  
So the White Fang are planning to flee to Vaccuo because they know their days are numbered in Atlas.  
The ripper; that is all.

Thank you to Adox for their review on the last chapter.  
Yeah, Merc might actually make a new pair considering he left the sniper rifle he'd been using behind in Lower Atlas.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	87. 87: Wheels In Motion

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 87: Wheels in Motion**

Rover jogged around the grounds of Schnee Manor without the use of his Semblance, choosing to exercise his muscles rather than his Aura; breath misting in front of him as snow crunched underfoot. The one good thing he could take from everything that had happened was that he got to return to Atlas for the first time since he was a first year student; for someone who loved being in the snow the frozen Kingdom was heaven, or it would be if not for his implants causing him extreme discomfort  
"Mother fucking, hacksaw wielding mad scientist son of a…." the canine trailed off as he tried to pull his jacket tighter around him, the green glow of the Arc Reactor visible through his clothing. The reactor which powered the Aura regulators implanted into his body which in turn allowed to maintain a corporeal form once again seemed unable to retain body heat, the reactor especially. A thin lip of metal visible in the centre of his chest. The result was near constant chest pains and occasional stabbing sensations, to say nothing of the other issues he had encountered when Artemis had arrived at the manor  
"Morning Rover!" Ruby skidded into view, petals trailing behind her  
"It's afternoon" he snorted "You slept through three attempts to wake you up….also your dad went an interesting shade of pale when he saw you were sharing a bed with Penny"  
"I-what-Oh Oum damn it" she managed to sputter out as she pulled her hood over her face to hide her embarrassment "She got hurt in the battle, I just wanted to keep her close" she had indeed crept into Penny's room after reaching Schnee Manor and spent the night peppering the side of her head that Adam's attack had damaged with kisses until sleep had claimed her  
"Hey I get that" he shrugged "How are you after that anyway? I hear it was an utter shit show….And you were right in the middle of it, as usual"  
"Yeah I fought Cinder, the person who caused the breach….She's strong, insanely strong"  
"Well I hope you gave her one from me, I haven't got a home to go back to any more" the canine grumbled  
"Next time" Ruby set jaw "Next time she pays for all of it, but how are you? I see you're back on your feet" Rover shrugged  
"Faster than ever, but with some side-effects I'd rather not talk about" Ruby flashed him a cheeky smile  
"How fast?" a broad smile that mirrored her own found its way onto his face as he indicated towards the main gates  
"Come on, let's get off the grounds I'll show you"  
"Shouldn't we tell the others where we're going?" the younger Huntress asked as she followed him  
"Nah, it won't be a problem" he chuckled as he took a hold of Ruby's shoulder "Climb on, you won't be able to keep up" he was treated to an incredulous look from her before she relented and wrapped an arm around his shoulder, allowing him to lift her bridal style; the golden arcing electricity of his Semblance coursing over his body, contrasting with the green light of his Arc Reactor  
"Okay kid, now you get to learn what fast is" Ruby's retort died on her tongue as Rover surged forwards at incomprehensible speed, surroundings blurring until it seemed as if they were moving through an endless tunnel. Ruby didn't even feel as if she were moving, if anything she felt almost serene, contained in the timeless spaceless void that Rover's momentum seemed to create. Then he stopped, snow being hurled in all directions, steaming as it evaporated and lightning crackling from his body through the water vapour. He set Ruby down and she staggered forwards on shaking legs that struggled to support her  
"Whoa" she managed to breathe out eventually "Where are we?" Rover clutched at a stitch in his side before pointing to a building in the distance  
"Looks like an old settlement….weird though that's not an Atlesian flag" he nodded towards the tattered remains of a flag blowing in the wind, it was the wrong colour entirely. Looking around Ruby noticed something  
"I can't even see any of the mountains from here"  
"Yeah I think we're pretty far North, closer to the middle of Solitas, Atlas is mostly on the South and West coasts of the continent. Wanna head back?" Ruby nodded slinging an arm around Rover once again as he triggered his Semblance, within minutes they were back at the manor, Rover doubled over gasping for breath and drenched with sweat  
"Rover!" a deep gravelly voice called out, looking up he saw Gangrel making his way over to them, the slash running horizontally beneath his left eye beginning to heal with the help of Aura but it was evidently going to scar  
"Hey Gang, what's up?" the canine gasped out  
"Missy's looking for you, she looked a little worried" Ruby looked from Gangrel to Rover and realised that there were things that needed to be said in private  
"Hey, I'll see you guys later I'm gonna go say hello to that new kid properly" with that she made her way back towards the manor, Gangrel's eyes followed her before turning back to his team mate  
"So what's up? I mean it's good to see you're okay but something is clearly getting to you"  
"It's just the implants, they're bugging me a little" straightening up he saw the disbelieving look on his team leaders' face "Okay fine, fuck it….There's a side effect to the treatment that nobody realised"  
"Ah fuck" Gangrel growled  
"Basically the Aura regulator keeps my body physical….I'm not sure if I actually can phase through stuff any more; but it only applies to my body, so if anything leaves my body the regulator stops acting on it. Thing is I only realised this in the early hours of the morning when Artemis got here, it was our first night together since what happened to me and we tried to y'know…." he trailed off. Gangrel took a few seconds to process what his friend had just told him  
"So basically it's self cleaning now, in certain circles that'd be considered a party trick" the two stared at each other for a moment before simultaneously busting out laughing, Rover slapping a hand on Gangrel's shoulder  
"Sweet Oum I miss Squish….he'd have been proud of that one" he shook his head "It's just fucked up, we both wanted kids and it looks like that's probably not happening"  
"Have you spoke to Artemis about it?"  
"Nah not-" Rover was cut off as Gangrel cuffed him around the side of the head "Then get the fuck in there and do it"  
"I'm just scared man" he admitted "I don't want to lose her"  
"You fucking idiot" the Bear Faunus gave an exasperated sigh "Artemis loves you, you really think this is going to change that?" Rover looked at him guiltily for a second  
"Thanks man I needed to hear that" with that the two of them made their way towards the manor, Rover turning to Gangrel once more "To be honest I thought you'd have offered me that kid you brought from Atlas with you, Gangrel chuckled at that  
"You're joking right? Weiss would kill me….besides, I've gotten attached"

Obsidian Eadala sat in General Ironwood's office in Atlas Academy; tail coiled on his lap as Ringo Umi stood behind him, fidgeting nervously as iridescent blue lights flickered beneath his skin. Across from them the sat General, who looked as if he hadn't slept in days  
"To business then" Ironwood said gruffly "I must thank you both for your contributions thus far, the White Fang would be in control of Lower Atlas if not for The Coalition making the resistance possible; though Eadala I am concerned by the fact you were personally attending to certain matters" though not phrased as such the demand for an explanation was apparent  
"Come now general" Obsidian laughed while stroking his beard "You think I would send my people to perform a task I would hesitate to perform myself? You were a front line soldier were you not?"  
"Be that as it may, I have to ask what do you intend to do now?"  
"The same thing I always have" Obsidian rasped gently "Look out for the best interests of all Atlesians, Faunus and human alike; specifically I'll be entrusting Mister Umi here with gathering additional supplies and amenities to what the council and military can provide for those evacuees that choose to remain in Atlas, it is my understanding that a similar effort exists in Vale and I will be co-ordinating with a Mister Xiong to ensure that any of our citizens who head to Vale are well provided for" Ironwood gave an approving nod  
"There has been some insistence in the council in segregating the human and Faunus evacuees into separate settlements-"  
"Unacceptable" Obsidian interrupted "You and I both know that if that happens as soon as the state of emergency is lifted aid to the Faunus settlements would cease. It's racism disguised as a safety concern, human and Faunus resisted the White Fang together; proof if it were needed that we can coexist"  
"I agree" The general admitted with a sigh "I once questioned a young Faunus as to what it was his people thought it was that they were entitled to in this Kingdom, seeing the reaction to the White Fang attacks has opened my eyes; some of my fellow council members are every bit as savage as they claim your people to be. I will do everything in my power to see to it that their proposed apartheid doesn't happen"  
"I sense you are a good man General" Obsidian sighed "So I will be as straightforward as I possibly can, I want to work alongside you but I do not work for you and the assistance of the Coalition comes with certain requirements, those being that Faunus receive equal rights. Young Mister Schnee has shown the council the way in granting equal pay and privileges to all of his employees, I expect them to follow him and make it the law"  
"But first we have to retake Lower Atlas" General Ironwood reminded him "The words of the Schnee Dust Company mean little if the Dust mines are in enemy hands"  
"How do you plan to achieve this?" Obsidian asked brow furrowing  
"The route they created to launch their attack, we will be sending specialist strike teams into the hive cities for targeted attacks followed by heavy armour"  
"You realise that there are civilians still residing in those cities? I trust your soldiers will be restricting their use of force to actual enemies and not just any Faunus they encounter?" there was a warning in his tone, the implication that his support would vanish apparent  
"My soldiers will offering a chance for enemies to stand down; captured White Fang will be tried and shown to the world as the criminals they are; but surely you understand that my soldiers will be in enemy territory and will have to act accordingly"  
"I appreciate that" the snake Faunus nodded "I am however, still concerned at the use of heavy armour being deployed against an enemy who is using civilians as a shield"  
"Hence the sending in of specialists first" Ironwood countered, similar operations to the one undertaken by the Black-Ops team performed prior to the evacuation aimed to deprive these cowards of people to hide behind"  
"I am trusting in you General" Obsidian sighed as he rose to his feet holding out a hand for the human to shake "I like forward to bringing Atlas forward into a new age of prosperity together"

Watts entered Salem's great hall; bowing to the pale skinned abomination currently occupying the room as he did so  
"Watts, my faithful servant" a cruel smile tugged at her lips "What news from Atlas? I trust your exploits there are proving more fruitful than young Cinder's were" her tone became one of disappointment, that of a parent who had expected better as she spared a pitying glance to the corner of the room; following her gaze Watts saw Cinder, the formerly fierce warrior lay curled in the foetal position clutching her head while trembling and muttering incoherently about the 'screaming voices'  
"Indeed so" he smirked, having no sympathy whatsoever for the cultist "Cinders' intervention in the battle forced the White Fang to retreat without utterly destroying their target. The Atlesian Council will demand blood from this, I have it on very good authority that General Ironwood is already organising troops to send into Lower Atlas, following the evacuation of one of the larger resistance cells"  
"Evacuation?" Salem hissed "That would be contrary to our aims Watts or have you forgotten?"  
"I assure you mistress that there will be a more than adequate amount of terrified and desperate souls within Lower Atlas when the times comes; though if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion?" the entrepreneur trailed off  
"Speak freely"  
"I can set the wheels in motion at any time mistress, perhaps it would be better to do so now?"  
"Over eager Watts? Do you perhaps think I will fail to deliver on the promises I made to you?" Salem cooed  
"N-No Mistress" he stammered "I am merely suggesting that maybe now is the time, they are panicked and reactionary after the attack, the council demands blood. I have my own agents in place, the fatal blow can be delivered at your leisure"  
"I do not care for your Politics and power plays Watts" Salem sneered "I want Project Hexxus. I want to purify that which Merlot tainted"  
"And you shall have it"  
"Then by all means; set the wheels in motion"

"You really should have gotten that looked at" Weiss sighed as she looked at the wound marring and Gangrel's face before leaning over to kiss his cheek  
"Eww" Jade squealed from her position on the Faunus' lap while miming being sick, Gangrel ruffled her hair  
"Come on, read to the bottom of this page and we'll see if Klein has any cookies" at this the child merely grinned  
"Ruby already gave me some"  
"Of course she did" Weiss seethed. She and Gangrel had learned that Jade's reading ability was spotty at best and had been trying to teach her, a task that would not be made easier if any treats they tried to bribe her with were simply given to her by Weiss's almost equally childlike team-mate  
"Pretty sure Ruby, Yang and Oscar are trying to start a snowball fight on the grounds" Gangrel told Jade  
"I've never had a snowball fight before" she admitted "It doesn't snow inside Lower Atlas"  
"Well I'm sure they'll let you join in if you ask nicely" Weiss smiled, knowing that Ruby and Oscar were actually currently playing on Whitley's games console while he attended to some paperwork regarding the SDC but it would take little effort to convince them  
"REALLY?" the small reindeer Faunus gasped  
"Yeah" Gangrel chuckled "But first you've gotta finish off this page" with that Jade turned her attention to the book in her hands, brow furrowing and tongue poking out slightly in concentration  
"And he huffed and he puffed and lb-blew the house down….Mister Gangrel can Beowolves really blow a house down?"  
"Depends how big it is; but they don't talk so I've never asked one if they've done it" Weiss gave a soft laugh at the reply before the sound of the door opening alerted them to Velvet's presence, the Rabbit Faunus rubbing her severed right rabbit ear  
"Hey, it's cold out there….really makes the ear ache" she grumbled "I went to check on Yatsuhashi, he's still in the medical bay of the Schleier Der Tranen being pumped full of medication"  
"How is he?" Weiss asked  
"Well he's awake which is something, he can't feel his arm at all though. The doctors say he should get some feeling back over the next few days" Weiss was distracted by Jade tugging on her sleeve  
"You promised" Weiss couldn't keep a smile off of her face, taking the small child by the hand  
"Okay we're going for a snowball fight" Velvet chuckled at that before crouching down and whispering  
"Get Coco on your team she's the best"  
"Gangrel are you coming?" Weiss asked  
"I'll be out in a minute" Weiss reached and planting a soft kiss on his lips before leading Jade out of the room  
"Sorry about Yatsu" the Bear Faunus sighed "I fucked that up, him and Flynt were forming a barrier, I should have seen that Deathstalker get around the periphery"  
"I heard from Emerald" Velvet sighed sitting down next to him "Her and Merc are at the base Winter's ship is docked at. Em says she wants to stay active and keep helping, I think part of it is that she's scared of Ruby"  
"If she's as tough as her old man makes out to be then I'd be scared of Ruby; apparently she took Adam on one on one for a bit. My Dad and hers have been talking all day, they seem to get on although considering came back from Atlas with a kid I'm trying avoid a conversation with him" Velvet gave a low whistle of appreciation at that before smirking at the commet about Bjorn  
"So how's your team doing?" she asked  
"It's good to have 'em back" Gangrel grinned "Makes me realise just how much I miss Squish though. Rover's even faster apparently, he was showing off his speed and took Ruby out to an old Atlesian settlement halfway across the continent"  
"Mantle"  
"What?"  
"Mantle" Velvet repeated "If it's not one of the hive cities and it's disused it's probably actually Mantle….especially if it's halfway across Solitas"  
"Okay….I'm from Atlas"  
"Yeah but I had to sit through Oobleck's history syllabus twice" Velvet grinned "Eisenstadt Prime was the first hive city and it was based at the sight of the first Dust repository Nicholas Schnee found after his journey across the frozen wastes. Pretty sure if you ask Weiss she'll tell you that's why the manor was built here" Gangrel thought back to the history lessons he admittedly hadn't paid much attention to, more the ones he'd received from Sienna Khan as a child while in care  
"No, you're right. Mantle was built along the opposite side of the continent, there was a point where Mantle actually had settlements on both coasts but after the war most of…." he trailed off, eyes widening "Get the others, we need to contact Winter right now"  
"What?" Velvet asked, confused  
"I know where Adam's base is"

 **Authors Notes:**

On Vol.4 Ep11:  
Salem will 100% throw her generals under the bus, Tyrian is arguably the most loyal of them and she was going to let that Beowolf kill him.  
Yang's arm getting a paint job and Weiss leaving put a smile on my face.  
I'm pretty sure Blake will fail in her attempts to stop Adam, but the Albain twins may get curb stomped.  
Holy fuck that Grimm is ugly, also it's humanoid head reminds me of Zoom in Flash Season 2.

Now to summarise:  
Rover loves snow, he's a Husky Faunus. Imagine Puppies in the snow and you have Rover.  
Rover has widened the gap in speed between himself and Ruby, but possibly at the expense of his ability to phase through matter. When Rover was first introduced I compared him and Ruby to the Flash V Zoom, now it's closer to the Flash V Savitar (Which is actually what the description of his speed in this chapter was inspired by).  
Gang got his face disfigured.  
Rover can't have kids, a side effect of his treatment. Basically he has his physical body back but his 'bodily fluids' phase out again once they leave his body, hence the joke from Gangrel that was something Squish would have said (Because people remember their dead friends in this story).  
Ironwood and Obsidian's little business talk; effectively Obsidian is doing the jobs that the Atlas council won't prioritise and in return the original aims of the White Fang are being met. Also his contact in Vale is Junior; Fagin was meant to send aid to Atlas but he fucked everyone over and gave what he'd stockpiled to Junior to distribute around Vale, it's now finding it's way to the people it was intended for.  
Salem and Watt's plans are in motion.  
Also, Watt's inside man was someone I mentioned in Chapter 04 but we haven't seen yet. Because I am king of the long game.  
Jade continues to be precious.  
Gangrel knows where Adams' base is, that's bad news for someone.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	88. 88: Betrayals

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 88: Betrayals**

A White Fang sentry hiding in the wreckage of a car died before they had chance to react; the curved blade carving through their flesh with ease, a hand over their mouth silencing their final attempts to speak. Waiting until the sentry was utterly still the assailant repositioned their victims' body as it had been, peering down the sights of a rifle sweeping the open expanse of snow in the distance of which similar makeshift defences were visible; turning their eyes towards what the sentries were defending the Ripper smiled, she had finally caught him. Replacing her curved blade in the hastily fashioned sheath she wore over her tattered prison uniform that did little to protect against the cold she darted forwards, staying low to the ground as she neared using the howling of the wind and rapidly falling snow to mask her approach. Spotting a window on the ground floor covered with a single thin sheet of metal to replace glass that had been broken she charged, barrelling into the obstruction and tearing it free with ease as she landed inside the building. Casting her eyes around the gloom she unsheathed her scimitar once more and began stalking along the corridors she found herself in, paying no mind to the old bloodstains that the current occupants of the building had tried and failed to wash away  
"Did you hear that?" a panicked voice demanded from behind a door ahead of her "Sounded like something tried to get in"  
"It's the wind, it sounds like that all the time" another voice sighed in response, sounding thoroughly bored "You Vale kids haven't got a fucking clue, first time out in the real cold and you turn into nervous wrecks"  
"Fuck off man" the first voice snapped "Shit's been going south for us enough lately I don't wanna take chances"  
"Then go check on it and get a fresh pair of pants while you're gone, you've clearly pissed the ones your wearing" the second voice laughed. The Ripper slunk into a darkened corner behind a door moments before it opened and a gangly figure appeared, a Kangaroo Faunus clad in all black save for the white sleeveless jacket and gunmetal mask identifying him as a member of the White Fang and clutching a machine gun close to his chest that could be heard rattling as the grunt trembled with a combination of nerves and cold; the floor creaked as the Ripper stepped forwards causing her latest victim to turn around just enough time to stare death in the face before skull was cleaved. Clutching the body and lowering it to the ground silently she stripped the jacket from the corpse and slipped it on before heading further into the corridor  
"Halt! Who goes there!" the voice of the second grunt demanded, an unremarkable monkey Faunus whose stern expression quickly softened  
"Sorry" he chuckled "I've always wanted to say that, haven't seen you around before though"  
"I was stationed at one of the smaller camps, we got the order to pull back….left my mask there and everything" the grunt laughed at her explanation before nodding towards the door she had stepped through  
"You didn't see pockets back there by any chance? Scrawny kid, Vale accent"  
"The nervous wreck?" the Ripper smiled "One of the covers on the windows came loose, I sent him to get something to hold it down with or it'll be flapping all night"  
"He actually thought someone was trying to-" the grunt trailed off and the Ripper saw that he was gazing at her collar, looking down she saw what had caught his attention, a bloodstain that was still wet  
"WE HAVE AN INTRUDER IN THE-" his panicked scream into the walkie-talkie that had appeared in his hand was cut off by the curved blade the Ripper carried finding its' way into his stomach. She took the device with her as she sprinted through the building, listening in to the various voices  
"That was from A block!"  
"Oh shit some of our people outside aren't answering!"  
"Everyone get to the courtyard! If they're in A Block they've got to come through there"  
"Cancel that order" a deep yet silky voice countered, the voice of the person she sought "I'll head into the courtyard; the rest of you pull back and watch the perimeter, watch the sky for ships. I doubt they came alone" A smile found it's way to her lips as she charged through the building, finally finding the exit and ploughing through it and into the courtyard situated between the four buildings, the furthest of which bore obvious battle scars, vast chunks of its' upper floors blown away. She sensed movement from the building to her left and leapt to the side as a wave of crimson tore through where she had been standing; leaping back to her feet she readied her blade and locked eyes with her adversary  
"Hello Adam" with those words the Bull-Faunus' eyes widened, the crimson Aura enveloping him faded and his sword lowered. The woman standing in front of him was a six foot four mass of coiled muscle with cinnamon coloured skin and close cut black hair that had been worn in afro the last time he had seen her, striped tail swishing angrily behind her. Adam's mouth was dry as he struggled to understand, croaking out a single word  
"Sienna?"

Winter surveyed the Hunters gathered in front of her in the otherwise empty hangar of the Schleier Der Tranen; the entirety of Team RWBY stood to attention, Blake and Yang holding hands' seemingly drawing strength from each other. Coco Velvet and Fox stood alongside them, Yatsuhashi unable to join them in his current condition; the surviving members of Team GRAP behind them checking their weapon, Artemis applying lipstick before kissing Rover's mask in what Winter assumed was a pre-battle ritual between the pair. Clearing her throat she addressed them  
"Your target is the remains of _'Helden Ersten Schritt'_ an old Mantle facility that was used to train the predecessors of the Hunter Corps and a sight of historical significance which Agent Slate believes is being used as Adam Taurus's base of operations" Gangrel nodded stepping forward  
"We know that Adam has a base outside of any of the Hive Cities. Helden was the site of one Mantles' first major losses in the great war after Menagerie seized control of all of the Mantle Dust mines on their soil and allied themselves with Vale and Vaccuo. The force that attacked Helden and effectively crippled Mantle's ability to produce more Aura using fighters was mainly made up by fighters from Menagerie and Vaccuo, it's cited as one of the reasons Mantle was so extreme in their retaliations against the Faunus homeland"  
"Adam set up there because it's significant to him" Velvet realised  
"Exactly" Gangrel nodded "In Vale he built his base of operations in Mountain Glenn because it reminded him of home. Now he's back in Atlas I'm willing to bet that he's working out of the site of a battle where Faunus were the ones to fight against a racist and totalitarian regime"  
"He always did like to be over dramatic" Blake muttered  
"Helden Ersten Schritt is made of four buildings forming a courtyard between them" Winter continued "C Block was heavily damaged during the war. The exact condition of the buildings is unknown. We expect makeshift perimeter defences although we cannot rule out any stolen or recovered artillery; as such the ten of you will be deployed from the air and the Bull-Heads will break off until you require extraction"  
"So it's simple then, get in kill Adam and get out?" Coco growled  
"Negative. We're taking Taurus alive if possible"  
"WHAT!"  
"We have to" Blake explained "If we can capture him we can try him publicly and show him to anyone who might support him as the monster he is. If he dies in battle his generals will hold him up as a martyr to the cause"  
"Precisely" Winter nodded "Between the Atlesian military moving in on the White Fang, the Coalition pushing for Faunus equality peacefully with the co-operation of the SDC and treating the leader of the White Fang like any common criminal we should be able to utterly break our enemy and cripple their ability to recruit"  
"Fine" Coco growled "I'd rather see him dead so he can't hurt anyone else but-"  
"So would the rest of us!" Weiss snapped "Look around Coco! He killed my father, tortured Ruby, maimed Yang and Velvet and murdered childhood friends' of Blake and Gangrel's! We all want to see the end of Adam Taurus but this is greater than us!" Ruby placed a hand on her partners' shoulder at the same time as Gangrel gave her hand a reassuring squeeze. The younger girl gave her a determined look that Weiss would never have imagined possible from her the first time the pair had met  
"We'll get him Weiss, we'll end this"  
"Yeah!" Yang exclaimed "I'm Adam-ant we're putting an end to his terra-bull organisation" there was a collective groan that Winter tried and failed to to stop herself taking part in for professionalisms sake  
"Okay, two of the Bull-Heads already have pilots on board. Load up everyone and come home safe"  
Sienna Khan stalked across the courtyard towards the monster that had once been a child she had raised swinging her blade at his face; he blocked the attack almost instinctively, disbelieving eyes still fixed on her as he was forced back  
"WHY ADAM!" she roared unleashing a barrage of attacks which her former ward and student struggled to deflect "EVERYTHING WE STOOD FOR HAS BEEN POISONED BECAUSE OF YOU!" furiously she reached out and grabbed the scruff of his neck and hurled him into the centre of the courtyard where he collapsed, dropping Wilt in the process  
"Everything I've done, I did for the good of Faunus"  
"YOU MURDERED YOUR OWN BROTHER!" she screamed as she advanced on him once more, voice lowering as she continued "Yes I know about Felix and I know about Tukson; your soldiers talk about you Adam, they're terrified of you. When your parents died I did everything I could to give you a home and a family at my orphanage, you were loved. This is how you repay me! You become a dictator who would kill his own people!" she punctuated her tirade with a kick to to ribs that sent him rolling, he pulled himself to his feet  
"Felix betrayed us!"  
"YOU BETRAYED US!" tears filled Sienna's eyes as she swung her sword at him once more, only to be halted as Adam grabbed the blade in his cybernetic hand, sparks flying as metal screeched against metal  
"You were the one who taught us to fight back Sienna" the Bull-Faunus snarled "I've fought and I've won!"  
"What have you won Adam? Nothing but the disgust of all of Remnant, I taught all of you to defend yourselves! Not this, never this" she released her grip on the sword and rushed forwards tackling him to the ground before unleashing a devastating onslaught of blows to his face that left his cybernetic eye sparking and flickering until he managed to throw her off of him  
"Staying on the defensive was pointless, we had to start hitting first" he panted as they both rose to their feet "I don't want to fight you Sienna but I can't let you stand in the way of the future of our people"  
"The future of our people is peace" the Tiger Faunus spat "Even your own followers know it, that's why they're deserting you in droves to join Obsidian and his Coalition"  
"They're cowards willing to take scraps from our oppressors table!" Adam snarled  
"And you would rather burn down the house that sit at that table you fool!" Sienna punctuated her words by rushing forwards and delivering a heel kick to his ribs that sent him to the ground again, she picked Wilt from the ground where Adam had dropped as she bore down on him, voice cracking as she prepared to end it  
"I take no pleasure in this Adam. You were such a good child, you were always eager to help people and stand up to bullies….So much potential and this is what became of you. Goodbye Adam"  
 _Bang  
_ A single gunshot rang out and Wilt clattered to the ground once more; Adam's heart seemed to stop in his chest as Sienna staggered forwards before dropping to her knees, a stain darkening her clothes as it expanded out from the hole in her chest  
"No" Adam's voice was a terrified whisper as he rushed towards her "No, no, no" his eyes fixed on the shooter; a grunt holding a high calibre rifle positioned in the shelled out remains of C Block. His Aura flared into life as he grabbed Wilt and sent his Aura surging forth  
"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE!" his words came out as a pained scream; casting the blade aside he dropped to the ground beside the Tiger Faunus whose blood was beginning to stain the snow and tried in vain to apply pressure to the wound  
"It's okay, it's okay you're going to be okay"  
"Let it end Adam" Sienna managed to croak out "Let me be the last, for everyone's sake"  
"You're not dying here! You can't!" Adam insisted, tears falling from his remaining eye, Sienna reached up and wiped her former charges' eye  
"You were such a good boy" with those words her hand fell and the fire in her eyes dimmed. Adam paid no mind to the sound of gunfire starting up as he wept.

"We're taking fire!" the co-pilot called back as the pilot forced the Bull-Head to veer off, Gangrel gave an irritated growl  
"Coco what's your situation?"  
"We're being fired on, doesn't look like we're going to be able to deploy in the courtyard" the reply came, punctuated by crackling static  
"Tell your pilot to break off" the Faunus ordered "We're going to hit A block and the perimeter, drop behind them and take out B, C and D blocks. Teams of two"  
"Understood….and you take care of her for me Gang!" he rolled his eyes  
"She can take care of herself" with that the comm went dead and he turned his attention to the three people he shared the rear compartment of the craft with, Rover Artemis and Velvet  
"Rover you know the drill"  
"Drop down and sweep up their sentries. Got it" the canine unfastened his harness  
"Artemis you're with Rover, use your Semblance to get a fix on their defences"  
"No problem, stay safe" she breathed out as she lowered her goggles over her face and unslung Hakai Suru, shifting the weapon to its' rifle form  
"Pilot bring us back around!"  
"Understood" the Bull-Head turned in the air doubling back on the target, it's wing mounted weapons answering the gunfire from the windows of the former training facility, the rear opened and Rover gave some final words before he and his fiancé leapt from the craft  
"It's good to be back in the field" Gangrel shook his head and sighed ad he unfastened his harness seeing Velvet doing the same  
"Okay, show time Thumper!" the pair jumped, Gangrel grabbing Velvet and activating his Semblance, the pair of them reappearing on the ground with an echoing and crack and wisps of thick black smoke trailing from them  
"GO!" he barked as he sprinted towards the building designated A Block, letting loose with Breaker, the Gravity Dust rounds he had loaded the weapon with punching through the walls of the upper floors of the building, from which the White Fang were returning fire  
"Gangrel get down!" Velvet screamed as something flew from one of the windows, arcing down towards him. Triggering his Semblance he reappeared several feet away from the grenades' blast  
"Get through one of the ground floor windows, I'll cover you!" the Rabbit-Faunus shouted as she withdrew a fist sized Fire Dust crystal; crushing the crystal in her palm and activating Leporidae Rampant she fused the Dust with the hard light construct her weapon produced; the replica of Satani Arbor shifted from glowing translucent blue to an angry red before spewing a maelstrom on incendiary rounds. Gangrel barrelled forwards, the impacts of Velvets' weapon lighting the night around him as he barged shoulder first through one of the windows  
"VELVET GET IN HERE!" moments later she leapt through the window  
"Sweet fucking Oum" she breathed out, hands shaking "Sweet Oum I just-"  
"You can't think about it now!" the Bear-Faunus cut her off "We've got a job to do" Velvet took several deep breaths  
"Okay, okay I'm good" the pair of them moved through the corridors, expecting at any moment to hear the sound of enemies rushing toward them, the sounds of gunfire sounding from other parts of the base confirming that the fight was not over  
"Someone else has been here" Velvet gasped indicating to a body on the ground laying in a pool of blood  
"Coco are your team on the ground?" Gangrel murmured into his comm  
"Just touched down, they've got rockets in C Block, I'm trying to take them out!" Coco bellowed over the report of her mini-gun  
"There are dead Fang here, we might have company so keep your eyes open"  
"Shit, understood" Gangrel muted the comm as he and Velvet stalked through the corridor, finding another body on the ground  
"I hear something" Velvet whispered as they reached the end of a corridor, before Gangrel had chance to reply the sound of footsteps several floors above reached his ears and a grenade bounced down the stairwell, Gangrel leapt forwards' grabbing the explosive  
"GANG WHAT ARE YOU DOING!" Velvet screamed as the Bear Faunus teleported, reappearing in mid air hurling the grenade back at the White Fang grunt that had thrown it, vanishing once again a split second before it detonated collapsing the stairwell, flinging dust and rubble at the Hunters  
"You're insane" Velvet gasped "Totally bat shit crazy, you know that right?"  
"It's been mentioned" he smirked as he made his way towards the debris, hauling several chunks of what had been the stairs and floor out of the way he pulled the heavily bleeding White Fang grunt free  
"Where's Adam?" the grunt struggled to speak, blood trickling from their nose mouth and ears  
"Courtyard" Gangrel set the grunt down  
"Put some pressure on that gut wound and stay here, Atlas are taking prisoners today" with that he turned to Velvet who silently nodded. The pair of them ran through the hallways of the building finally finding the exit to the courtyard; rushing out into the freezing air they froze when they saw Adam before them, back towards them and cradling a body while sobbing uncontrollably  
"It can't be" Velvet turned to Gangrel who had paled and was shaking with rage  
"Change of plans, We're not taking him alive!" he vanished with an echoing crack, appearing in front of the Bull-Faunus and delivering a vicious kick to the face and throwing his weapons aside as he launched himself at him, pinning his old friend to the ground and wrapping his hands around his throat. Adam struggled beneath him, finally getting his left arm free only for Gangrel to let loose a berserk roar and grab the prosthetic and pour his Aura into his hand, the limb crumpled and was torn away; the hand, mechanism for the integrated machine gun and several inches of forearm were thrown to the side  
"GANGREL STOP!" Blakes' voice screamed out, Velvet dragged her eyes away from the Bear-Faunus and saw that Team RWBY, Coco and Fox had made their way out of the other buildings; the younger Faunus rushed over and tried to separate the pair while Weiss raised a glyph between them before rushing to over to Gangrel and wrapping her arms around him to prevent him attacking again  
"He answers for all of it, but not like this" Blake nodded silently as she levelled Yangs' gauntlet at his head as Ruby sped behind him clutching an Aura dampening collar  
"You're coming with us Adam" her voice cracked when she spoke and the first tears fell from her eyes. Adam made no attempt to reply. Weiss sent up a Fire Dust flare and opened her comm  
"Winter, we need extraction. Several injured White Fang….we have Adam Taurus"

The Atlesian Council contrary to popular belief outside of the Kingdom was not held in one of the many grandiose buildings that sat atop the mountains, nor was it held in a secret basement under Atlas Academy guarded by experimental robots and Huntsmen believed by the public to have died as was the popular theory within the Kingdom. The Atlesian Council hid in plain sight, each meeting being held aboard a different military vessel, the council members arriving via Bull-Head undistinguishable from any other craft of their kind, the only person outside of the council who knew of the meeting would be the commander of the ship in question. It was for such a meeting that General Ironwood was currently aboard the Reinheit, a vessel under the command of veteran Hunter Cadmus Ferrus, listening to a cacophony of objections before finally slamming his mechanical fist down against the surface of the round table, silencing them  
"Enough!" a fixed each of them with a steely gaze, several among them were individuals whose titles had been passed down to them through generations and had never spent a day in the reality of the Kingdom which they presumed to rule  
"The decision has been made. Our forces will re-take Lower Atlas but we will not stoop to barbarism"  
"Barbarism?" one of the men scoffed "Hardly. The Faunus have made their position perfectly clear, it baffles me that you still refuse to solve the problem via the most effective means"  
"Your idea has merit" another countered "But you forget that many of our Dust mines would be caught in the blast if we were to follow your propositions, the young Schnee heir may be having a foolhardy liberal phase in his youth but that's no reason for the rest of us to suffer. The Faunus problem requires some finesse"  
"The White Fang do not speak for all Faunus" the General spat "To insist that is the case does nothing but legitimise our enemies, if the White Fang speak for all Faunus then they are a government and not simply terrorists have taken to using their own people as hostages and shields. They will be defeated, they will be captured and they will be tried….many of them will face execution for their crimes but I cannot and will not allow unrestrained force against our own people" before the futile debate could go on further the door to the conference room in which the Council meeting was being held slid open revealing a panting and sweating young ensign  
"What is the meaning of this?" Ironwoods demanded, the soldier snapped to attention and saluted  
"Sir we just received word of treason within our ranks sir!" the General paused  
"You're positive?" the soldier stepped into the room, seemingly oblivious to the other council members  
"Sir we have undeniable proof sir" his eyes took on a manic expression "There's a Faunus lover in our ranks, prepared to cut deals with animals and throw our peoples' safety away and it cannot be allowed to stand! FOR ATLAS!" General Ironwood had only moments to register a small tattoo on the inside of the soldiers' wrist identifying him as a member of the human supremacist group Sapient Prime before his thumb lifted from the depressed trigger of a detonator in his hand. Then everything exploded into flames.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, let's summarise:  
A Kangaroo Faunus with the nickname Pockets, I like to imagine their Faunus trait was a pouch.  
'The Ripper' that was plaguing the White Fang was Sienna Khan. Remember she got broke out of the Chasm at the same time as Obsidian. I got tired of waiting for her to show up in canon, so I may come back to this chapter and update her description if she turns up in the finale.  
 _Helden Ersten Schritt_ Heroes First Step; I know that the Hunter academies weren't founded until after the war but I refuse to believe that Mantle didn't have somewhere to train people to fight the Grimm before then.  
Also yes the great war went a little differently in this to canon, because Menagerie is the original Faunus homeland in this (And will come into play later on).  
Adam refusing to fight Sienna, because she was the one whose orphanage he grew up in, she's the closest thing to a mother he had….and then some nameless grunt shot her in the back.  
Velvet getting slowly more comfortable with killing, I still don't think she'd be able to do it in close combat though, also that's how her weapon uses Dust. She can fit Fire/Ice/Gravity Dust into it and whatever weapons she's copying will have incendiary/ice/armour piercing rounds.  
Never throw a Grenade at a teleporter, it doesn't end well.  
The Atlesian Council 147% Dick.  
I also like the idea of them meeting in secret like that, it suits the vibe Atlas has. Robot soldiers in the poorer parts of the Kingdom, Hive cities, advanced military….all that fun stuff.  
Cadmus Ferrus; I've used that name before. As I said, I am the king of the Long Game.  
Bet you weren't expecting that ending

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	89. 89: Schemes

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 89: Schemes**

The burning wreckage of the Atlesian warship lay on its' side, an enormous trench cut into years worth of accumulated snow trailing behind it indicating were it had crashed. If someone were to stumble upon the ruined craft they would hear, above the sound of crackling flames, sustained gunfire  
"Commander Grau" General Ironwood barked "You have command of my retinue, get these survivors off of this ship. That is a priority one order!" the grizzled veteran snapped to attention  
"Sir yes sir!" he then turned to face the soldiers directly under the Generals' command who were currently surrounding the members of the council that had survived the suicide bombing  
"All right you apes, we've got our orders!"  
"General what about yourself? Surely you cannot mean to remain here?" one of the council demanded incredulously taking in Ironwoods' current condition  
"These treachery must be dealt with and the bridge must be taken" the informed the council member bluntly before setting off down a corridor that was slanted at an unnatural angle due to the position of the ship. His formerly pristine white uniform was ragged and covered in ash and bloodstains, his flesh had been torn in countless places revealing the cybernetics that made up most of his right side. His vision swam and his mechanical leg sparked and shuddered in protest as he pushed onwards but he would not be deterred. Stalking towards the bridge with heavy footsteps echoing he heard the sound of a pitched battle up ahead, running as fast as his injured body would allow he was almost at the bridge when he saw it, a group of Atlesian Soldiers who had painted parts of their armour black, traitors, gunning down loyalist soldiers with impunity. One round through the armoured head of a traitor was the sign that the tide of the battle was a bout to turn as Ironwood joined the fight  
"Sir they've taken the bridge!" one of the loyalists informed him  
"Then we'll just have to take it back, Charge!" With that said he strode forwards, the continuous report of his weapon punctuated by pained screams as men died, sparks flew from his cybernetics as rounds impacted against them. One of the traitors had Dust based ammunition, Ironwood staggered back and slumped against the wall, vision swimming as he was hit  
"Push onwards!" he ordered, words slurring as he examined his prosthetic arm which was a smoking wreck from the elbow down, the sounds of gunfire continued as a loyalist solider placed himself between the General and the enemy soldiers, Ironwoods' eyes widened as bloodstains blossomed on the young mans back and his body jerked  
"What are you doing soldier?" he demanded  
"Sir covering you sir" the soldier replied between disturbingly wet hacking coughs, the gunfire seemed to be dying down "We'll have the bridge in less than a minute, let me help you" the soldier rose to his feet, swaying and using the wall to support himself  
"Negative soldier" Ironwood managed to stand "Give me your side arm" taking the proffered pistol in his remaining hand and indicating for the heavily bleeding soldier to lean on him for support; staggering forwards he made it to the bridge to find bodies littering the floor and sparking terminals, the surviving loyalists had their weapons trained on four surviving traitors who were knelt on the ground with their hands behind their heads  
"Someone attend to this soldier" the General demanded, releasing the man leaning heavily against him as someone acted on his orders  
"Divert all remaining power to communications"  
"Sir yes sir!" what little lighting remained functional on the ship flickered and failed as a the comm system crackled into life  
"This is General Ironwood contacting all ships" static distorted his words "Medical evac required at this location….All ships stationed at our borders are to fire on anyone attempting to enter or leave Atlas, effective immediately"  
"You think the people of Atlas will continue to stand for this?" one of the captured traitors cackled as Ironwood ended the transmission. The General turned to face the prisoners, pistol still in his hand  
"What is the meaning of this treason?"  
"Treason?" the prisoner feigned confusion before laughing "The Absolution are the last patriots left in Atlas. The Kingdom belongs to humans and the Faunus threat must be removed not coddled and bargained with like you and the other cowards on the council insist on!" Ironwoods' face remained impassive  
"You have been found guilty of treason against the Kingdom of Atlas, by the power vested in me by the Council of Atlas I hear by sentence you to death" four shots rang out.

Orchid Hemlock waited on the balcony of Fagin Greys' penthouse suite, rabbit ears low over her face to keep the sun from her eyes; she wiped her brow once again, the uncomfortable humidity being a sign that the Vaccuan wet season would soon be upon them. Releasing a breath she hadn't realised she was holding as the Scroll in her hands began to vibrate she saw that it was a video call and promptly answered. The caller was revealed to be a dark skinned Scorpion Faunus with dreadlocks, whose tail was visible behind them, quivering over their shoulder  
"Noctis" she greeted him with a warm smile "Good to see you made it out"  
"Not all of us did" he answered with a sigh as he removed his mask from the lower half of his face "The Albain twins are dead, Teddy said he'd stay behind and try and keep as many of our people that couldn't get out safe as possible; destroy any kind of evidence Atlas can use to track down out members. It's just me and Panama" Orchid nodded slowly in understanding. She had only met Corsac and Fennec a handful of times before the separating of Upper and Lower Atlas and the fanatical twins disturbed her; Teddy Russet was more of a loss, Orchid highly doubted he would survive his attempts to hide other members of the White Fang  
"Where's Adam?" she asked, trying to keep an authoritative tone to her words  
"He went topside" Noctis explained, stinger twitching nervously as he spoke "We had a base in an Old Mantle settlement. He told me to take the Mule, Roman Torchwicks' old freighter and head your way. I honestly don't know where he is" those words washed over Orchid like freezing water; the White Fang relied on the strength they perceived in their leader, with someone as powerful and charismatic as Adam Taurus at the head it was only a matter of time before things began to fall apart  
"I see" she managed to after a few moments of silence  
"He'll catch up" Noctis shrugged "It's Adam; they guys' a tank. What about things on your end is that backstabbing son of a bitch still in charge?" the scorpion Faunus' blind faith in Adam provided proof that Orchids' concerns were warranted, a cruel smile crossed her face however at the question  
"I'm working on that" she sneered "Fagin's most loyal followers are being dealt with, Vaccuo will be in our hands by the time you arrive"  
"It's going to take a few weeks for us to get here by sea. I'm gonna have to go, Panama is steering the ship, I'm back here keeping an eye out for any Grimm in the water"  
"Okay, stay safe Noctis" Orchid sighed as she ended the call before rising to her feet and forcing her expression to neutrality as she slid open the door between the balcony and the apartment, seeing Fagin poring over a mountain of paperwork written in codes that nobody outside of the organisation would be able to decipher  
"Going well?" she asked as she leaned over him, arms wrapping around his shoulders  
"I wish" the rat Faunus sighed "What were you doing out there?" Orchid was glad that her face was hidden from his view  
"Some Faunus in Mistral are looking for somewhere to run to; by the sounds of it they've got some weapons and equipment to bring with them"  
"Well that's something at least" Fagin grumbled "It's an absolute shit show out there, we could use some more warm bodies to throw at the other crews"  
"More hits?" Orchid asked, feigning surprise and disgust despite being the one to orchestrate the attacks  
"The chop shop we were running near the city centre got bombed; not fire bombed, actual bombs. A trap house on the other side of town got cleaned out, fuckers killed everyone there….We were winning Orchid, what the fuck went wrong?"  
"They're working together" she answered softly "They've got organised, it's everyone against us now. Leave it with me, I'll rally the troops"  
"Oum knows what I'd do without you" he leaned up and planted a kiss on her jaw before she left, her expression darkening as she made her way out of Fagin's apartment. Reaching for her Scroll and dialling she had only moments to wait before it was answered  
"Hazel" she said simply, voice lowering  
"Little rabbit" he chortled "I take it your employer has seen some of last nights' events?"  
"He has. I know I should probably question your methods but honestly I don't care, you get results and we need more of them"  
"Oh?" the deep voice on the other end of the call sounded curious  
"We have White Fang evacuees coming from New Menagerie….Lower Atlas, we need the Vaccuan Faunus Mafia back under White Fang control by the time they get here or Fagin will have them all killed and probably me as well"  
"So you're finally going to let me handle Fagin then" he rumbled, Orchid sighed  
"It's for the best"

Winter stared open mouthed in abject horror at the sight before her in the hospital bed. General Ironwood, the man who had overseen her training since her first year at Atlas Academy laying unmoving, his flesh a collection of mottled bruises and sutures. It was as if a stature had started to cry, it was against the natural order of things  
"Operative Schnee" he croaked out "Winter"  
"Sir"  
"It looks worse than it is" a soft chuckle escaped his lips, Winters' eyes focused on the twisted and blackened metal where his arm had once been  
"With all due respect sir I doubt that, your arm-"  
"I lost my arm years ago Winter, that's a prosthetic; it can be replaced, as can the leg" she took a deep breath and forced herself to regain her composure in front of her superior  
"You summoned me sir?"  
"What of your mission to Old Mantle?"  
"It was a success sir" several White Fang members were taken alive but wounded, they are being detained. I have Adam Taurus prisoner aboard the Schleier Der Tranen pending your orders"  
"Keep him there and tell nobody" Ironwood instructed her "Leave the rest of the White Fang to our troops, I have a mission of utmost importance for you and your team. There are traitors within our forces"  
"Sir?" Winter was aghast at the mere suggestion  
"Cadmus Ferrus, captain of the Reinheit. There is no way that the attempt on the lives of the council could have happened without his aid, he was not found anywhere in the wreckage of of his ship. One of the traitors referred to themselves as part of 'The Absolution' I want these cancer within our Kingdom found and carved out" righteous fury filled his words at the mention of the rogue hunter  
"I understand sir, but why me specifically?"  
"Because there is no-one else I trust more" Ironwood "You have been nothing less than courageous, diligent and honourable in everything I've asked of you. Your Black-Ops team is made up of individuals I know have no part in this treachery"  
"I'll see that it's done" Winter assured him firmly "What do we know of this faction?"  
"Very little" Ironwood sighed "Only that they're anti-Faunus and consider our moves towards Faunus equality as weakness"  
"I'll have every aspect of every action Cadmus Ferrus has been involved in examined and see if anything presents itself" Ironwood nodded slightly from his position in the hospital bed  
"If you have Adam Taurus on your ship it may be worth speaking with him….It's suspected that he was the one to cut off Ferrus's arm after all"

"Mistress" Watts and Hazel spoke in unison as their heads bowed in deference to the pale skinned abomination that was Salem. Cinder was nowhere to found, her failure in Atlas seemingly removing her from the favour of the being she worshipped  
"What news?" she hissed  
"Our roots sink deeper into Vaccuo with every passing day Mistress" Hazel rumbled "The White Fang are fleeing from Atlas to Vaccuo, the second in command of the splinter group that currently holds the Kingdom is giving me information which I am in turn passing on to their enemies. The constant violence is leaving the populace scared and uncertain. The criminal element there would have mounted a more effective resistance than the Vaccuan government, they will be yours for the taking Mistress"  
"Good" Salem's smile sent chills down the spine of those who saw it "Return to Vaccuo and continue breaking their spirit piece by piece" as the hulking man left she turned her attention to Watts, who seemed uncomfortable being alone in her presence  
"Speak Watts"  
"I um, yes Mistress" he stammered before clearing his throat "The wheels have been set in motion as you ordered Mistress, the Atlesian council are in disarray after my agents' attack against them. His forces shall be moving to collect Project Hexxus and deploy it as you instructed"  
"Good" she drew the word out, seemingly lost in thought for a few moments "It is time I met this agent of yours"  
"Mistress I-"  
"Silence Watts" she snapped, before chuckling softly "Fear not I have no plans to replace you, but Tyrian's seat at my table cannot remain empty indefinitely. Your agent has their own forces which makes them a fitting replacement, what motivates this agent of yours?"  
"Hatred of the Faunus" Watts answered quickly  
"Ah yes, hatred I can work with" Salem grinned "Leave me Watts. Have your agent seize Project Hexxus and when Atlas falls you will have that which I promised you"

A solider in the uniform of the Atlesian military, painted black a sporting a red Alpha symbol upon the left shoulder strode onto the bridge of a warship and saluted  
"Sir!" the man he addressed turned to face him. Tall and broad shouldered, wearing armour of a similar nature to that of his underlings with vivid red detailing, the entirety of his right arm was covered in a plethora of shifting armoured plates and it was only upon second glance that most people realised the armour was actually integrated into a prosthetic arm. His face was high cheek boned and he sported a thick beard which contrasted with his bald head; steely blue eyes that held no warmth narrowed at the soldier who had spoken before Cadmus Ferrus replied  
"I trust this is of importance?" his voice was even yet seemed to promise pain to any who displeased him, as if the man were constantly struggling to keep his fury in check  
"Sir yes sir….He just came aboard" there was no need to specify who was meant  
"You have the bridge" with that he strode past his underling through the corridors of the ship that had recently come under his command, making his way to the office attached to his quarters he was greeted by a slender man clearly making himself comfortable, his feet resting on the table as he smoked a cigar  
"Arthur Watts" Cadmus greeted him with a nod "One day I will find out how it is you manage to be everywhere at once"  
"You just might get an answer to that question" Watts' replied though he seemed to be speaking more to himself "I see you've made yourself at home on your new ship; have you named her yet?" the fact Watts had managed to procure an Atlesian warship for him to replace the craft he had sacrificed in the attempt to kill the council was testament to how deep the mans' influence ran  
"Not yet" Cadmus admitted "What news do you have for me?"  
"General Ironwood lives" Watts said simply  
"Impossible!" Cadmus spat "My men do not fail!"  
"Indeed" Watts admitted with a grin "Killing the entire council would have been a boon, but the aim was merely to distract them. They are distracted"  
"Killing them would have purged Atlas of the weaklings and traitors to their species that are currently running it, the Faunus declare war on us and we offer them terms and try to make amends-"  
"Indeed" Watts nodded, trying to seem sympathetic while internally rolling his eyes at the mans' fanaticism "It simply cannot stand, which is why I will be leaving you with two sets of co-ordinates, one is the location of the item we discussed previously. The other is where it needs to be deployed"  
"This Project Hexxus" Cadmus growled "You've never told me what it is exactly and how this benefits you….I know you've got your own game here" Watts' smirked at that, his puppet was not as crazed as he sometimes seemed after all  
"Project Hexxus was based on the work of Doctor Merlot, the base principle being taken to its' most destructive conclusion. It was labelled as a biological weapon, which while not exactly accurate is a close enough term. As for what I gain? Its' quite simple really; Atlas is the most powerful Kingdom in Remnant, I want to see it in more capable hands; namely mine"

 **Authors Notes:**

Five months to the day since this story was first published

Okay so let's talk about the Vol.4 Finale:  
The fight was awesome.  
A little annoyed that half the episode was monologue.  
REN AND FUCKING NORA, I SWEAR I LOVE THEM THEY NEED ALL THE HUGS

Also, February 4th is the Monty Oum Project, wherein all creators are urged to take the first step on a new project.  
My contribution is my story Get FNKI which can be found here /s/12350361/1/Get-FNKI

Now let's summarise:  
I know it's a short chapter and it doesn't feature any of the main characters, but the next chapter will make up for it and we're approaching the finale of the Vol.5 arc.  
A new enemy enters the fray, "The Absolution" a Human Supremacist group headed by Cadmus Ferrus, the Hunter whose arm Adam Taurus told Velvet he cut off in Chapter 04.  
The White Fang are regrouping in Vaccuo, where Hazel is currently sewing the seeds for Salem to attack.  
Winter is being tasked with dealing with Cadmus Ferrus.  
Salem is considering recruiting human extremist soldiers to replace Tyrian and his clan, which is a great choice considering Vaccuo is the next place on the chopping block. The most Faunus friendly of the Kingdoms.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	90. 90: Prison Visits

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 90: Prison Visit**

Weiss gradually blinked herself awake her surroundings coming into focus, she was aboard the Schleier Der Tranen in the quarters Winter had set aside for her on the ship; after a few moments she became aware of a feeling she was becoming accustomed to waking up with and enjoyed thoroughly, the feeling of Gangrel's muscular arms wrapped around her.  
"Gangrel, are you awake?" she asked in a hushed whisper, smiling as she felt him pull her closer, leaning over to plant a kiss on her cheek as he brushed away some of the strands of hair that fallen in front of her face  
"Morning beautiful" he managed to murmur; Weiss still couldn't help but smirk at how lethargic winter made the Bear-Faunus in the morning before returning the kiss, fingers intertwining with his as she made herself comfortable against his chest  
"It makes a nice change to get some privacy and peace and quiet in a morning" she admitted, getting a small chuckle from Gangrel in response  
"You know something has gone wrong when the warship is where you're getting the most peace and quiet"  
"Dolt" Weiss rolled her eyes as she turned to face him "I mean as adorable as Jade and the fact she always wants to sleep in your bed is, we….well we haven't had a lot of time alone lately" she gave him a small smile, blushing slightly at her own forwardness  
"True" Gangrel grinned cupping her cheek "And yeah she's cute, but I've missed waking up next to you without someone trying to snuggle between us" Weiss wrapped her arms around his neck as he leaned down to kiss her, eyes closing and moaning softly into her lovers' mouth in pleasure as their tongues danced. Gangrel's hands moved down her body, finding their way under his too large for her T-shirt that she had slept in and grabbing her hips; Weiss in turn wrapped a leg around his waist and repositioned herself so that she was straddling him, breaking apart from him for a moment to pull the baggy shirt over her head and discard it before leaning down and returning her lips to his. The not insignificant height difference between them made intimacy awkward sometimes, thankfully Weiss thought to herself, she really like being on top  
"Oum yes" she hissed out switching to kissing the Bear-Faunus' neck as his hand made it's way below the waistband of her underwear, her hips bucking against him as he began to tease eliciting a series of gasps and muffled moans  
"Hey Weiss, Gang?" a voice outside the door of their quarters asked uncertainly as the speaker knocked. Weiss froze instantly, shooting Gangrel a mortified look before answering  
"Ruby what do you want?" she snapped, her tone a little more harsh than she had intended  
"I woke up early and went for a jog around the inside of the ship, Winter's back. She asked me to tell you Gangrel, Blake, Yang and Team CFVY to meet her in the briefing room. Apparently I'm not cleared for whatever it is so…." the younger huntress trailed off  
"Okay, we'll be there as soon as we can" Weiss answered listening closely, eventually she heard the sound of Ruby walking away and turned to Gangrel  
"I can't believe that happened" she whispered, aghast  
"I know, it was like being back at Beacon for Oum's sake" he grumbled before wrapping his arms around Weiss's waist and pulling her close "Love you babe"  
"I love you too" she planted a lingering kiss on his lips before her face slowly morphed into a mischievous smile. Climbing out of the bed she took Gangrel by the hand, silently urging him follow suit  
"Well if we're required for a briefing as soon as possible then perhaps, you should join me in the shower….to save time, naturally" she gave him a wink; Gangrel climbed from the bed immediately following Weiss into the bathroom, a smile on his face as he contemplated just how lucky he was.

Blake's ears twitched at the sound of the door to the briefing room opening, Yang whose hand was currently in her own surreptitiously nudged her gently to get her attention before nodding at Weiss and Gangrel who had just entered. Blake instantly found what had brought a playful smirk to Yang's face, a very noticeable hickey on the Bear-Faunus' neck. Blake squeezed Yang's hand and gave her a stern look, wordlessly hoping to convey that some semblance of professionalism had to be maintained and now was not the time for puns; at the same time she suppressed a sigh, Weiss was one of her best friends and she was happy for her but the fact remained that Gangrel was very much like an older brother to her and there were some things she never wanted to think about  
"Well look who finally turned up" Coco chuckled from the corner of the room where she, Velvet and Fox were situated, the fourth member of their team still confined to the medical bay of the Schleier Der Tranen  
"My apologies, we were in the shower" Weiss explained  
"We? As in both of-" Velvet nudged Coco to silence her while Fox gave an amused snort  
"Regardless" Winter cut through the conversation, demanding the attention of the seven hunters now present as she rose from her seat. Weiss gave a sister a worried look, noticing how utterly exhausted the eldest Schnee looked. She had taken one of the Bull-Heads from the ship's hangar shortly after the successful capture of Adam Taurus, no one had been certain of her destination  
"The Atlesian Council was the victim of a terrorist attack last night at roughly the same time we apprehended Adam Taurus. The details are not being released to the public but there were casualties, this information is classified and should be treated as such"  
"White Fang?" Gangrel asked with a raised eyebrow  
"Adam using himself as a distraction….rare but not totally out of the question" Blake noted, upon seeing the eyes of most of her comrades upon her she added "Gang was usually the distraction when we were younger"  
"This was not the actions of the White Fang" Winter clarified "If anything this threat is even more loathsome. A group of traitors within our own ranks calling themselves The Absolution, anti Faunus extremists who perceive General Ironwood and thus the councils' willingness to negotiate with the Coalition to combat the White Fang as weakness and treachery"  
"They sound like lovely people" Fox muttered  
"Adel you are not from Atlas so you may not know this, but our council meetings are conducted in secrecy, for this attack to happen means that these traitors have infiltrated the highest parts of our government; they also have access to Atlesian military weapons and equipment and their fighters have the same training as our own. Fighting this threat will be different to dealing with the White Fang, that is however the mission we have been tasked with"  
"I'm up for kicking some racist ass" Coco grinned "But we're supposed to be a Black-Ops team, y'know infiltration and all that….we're not exactly the best suited for this job; the only Atlesians here are a Schnee and a pair of Faunus"  
"I've managed to blend in with humans with no problems before" Blake pointed out  
"I will brief Black and Sustrai separately, if infiltration into this organisation is required the task will fall to them. Currently we know very little about The Absolution, our greatest lead is that one suspected member is the captain of the ship where the attack took place, Cadmus Ferrus"  
"I know that name from somewhere" Velvet's brow furrowed as she tried to remember  
"He's a hunter, racist and highly vocal about it. Proposed deporting all Faunus to the ruins of menagerie and creating a blockade" Blake reeled off information  
"And Adam cut his arm off!" Velvet gasped as the realisation hit her, Yang looked at Blake  
"I'm not the first person he did this to?" her voice was a tense whisper as she indicated her cybernetic arm  
"No" Blake admitted "Adam was a teenager when he first made Wilt, he was excited to finally have a weapon that he could channel his Semblance through without breaking. A few of us sneaked into a rally Ferrus was speaking at, Adam managed to corner him outside"  
"Has Taurus maintained an interest in Ferrus?" Winter asked "It seems reasonable that he may know something considering his tendency to seek retribution" there were a few moments of tense silence as everyone recalled Adam's very public display of retribution against Winter and Weiss's father  
"I'm not sure" Blake sighed "I….I freaked out when he did it. He had his ways of justifying it, he always does but if he kept tabs on him afterwards he never told me about it"  
"I see" Winter pursed her lips "I highly doubt that Taurus would be receptive if I asked him for assistance of any kind, perhaps we'd have better results if someone he knows were to-"  
"Whoa whoa whoa!" Yang interjected, eyes flickering red momentarily "You're not sending Blake to deal with that psycho!"  
"Xiao Long" Winter snapped "He is confined to a cell, unarmed, wearing an Aura dampening collar and his cybernetic arm has been utterly ruined. Adam Taurus presents no threat"  
"Yang I'll be fine, I promise" Blake murmured as she gave the blondes' hand a reassuring squeeze "He can't hurt anyone right now"  
"Fine" Yang muttered reluctantly before pulling Blake into a tight hug and kissing the top of her head between her Faunus attributes "I'm going to be worried sick until you're away from him but do what you need to do" Blake cupped Yang's cheek gently before kissing her lips  
"I'll be fine….Just Yang in there" with that Blake left the briefing room, leaving Yang grinning like an idiot in her wake.

There was no clock in the brig, nor was there any company. He remembered that the guards were situated outside from his attack on this very vessel to free Cheshire; the cells had been reinforced since then, the bars were of a much stronger alloy Adam assumed it was the same material that formed the barrier between Upper and Lower Atlas, there was also a secondary protection in the form of a small shield generator humming as it projected a force field. That humming was one of the few constants Adam had in his cell, the others being the harsh glaring lights and the pain. He fought the urge to massage his temples with his remaining hand, he could see the cameras on him and would not give them the satisfaction. The remains of his ruined cybernetic arm were sending a constant stream of feedback through his nerves causing a throbbing ache at the point where metal and flesh met; he had been subject to irregular bouts of dizziness since the fight against Sienna, the damage to his Cybernetic eye disorienting him. The subtle hissing of a door sliding open caused his head to snap up, an expression of equal parts confusion and malice forming on his face at the sight of his visitor  
"Blake" the single word was spat as if it were poison  
"Adam" the dark haired huntress treated him to a disgusted gaze as she stared down at him sitting crossed legged in his cell "We need to talk"  
"No" Adam gave her a calculating stare "The humans you run around like a pet after, the Schnees included. They want something from me" the surprised expression was momentary but Adam caught it, confirming his suspicions  
"So" he continued "Did you lose Gambol Shroud or just throw it away when you got a new weapon?" his eyes darted from her empty sheath to the collapsed golden gauntlet adorning her right wrist  
"Why on Remnant would I get rid of Gambol Shroud?" Blake demanded  
"Well considering you based it on Wilt and Blush I'm assuming it's a symbolic final denial of where you come from and who you are"  
"You think I got rid of a weapon based on yours because I'm using my partners' now" she scoffed "If you really want to know Gambol Shroud was destroyed when we freed all the humans from one of your interment camps, the Albain twins are dead. Not everything is about you Adam" her voice took on a mocking edge at the last sentence  
"So let's hear it then, whatever it is your human masters have sent you for" Adam fought to keep his expression as neutral as possible, the Aura dampening collar fixed around his neck preventing his Semblance from crackling into life at the slightest provocation helping his poker face  
"I have no master" Blake snapped, glaring at him "I have friends Adam, remember those? People that aren't just terrified yes men. But it might interest you, it concerns Cadmus Ferrus" the Bull-Faunus raised an eyebrow at that  
"Now there's a name that brings back memories, or are you pretending the good old days never happened now Blake?" a cruel smile tugged at his lips, Blake's eyes narrowed  
"He's not just talking about getting rid of Faunus any more, he's trying to put it into practice" Adam remained silent for a few moments  
"That's not the whole story is it? If it was just a couple of dead Faunus the council wouldn't care anywhere near enough to involve a Specialist"  
"The council aren't in a position to do anything" Blake's answer stunned him, he thought about the potential implications of the vague words and his smile widened  
"He attacked the council" a small chuckle escaped his lips as Blake's eyes widened "So the Atlesian Military, the same force the council wants to send into New Menagerie, has traitors in its' ranks willing to kill them? And you think there's anything I'm willing to do other than sit back and watch Atlas burn?"  
"I should have known it was too much to hope for, that there might be a flicker of something decent left in you….not after Sienna" Blake spat turning on her heel to leave  
"I DIDN'T KILL SIENNA!" He roared as he leapt to his feet, staggering slightly as a wave of dizziness washed over him, Blake whirled around recoiling slightly at the sight of the furious expression upon his scarred face  
"I would never…." he trailed, voice cracking as fresh tears threatened to fall "She came to kill me and I refused to fight her; I never meant for anything to happen to Sienna….Even if she turned against me like the rest of you"  
"Turned against you-" Blake mouthed, disbelieving "Does it ever occur to you Adam that you are the problem? That maybe we left because we couldn't bare to watch you turn into a monster?"  
"AND YOU'RE SO INNOCENT ARE YOU?" Adam bellowed "If I'm a monster than what are you? And what do you think these reformed humans you think you're surrounded by will do when they don't need you any more?….We both know that everything I've done-"  
"I've never killed anyone Adam!" Blake spat furiously  
"No, just horrifically maimed" he sneered as he watched the blood drain from her face at the accusation "Surely you remember-"  
"We agreed to never speak about that that again" the feline hissed, voice wavering  
"I don't think any agreements between us matter at this point"  
"We're done here" with that Blake stalked out of the brig, clearly struggling to keep her composure. Adam let out a long shuddering breath before muttering to himself  
"They always leave in the end"

Yang prowled through the corridors of the Schleier Der Tranen, her hand that was still flesh and blood trembling slightly as she neared her destination. Setting her jaw she balled her fists and smashed her knuckles together in a familiar display of confidence to try and steady herself. Coming to the corridor which housed the Brig she was greeted by a pair of Atlesian soldiers whose helmets rendered them faceless, they stepped aside and allowed her entry, recognising her at once as one of Winter's Black-Ops team. As the door closed and locked behind her Yang saw something that instantly diverted her focus away from that which she sought. Blake sat hunched in on herself outside of the room which contained Adam's cell, arms hugging her knees and tears falling from her eyes  
"Blake what's wrong?" Yang rushed to the Faunus' side and positioned herself next to her, wiping away the tears until Blake simply pulled her into a tight embrace and sobbed against her. Yang stroked her lovers' hair in an attempt to soothe her  
"Come on Blake talk to me….what did he do?" Blake eventually mumbled a reply  
"Reminded me that no matter what I do I'll always be a monster like he is….I've got blood on my hands too Yang" the blonde gave her a stern look  
"You are nothing like him" Blake took a shaky breath  
"Before I came to Vale and left the White Fang Adam used to move between Vale Vaccuo and Atlas regularly and leave people he trusted in charge of things in each Kingdom. I was one of the people he trusted in Lower Atlas, We had a recruitment rally one night when Adam came back after a month in Vaccuo, there were some newbies who claimed to have been invited by Adam personally; it was an obvious lie and it turned out they were undercover police. Adam had one of them tied to a chair and gave me a knife, He….he told me to carve their face so everyone could see they were a traitor to their people….and I did it, don't tell me I'm not a monster and I'm not sick Yang-"  
"Hey!" Yang pulled Blake back into her arms and held her close "You could never be like Adam Blake and this just proves it, he never once took ownership of what he did, he always had an excuse for why someone had to be hurt" Blake gave Yang a confused stare  
"You remember what I said to you after the breach?"  
"Of course" Blake paused for a moment before pulling her closer  
"I love you so much Yang….what are you doing here though?" Yang sighed before answering  
"I need to see him"  
"What?"  
"I need to see Adam, not for anything to do with the new mission….I just, I just want some kind of closure"  
"I understand" Blake sniffled as she wiped her eyes "Let's do it" they rose to their feet, Blake taking Yang's hand in hers as the blonde pressed a series of commands into the keypad of the door which is slid open. Blake squeezed Yang's hand reassuringly as the blonde locked eyes with Adam from his position in his cell across the room. Adam's expression slowly became one of murderous hate which in turn caused Yang's lips to turn into a smirk  
"Let's go" she said loud enough for Adam to hear before letting go off Blake's hand and snaking her arm around her Faunus' waist "I've seen everything I need to see….He's not some stone faced killing machine, he's not the monster under the bed. He's nothing"

Adam had no way to tell how long he'd silently seethed with rage but if he had to guess he would have said it had been several hours; the stinging in his knuckles where he had punched a wall in frustration until they bled had long since faded. Guards had brought food which remained untouched in a corner of his cell. The blonde huntress whose arm he had taken infuriated him, it was if her casual dismissal of him while she wrapped an arm around his former partner was the perfect analogy for everything that had happened to him, it made him sick. He was pulled from his musings by the sound of the door opening yet again, eyes narrowing at the sight of his latest visitor  
"Hello darkness my old friend" the deep gravelly voice of Gangrel Slate taunted  
"Blake couldn't get answers so they sent you" Adam noted distastefully "You're their attack dog now Gang?"  
"I've always been someone's attack dog Adam, I'm just glad I'm not yours any more"  
"So let's get to it then shall we" Adam snarled as he rose to his feet "A racist Huntsman has gone after the racist council because he believes they're not racist enough. You want to know if I have any information, I personally would rather watch the humans kill each other because they just can't help themselves….Does that accurately sum things up?"  
"And there it is" the Bear-Faunus growled "Your major fuck up, it's not about the Faunus rights movement any more and it hasn't been for a long time, it's about you being important and your feelings….maybe they should have allowed you into the cadets and then into Atlas, Remnant might be a very different place right now"  
"Being a tool of the humans was a childhood dream I grew out of, I see you didn't" the Bull-Faunus sneered "It's about the cause Gang, you just didn't have the heart to see it through. The Schnees made Faunus lives hell and I dealt with the problem at the source"  
"You killed Jacques Schnee because it was personal!" Gangrel spat  
"You're damn right it was!" Adam retorted "It should have been personal for you as well or does your mothers' life mean nothing?" there was a split second where Adam saw the fury on his former friends' face before Gangrel teleported, without his sword and Semblance he was powerless to defend himself as the larger man reappeared in his cell with a crack a delivered a brutal haymaker to his face before pinning him to the wall by the throat and raining blows down upon him, Adam was sure he felt his jaw and several ribs crack under the assault before Gangrel threw him to the floor  
"You're going to kill me now Gangrel?" Adam mocked "Go ahead, do it-" the taunts were silenced by Gangrels' boot catching him in the stomach  
"Killing you would be a kindness honestly" the Bear-Faunus snarled as he reached into his pocket and produced his Scroll, moments later he showed Adam an image that had clearly been taken from one of the many windows of the ship, it showed several civilian transports, Bull-Head interspersed between them, another capital ship in the distance  
"You see that Adam, that's our legacy. Everything the White Fang was meant to stand for The Coalition is making happen, those ships are filled with human and Faunus refugees from the Grimm infested nightmare you turned our home into. The SDC is working with us now" Gangrel paused "It's over, humans and Faunus are being treated as equals and it all happened because everyone sided against you. All it took was the destruction of Vale, Lower Atlas, more lives than I want to think about and the love and respect of everyone who ever cared about you. I hope it was worth it, I really do"  
"It was" Gangrel did a double take at the hollow croaking murmur from the Bull-Faunus who fixed him with a cold stare "It was worth it and I'd do it all again because there is nothing I wouldn't sacrifice for my people. As for Ferrus I have no idea where he is or what his plans are"  
"Then I'm wasting my time with you" Gangrel growled before teleporting back out of the cell and stalking out of the brig, leaving Adam alone in the silence to contemplate what it was he actually stood for and how much of what he had told his old friend had been bravado.

 **Authors Notes:**

Sorry I've been absent all week. Haven't really got an excuse.  
This was one of the few chapters in this Volume with no action scenes, but the next chapter will be the start of the run up to the Volume finale.

So let's summarise:  
Polar Bear smut scene interrupted, the greatest possible call back.  
Also yes, Weiss likes being on top because she's tiny and Gang is 6'8''.  
Blake making puns back to Yang is basically the ultimate "I love you" from her.  
I think probably based parts of the idea for Gambol Shroud on Wilt and Blush, especially when you remember that drawing she had of Adam in Vol.2 where it was slung over his shoulder.  
I seriously doubt Yang would be able to sleep at night knowing that Adam was that close to her without going to get some sort of closure.  
Yeah Blake did some fucked up stuff while in the White Fang, killing those people on the train in the Black Trailer was what made her leave. It stands to reason that she convinced herself she was okay with violence up to that point.  
Yang repeating what Blake said after my version of the breach back to her.  
I think Yang just calmly dismissing Adam as nothing would do more to him than any amount of rage would.  
"Hello Darkness my old friend" a call back to Chapter 02.  
Everything the White Fang originally stood for is happening and Adam has to watch it and realise he was on the wrong side of history, humans and Faunus are united against him. I like the idea of Adam being an unwitting Lelouch, it seems like the most soul crushing defeat he can face, because it forces him to see how far he's fallen.

Thank you to Treenymphie for their review on the last chapter (I've missed saying that)  
I've dropped little hints with Orchid, all will be revealed.  
Project Hexxus has been described as "Not quite a biological weapon" based on Merlot's work. Salem has also been shown to be outraged and disgusted by its' existence, she refers to the Grimm as her children so that should give you some ideas.  
As for the Absolution, the shock reveal of them was on purpose for two reasons. Firstly racism was the norm and legally enforced in Atlas until Ironwood took command and started working with the Coalition. Think of them as a paramilitary version of the KKK. Secondly, all of Salem's generals have/had their own underlings, The Absolution are how Watts has been getting information, it's been implied that he has eyes and ears everywhere they just haven't been named directly.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	91. 91: Project Hexxus

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 91: Project Hexxus**

Sünders-Belohnung was a military facility situated inside one of the smaller mountains within the Kingdom of Atlas, one deemed unfit to house part of a Hive City. The base had no official security designation, for the military to give it one would be to admit even to themselves that the place existed and in the minds of the people who had made the decision until the contents of the site were needed Sünders-Belohnung was best relegated to the realm of conspiracy theories that could be easily dismissed by citizens that wished to sleep soundly at night.  
Within the sterile confines of the interior of the base Rackley Fog, a data entry clerk paid far above the normal rate by virtue of being stationed at such a facility sat at his desk while logging information regarding the comings and goings of personnel into various databases. After completing one of his allotted tasks the unremarkable mousy haired and bespectacled young man leaned back in his chair and stretched while issuing a jaw cracking yawn, raising his glasses he rubbed his eyes while internally weighing the pros and cons of being stuck on the night shift for the next month in his mind until something caught his eye; replacing his glasses he double checked to ensure that was reading the information correctly before letting out a curse and reaching for his Scroll, the device rang a few times before one of the shift managers in the warehouse section of the base replied  
"What's up?"  
"According to the system there's just been multiple log outs from warehouse four" Rackley informed the manager; his response was a string of confused curses of the kind only soldiers and people who work in logistics can produce  
"There shouldn't be anyone in warehouse four, it's fucking locked down for Oum's sake….If one of those new lads has managed to fuck up that bad-" Rackley wore a bemused expression as he listened to the man rant before cutting him off  
"Go take one of the Hunter teams and see what's happened and if one of the pickers has messed up send me their badge number so I can write it up. Just make sure it's all locked down again after"  
"Aye fuck it" the man on the other end of the line grunted "At least it's a change of pace I suppose. Nights pays more but fuck me it's boring" Rackley chuckled as the man mirrored his own sentiments before hanging up. Roughly twenty minutes passed and Rackley continued working in silence being the only office worker currently on site as the base ran a skeleton crew on night shifts before his Scroll Vibrated, the caller being the shift manager he had spoken to moments ago  
"Did you find your lost picker?"  
"Are you taking the piss lad?" was the annoyed snarl that answered him "I just grabbed the Hunters on site off of their fucking lunch break to walk all the way across the base and find that warehouse four is still fucking locked down!"  
"What?" Rackley was taken aback and hastily double checked the database only to see that not only had he been correct but more of the contents of warehouse four had been logged out  
"Well someone's in there" he asserted "You're gonna have to go in and see what's happening. Access code is eight four two, three nine nine, B F R"  
"Right" the shift manager grumbled seconds later the sound of gunfire could be heard on the line  
"The fucking tin cans are active! Send word to-" the line went dead. Rackley stared at his Scroll for a few seconds in stunned silence before rapidly typing commands into his keyboard, bringing up security feed footage from outside of warehouse four. His blood ran cold at the sight of several squads of prototype Atlesian Knight Model 230s exited the warehouse. They had still been in the testing phase when the battle of Vale had taken place but had been consigned to the figurative scrap heap with the rest of the mechanised element of the Atlesian forces in the aftermath. Grabbing a microphone Rackley bellowed into it his voice sounding at throughout the entirety of the facility  
"SECURITY BREACH IN WAREHOUSE FOUR! ALL SECURITY PERSONNEL TO WAREHOUSE FOUR! MECHANISED ELEMENTS HAVE GONE ROGUE! ALL UNARMED MEMBERS OF STAFF ARE TO EVACUATE IMMEDIATELY!" he took another glance at the screen and two facts struck him, firstly was that the Model 230s' movements were a lot more fluid and natural than previous iterations of the Atlesian Knight, more human; secondly they were targeting security cameras as they advanced and split up into groups making their way into various parts of the facility.  
"How in Oums' name…." Rackley whispered before realising how woefully outclassed the small amount of soldiers on site were, the Hunter team had already been wiped out. He hurriedly typed another series of commands as alarms began blaring around the base, giving silent thanks to every deity he could think of as he managed to remotely activate an emergency beacon situated elsewhere in the base and send an S.O.S to any and all nearby Atlesian ships. The relief was short lived as he heard metallic footsteps approaching the corridor that the admin offices were situated on.

Watts exhaled acrid cigar smoke and made himself comfortable in his seat as he watched the transpiring events through a multitude of video feeds on the screen of his laptop each of them showing an Atlesian military facility from the point of view of one of the robots currently stalking through it laying waste to everyone in their path; the device being one of his own making and invaluable to anyone who sought to commit acts of cyber terrorism or espionage  
"Such a waste that good Atlesians have to die, these men and women had no part in the cowardice of Ironwood and the other swine on the council, they were good soldiers" Cadmus Ferrus growled from behind him, watching the unfolding events from over Watts' shoulder  
"Indeed it is, but sacrifices must be made" the moustachioed man sighed, while inwardly rolling his eyes at the notion of patriotism from a terrorist "But the last time Atlesian Knights went rogue was at the battle of Vale"  
"When the animals attacked" Cadmus noted  
"Precisely" Watts nodded "Now if we were to just steal Project Hexxus and use it The Absolution would have secured a victory but it would be short lived Atlas would spend lives and resources in an effort to evacuate civilians and effectively help the White Fang. If we implicate the White Fang in the attack and deploy the weapon in a known stronghold of theirs….Well, they're known for their primitive hit and run guerilla tactics. A weapon like this was clearly beyond them" his cultured voice turned mocking  
"Set the weapon off and then blame the Faunus for massacring their own people" Cadmus stroked his beard thoughtfully "I like that idea, if they're seen to be willing to use a weapon of mass destruction then any resistance to the idea of finally combating them effectively will be political suicide on the part of the remaining council members. We can finally put Atlas firmly in human hands and restore the natural order of things" the sound of the traitor Hunter's comm distracted him, his brow furrowed as he heard the report from his first mate  
"You were just told that Sünders-Belohnung issued an S.O.S" Watts cut Cadmus off before the Hunter could speak "I assume that some of your men have unaltered Atlesian uniforms?"  
"They do"  
"Good. You merely need to be the first ones to respond to the S.O.S, the machines will silence any survivors and destroy all footage. The official report would be that help arrived to the base too late and your Bull-Heads are moving to intercept the White Fang. By the time anything could be suspected it would be too late"  
"I like your way of thinking Watts….even if you're a devious son of a bitch, it's a shame you didn't last in the military"  
"No great loss on my part old friend" Watts chuckled as he rose from his seat and straightened his jacket "Have some of your men accompany me to Schnee Manor Atlas will be moving in the proper direction by daybreak"  
"Schnee Manor? The Absolution is not an organisation for hire we're a force of revolution" Cadmus spat, eyes narrowing  
"Oh this is most definitely a power play on my part" Watts' gave a calculating smile "But rest assured it's one that benefits you, I told you that I wanted to put Atlas in more capable hands. The Schnee Dust Company is endorsing this new wave of progressive sentiment and allying themselves with the Faunus group that spearheads it. If young Whitley Schnee were to die with no heir after both of his sisters have been disowned then the company would eventually be broken down into smaller pieces; the most vital of which I would easily be able to take control of"  
"And whoever controls the Dust controls Remnant" Cadmus finished with a nod "I hope you remember basic training Arthur. Bull-Heads are already prepared, operation will begin in fifteen minutes"

"Thanks again for this, you really didn't have to" Oscar mumbled as he took in his appearance in the full length mirror in Whitley's room. The Youngest Schnee hadn't been required at any meetings with board members that day and had instead departed for a tailor in the echelons of Eisenstadt prime located high enough in Upper Atlas to be untouched by events in the depths of the Kingdom.  
"Oh I did, even Klein couldn't get the stains out of your old clothes and the press would enjoy scalping us both if I were to be seen with you in public" Whitley drawled. Oscar gave a small snort and gave himself a final once over; his new outfit consisted of black pants with vivid green suspenders and a black waistcoat with a short sleeved deep green shirt under it; black armour plated gloves and boots covered his hands and feet  
"Oh so you're planning to be seen in public with me sometime? This is news" Oscar joked as he pulled the multicoloured scarf from his old clothes and tucked it into it's customary place in his left pocket  
"Well freckles unless you'd rather spend all of your time in the manor using my games console….by the way where is that?" Whitley motioned to the empty spot where the console in question had sat; Oscar, idly massaged his own shoulder feeling a tender spot from his training session with Qrow and Taiyang that day; training with an actual teacher was a lot less painful than the proverbial wringer Raven usually put him through but the blonde still packed a punch  
"Still in Ruby's room, we had a little tournament before everyone left. Oh don't worry snowflake I've got no problem being seen out with you sometime….It's a date" Whitley sputtered, seemingly choking on air as Oscar shot him a wink  
"Don't ever call me that again" the white haired teen finally managed to say  
"No problem snowflake, so is that the only part that bothers you or?…." he trailed off  
"Yes, No, I…." Whitley's usual dignified act collapsed in seconds, thankfully he was saved by a knock on the bedroom door  
"Whitley, Oz, Klein says he's making supper if you want to come and get something. Oz you're training again in the morning so don't be up too late" Qrow's voice sounded out  
"I'll see you downstairs" Oscar sighed before exiting Whitley's bedroom and catching up with his teacher  
"So" a smirk found it's way to Qrow's face "Just out of curiosity what is the equivalent of lady killer in this context?"  
"Oh my Oum shut up!" Oscar hissed only from Qrow to ruffle his hair  
"Now if you want advice on how to woo literally anything with a pulse, Raven will agree with me that Tai is the person you need to talk-" Qrow trailed off  
"Okay firstly you used the word woo, your argument is invalid" Oscar snorted while blinking rapidly, suddenly dizzy "Secondly what're you staring at?"  
"You're bleeding again" at Qrow's words he brought a hand up and wiped his nose, seeing that there was indeed blood smeared across the back of his glove. He had mere seconds to register it before he collapsed.  
"TAI! RAVEN! GET HERE NOW!" Qrow bellowed as Oscar convulsed on the ground  
"What's going on?" Qrow looked up to see that it was Jaune who has spoken, before he could answer Raven and Taiyang sprinted into view  
"It's the same as last time" Qrow said simply to Raven. Any reply she wished to make was halted as Oscar came to gasping for breath and retching  
"Okay everyone step back, give him some room" Taiyang motioned to Nora, Ren and Penny who had joined Jaune  
"What did you see?" Raven demanded  
"I-I don't even know how to describe it" the farmhand gasped "Grimm that make other Grimm, an underground city filled with people in masks, dead bodies everywhere….The woman from before, the one Raven fought"  
"Lower Atlas" Penny said immediately "Eisenstadt Siebte is the White Fang's main stronghold in the Kingdom; Atlas forces are currently retaking it"  
"The perfect place for Salem to launch an attack" Raven growled  
"Then let's go Jaune" snarled  
"I don't think so kid" Qrow shook his head "Let the experienced Hunters handle this"  
"If you could handle it then Pyrrha would still be alive" there were a few moments of tense silence where everyone saw Qrow's hand twitch towards his weapon before he let out a deep breath  
"I'm going to pretend that you never said that"  
"This argument is pointless" Penny interrupted "The only Bull-Head currently here is mine, Team RNJR are assigned to me. We will be accompanying you"  
"Oscar" Qrow hissed "Go get Neo, Emerald and Mercury. The four of you are in charge of keeping the manor safe until we return" Oscar nodded and made his way down the corridor. The seven Hunters all shared a look before setting off towards the landing pad, mentally preparing themselves for what was to come.

Winter had been woken up by the S.O.S, having finally managed to get a few hours rest at her first mates' insistence after taking Adam Taurus into custody and the attack on the council. Upon seeing the origin of the distress signal she had sprung into action, herself alongside Team CFVY and the remaining members of Team GRAP had set a course for Sünders-Belohnung in one Bull-Head while Team RWBY had followed behind in another  
"So are you going to tell us all what's got you so nervous yet?" Gangrel grunted from his position next to her  
"This facility is one that doesn't officially exist. Orders of magnitude more secret than the facility you freed Obsidian Eadala and Sienna Khan from. It's a repository for several….projects that should never see the light of day"  
"So cryptic bullshit aside whoever hit the place is looking for some big guns" Coco deduced with a grimace from the other side of the craft  
"Exactly. The message said rogue Atlesian Knights, like in Vale"  
"This wasn't Adam" Gangrel growled  
"Agreed" Winter nodded "The White Fang were just a pawn Cinder used in Vale, whoever is behind this is vastly more important to Cinder and Salem's plan"  
"So what kind of weapons are we talking about? Bombs and tanks?" Velvet asked  
"No" Winter shook her head "The kind of things that make me ashamed of my Kingdom"  
"Ma'am" the pilot called back from the cockpit "Approaching target now….There are already Bull-Heads on the-INCOMING!" the pilot forced the craft to veer to the side to avoid the surface to air rockets launched at it, Weiss's voice crackled over the comm  
"Those are Atlesian soldiers firing on us!" her voice was an enraged snarl "Team RWBY are deploying!"  
"Oum damn it!" Winter snapped "Pilot bring us around, Blush use your Semblance and snipe. Everyone else, landing strategies!" the moment the rear hatch of the Bull-Head dropped Winter rushed forward and leapt from the craft, summoning a Nevermore to ride on the back of. Surveying the battle below. Men and women in Atlesian military uniforms were loading various containers into half a dozen Bull-Heads while Atlesian Knights fought to slow the Hunters' advance. Weiss rode Stardust casting Glyphs to cover Coco and Velvet as they unloaded into their targets, Rover and Ruby moved at blinding speed through the Robots. Eyes narrowing Winter launched herself from her summoned Grimm and sent it hurtling towards one of the Bull-Heads, the craft exploding in a shower of wreckage. Drawing her sword as she landed she slashed at the nearest machine, eyes widening in shock as the model 230 leaned back and allowed the blade to pass over it before bringing its' rifle up; shots ricocheted off of Winters' hastily raised glyph until Gangrel teleported behind the machine with a crack and removed its' head with a single swing of his sword  
"They're getting ready to take off!" the Bear-Faunus roared indicating to the five remaining craft whose rear hatches were raising  
"EVERYONE BRING THOSE BULL-" Winter was cut off and staggered to the side as a shot from another Atlesian Knight clipped her shoulder only to be tackled to the ground and reduced to a pile of ruined scrap by Yang. Winter turned her attention back to the Bull-Heads making their way into the air; one exploded as Coco and Velvet's twin mini-guns ripped through its' hull another burst into flames as Ruby rushed forwards, her Scythe ripping through its' fuel tanks. The remaining three were already moving out of range  
"We need to go after them!" Gangrel snarled as he shot one of the few remaining Atlesian Knights in the chest, the robot collapsing to the floor in a sparking heap  
"Agreed" Winter panted as she carved through three more machines before contacting the pilots of the Bull-Heads  
"Bring your craft back around, we're going after those Bull-Heads" she then contacted the Schleier Der Tranen  
"Matte; mission was a failure. The Absolution, the traitors that attacked the council; they've acquired weapons of unknown capabilities. We're going after them, based on what we know they'll be targeting the largest Faunus population in Atlas, Eisenstadt Siebte. Move to intercept and contact all available ships, this is a code red emergency"  
"We're going after them to stop them killing the White Fang?" Fox asked as the Hunters converged around her. Winter gave them a horrified look  
"The White Fang have taken off Lower Eisenstadt Siebte but not everyone there is a member; depending on what they stole the civilian casualties could be in the thousands or worse"

Cinder entered Salem's great hall to find the abomination herself sat upon her throne in a trance like state  
"You summoned me mistress?" the False Maiden asked nervously, Salem's head jerked up a manic smile finding its' way onto her face  
"I can feel them my child" she whispered, her voice almost giddy "I can feel my children that were twisted by Merlot but I can't speak to them" with that Salem sagged in her seat, black veins pulsating beneath her flesh, breathing ragged  
"Mistress?" Cinder asked, panic creeping into her voice as Salem remained silent  
"Mistress?" she whispered as she stepped forward. Salem seemed to regain consciousness and began cackling with demented glee  
"So much terror, so much despair" the crystalline walls of her great hall began to crack, thick black ooze trickling to the ground and coalescing into the bodies of Grimm  
"It's time Cinder, bring me back my lost children. Lay Atlas low" at her mistresses' command Cinder tapped into the powers of both the Fall and Summer Maidens, teeth gritting as the voices of the women she had slain screamed protests and swore retribution in her mind. As the portal opened before her, Cinders' pupils expanded until her eyes were nothing but inky darkness and she swore to herself that there would be no more failures, tonight Atlas would fall.

Pennys' personal fighter prowled through the night skies, the mountain that housed Upper Eisenstadt Siebte visible from the cockpit; the ground below showed little signs of the siege happening below  
"Any sign of….anything?" Jaune asked with an irritated huff  
"The Wizard sees the future" Raven answered bluntly "What Oscar saw is what will happen, though I'm not as eager for it as you seem to be, Jaune made to argue only for Ren to place a hand on his shoulder, the unnatural calmness of his friends' Semblance seeping into him until the computerised voice of P.E.A.R.L spoke up  
"Multiple Bull-Heads inbound"  
"Contact them" Penny instructed from her position in the cockpit  
"This is Operative Polendina, this is restricted airspace-"  
"Penny!" Rubys' voice exclaimed, only to be cut off by Winter who was seemingly aboard a different craft  
"Operative Polendina, this is Operative Schnee. Target the Bull-Heads not attached to my ship and open fire!" the ships became visible from the cockpit, streams of light where weapons and thermal decoys were being fired criss-crossing and filling the space between them as they approached rapidly  
"Targets acquired, primary weapon primed" P.E.A.R.L informed her, she turned to the six Hunters in the rear of the craft  
"Everyone get combat ready, P.E.A.R.L fire at will!" the night sky was illuminated by the eerie green glow of a photon accelerator as the weapon discharged, the first of the trio of rogue Atlesians Bull-Heads exploded, fire blossoming outwards. Penny rolled her craft out of the way of return fire only to see one of the remaining craft streak past  
"Polendina get on that Bull-Head!" Winter ordered over the comm, gritting her teeth the copper haired huntress brought her much faster craft around and gave chase  
"Switch to secondary weapons, manual control!" Penny demanded  
"Confirmed" came P.E.A.R.L's reply, the pilot of the rogue Bull-Head was skilled however; rolling away from incoming fire as the craft climbed until it was almost vertical, its' rear hatches opening and a single cylindrical container roughly eight feet long was dropped, the end of the container was tipped with a series of diamond tipped drills and a dark liquid with an unnatural green sheen to it could be seen within  
"Operative Schnee please advise, Winter what is that?" Pennys' voice trembled slightly  
"Oh Oum no" the eldest Schnees' terrified voice answered as the package rushed towards' the ground, drills burrowing through snow the moment it impacted  
"Winter?" Penny repeated  
"That's Project Hexxus" Penny didn't have to wait for clarification as dark tendrils sprang from the hole that the container had bored into the earth before anchoring themselves into the ground  
"Seismic activity detected" P.E.A.R.L informed her, Penny watched with detached horror as Grimm began to burst free of the rippling surface of the tendrils which continued to grow and expand; realising as she did so what she was seeing, a Grimm that grew like a network of roots while simultaneously spawning more Grimm  
"It was supposed to be a last resort weapon, to only even be considered if Atlas was about to be destroyed the way Mantle was" Winter whispered into the comm sounding close to tears "Project Hexxus is based on Doctor Merlot's work, Grimm that aren't connected to their hive mind, the Grimm never develop beyond the feed and kill stage….A localised genocide"

 **Authors Notes:**

Firstly I'd like to thank the user Air Force Muffin for offering to Beta-Read this entire story for me.

60 followers and over 35k views on this story, I didn't think it'd be anywhere near this popular when I started writing

Now let's summarise:  
Sünders-Belohnung, Sinners' reward; sounds like a pretty fitting name to me, it's the Area 51 of Atlas.  
Watts' is the master of Machiavellian scheming and playing every side of a conflict against each other for his own benefit.  
"The Absolution is not an organisation for hire we're a force of revolution" Cadmus Ferrus, leader of a Human supremacist group quoting Adam Taurus, yes that irony was intentional.  
Oscar gets a new outfit based on some fan art of him wearing something like Ozpins' clothes; I can't imagine he would be staying at Schnee Manor still dressed like a farmhand; also yes Oscar was casually flirting with Whitley.  
"If you could handle it then Pyrrha would still be alive" I mean, he's not wrong.  
Also, Watts is taking armed soldiers to Schnee Manor right as almost everyone is leaving.  
And now we know what Project Hexxus is, a Grimm that's also a spawning pool the same way the Dragon was. This one doesn't fly it burrows and due to Merlot's experimentation it produces Grimm that are extra vicious. Atlas's final gambit against any invaders, turn their own cities into Grimm infested hellscapes.

Thank you to Treenymphie and MarianTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Yeah Blake needs to be shown to have crossed some moral boundaries, killing was her line in the sand the implication is that she's done other stuff on Adams' orders.  
Someone needed to beat the crap out of Adam, the problem is that it's really hard to do. He can fight entire teams of Hunters.  
As for the lower ranks of the White Fang being seen to disobey him, well there were the grunts who broke the human prisoners out, the Skunk Faunus who set the charges to let Grimm into the city was having second thoughts, Sienna told Adam that people are deserting the White Fang every day; but at the moment most of Upper and Lower Atlas are separated, there's not many places to run and we've all seen how Adam handles deserters if he catches them.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	92. 92: Death and Despair

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 92: Death and Despair**

Winter watched from the cockpit of the Bull-Head, hands trembling as Project Hexxus expanded outwards vomiting forth countless Grimm as it did so. The ground shook below as the tendril like root system of the monstrosity burrowed into the depths of the hive city beneath it and fresh spawning appendages burst from the ground

"Captain Schnee" the voice issuing from the Bull-Head's comm snapped her from her petrified trance

"Skye, report"

"I'm inbound with multiple capital ships Ma'am" Matte assured her "Bases situated on the outside of Eisenstadt Siebte are scrambling their forces as we speak" forcing her emotions aside and becoming the cold, pragmatic leader that the situation demanded she addressed the Bull-Heads still in the air

"We have forces inbound to deal with the ground situation, I will be returning to the Schleier Der Tranen to take command of our forces. All Hunters are to deploy and make their way into the city. Protecting civilians is priority one"

"Operative Schnee" Penny answered her "I'm staying in the air, my craft has warship armaments with greater manoeuvrability"

"Understood" with that Winter headed into the rear compartment of the Bull-head where Teams CFVY and GRA_ were preparing to mobilise

"You know your duties Hunters, good luck" it was the best she could manage the outlook was one of the bleakest she had ever faced. None of the seven Hunters had any reassurance for her, simply nodding silently as the rear hatch opened and leaping out.

* * *

Gangrel reappeared on the ground with an echoing crack, sword carving through an Ursa spawned by Project Hexxus as Breaker spat death in the face of a pack of Beowolves

"All Hunters on me!" he roared. He was answered immediately by Rover and Ruby speeding into position weapons at the ready, Weiss skidded into place atop Stardust as she used a Glyph to bisect a Grimm, Jaune landed in a crouch his jet-pack returning to its' sword and shield mode as the pair of birds beside him revealed themselves to be Qrow and Raven Branwen. Artemis, Ren, Nora, Taiyang, Coco, Yatsuhashi, Fox, Velvet, Blake and Yang fought their way through the tide of Grimm to the Bear Faunus' position from various directions. Upon seeing that there were seventeen Hunters present, himself included Gangrel couldn't help but feel a small glimmer of hope

"Okay what's the plan?" Jaune asked as he incinerated a Beowolf with the flame-throwers built into his shield

"We've got our orders, we find a way into the city" Gangrel snarled in response

"Raven can you open a portal?" Qrow demanded

"I've never been here before, I need to know where I'm going" his twin responded, wreathed in the black mist of dissipating Grimm as her sword moved at in inhuman rate

"The White Fang had Upper and Lower Siebte separated the same as the other cities there's no route down!" Blake called

"Route, root, that's it!" Ruby called "We'll have to cut through part of the big Grimm that's spawning the others, use one of the holes it made!"

"That might work" Gangrel accepted, moments later the ground shook as another Tendril burst from the ground sending earth, snow and rubble; remaining erect and reaching several stories into the sky. Flocks of Nevermore and Griffin screeched as they writhed and burst free of the tendril, instead taking to the air to swarm the warships approaching from the city itself

"This'll do it" Nora grinned as she shifted Magnhild to its' Grenade launcher mode and opened fire, Coco opened fire with her mini-gun Velvet following suit seconds later with a replica of the weapon. The tendril remained

"It heals itself the way the Dragon did!" Ruby noted as the surface tendril of the tendril rippled

"We need a way to dish out more damage" Jaune pointed out, an air of futility in his voice

"I might have an idea" Taiyang stepped forwards "My Semblance concerts momentum into light and heat, Rover you're the fastest here I want you to get a run up and throw me at it"

"Dad no!" Ruby and yang shouted in unison

"Tai don't be insane!" Qrow spat, Gangrel took a deep breath and gave the older Hunter a stern stare

"Do not throw your life away for nothing; are you sure this will work?"

"As sure as anything is right now" Taiyang shrugged as he readied his weapon

"Rover" Gangrel sighed "Do it" the Bear-Faunus didn't need to see his friends' face to know the stunned and accusatory looks he was giving him, mercifully the canine Faunus complied without argument and grabbed Tai

"Hold on" with that the pair vanished in a blur of golden lightning moments later the sound of them breaking the sound barrier could be heard

"Everyone stand back!" Gangrel ordered, unable to bring himself to look Yang or Ruby in the eye as what looked like a burning comet rushed back towards them; Rover let Taiyang go and forced himself to a stop, the blonde was thrown forward into the towering Grimm tendril with a flash of light that turned night into day for a brief moment. When everyone managed to blink the spots from their vision they realised that the tendril was gone a gaping hole in its' wake on the other side of which stood Taiyang Xiao Long wearing a cocky smile

"Yep, still got it"

"You crazy son of a-" Qrow trailed off, mouth hanging open in shock

"Of course he's just _that_ boneheaded" Raven smirked with a touch of fondness in her voice

"Dad!" Yang and Ruby rushed around the hole to pull their father into a hug, Gangrel let out a breath he hadn't realised he'd been holding as Rover placed a hand on his shoulder

"I trust you and you know I do Gang, but never ask me to do that again" he hulking Faunus nodded silently before raising his voice to get everyone's attention

"Okay we've got our way into the city, White Fang out four levels so it's going to be at least an eight storey drop. When we get down there we split up in teams and try and establish safe zones for civilians to fall back to. Let's move" he paused for a moment as Weiss squeezed his hand, looking down he saw the concern in her eyes

"Stay safe, I love you"

"I love you to and I'll try….You stay safe as well babe" moments later seventeen Hunters leapt into the chasm left by the Grimm tendril and entered the battle below.

* * *

Emerald let out a long shuddering gasp as her hands reflexively clenched. She and Mercury had been informed that they were almost alone in the manor, the only others present being Neo, Jade, Whitley, Oscar, Bjorn and Klein. It had been explained to them that the others were under the impression that there would be some trouble in one of the hive cities and that they were charged with the safety of the Manor, the night had so far proven uneventful which had led Emerald to her current position; in the room she shared with Mercury writhing in ecstasy, hands curling in in his shaggy grey hair while his head was nestled between her thighs reducing her to a quivering mess

"Merc, fuck yes right-" her sentence was cut short by a wordless moan, which gave way to a startled outburst and curses as the door to their room was opened and something was thrown at them before being slammed shut again. Grabbing the offending item Emerald realised it was Neo's Scroll, or more accurately the latest in a long line of Scrolls the mute had pilfered; a message had been typed for them

" _Get some clothes on ass-holes we've got incoming"_ Emerald clambered from the bed and began dressing herself hurriedly

"I can't believe her sometimes" the former thief grumbled "She couldn't have knocked?"

"Fuck it" Mercury shrugged as he fastened his boots "At least we gave her a show"

"Do you have no shame?" she laughed before rolling her eyes "In fact never mind forget I asked that" moments later the pair left their room and made their way down the hall, eventually finding Neo stood with Bjorn on the balcony that overlooked the entrance hall of the manor, turning to Gangrels' father Mercury asked

"So what's the situation?"

"This far into Upper Atlas all the landing pads are private we're higher than any of the military bases on the outside of the mountain, there's a Bull-Head coming our way that isn't responding to any attempts to contact it and we'd rather be safe than sorry" the Bear-Faunus explained

"Okay, where are the others?" Emerald asked

"Jade, Whitley and Oscar are in their rooms and don't know anything about it yet" Bjorn saw that Mercury was about to interrupt and raised a hand to silence him "I know what the Hunters said about him helping us defend the manor if it comes to that but the lad's fourteen, not on my watch. As for Klein he went into the basement and began preparing the Mantle sentinels they have here as security….Said he was going get his shotgun while he was down there"

"Wait; Klein said that?"

"He's simply one hell of a butler" Bjorn shrugged "Either way, load up and pick a vantage point. We don't let our guard down until we know for sure what's going on" with that the four of them readied their weapons and split up.

* * *

Cinder marched through the ruined city laying waste to everything in her path, through Salem she could open a portal to anywhere that was visible to the Grimm; she had stepped out of the portal in the depths of Lower Atlas, several hundred Beowolves snapping at her heels

"Bow before the True Maiden" Cinder cackled as she unleashed fire and lightning from her palms, sending civilians screaming while those that chose to oppose her, a handful of foolhardy White Fang grunts met their ends before the Grimm could even reach them. And still Cinder marched towards her objective, heading upwards through the levels of the Hive City while the Beowolves trailed behind her obediently, bound to her by the will of Salem. Her progress was halted by a large Deathstalker scuttling towards her, its' body possessing a greenish tinge; it paused seemingly sizing up the human in front of it before charging

"I've found you" Cinder smirked as power crackled around her fists and she unleashed a jet of flames from her palm, engulfing the Deathstalker before proceeding onwards, reaching the next level of the city she found what she sought; a long tendril snaking its' way into the street from above, thin capillaries extending outwards from it as it embedded itself into the ground

"Do your duty" Cinder ordered the Grimm, pointing at the tendril; the Beowolves ran forwards snapping and snarling and pounced upon the appendage. As they latched on and began biting and clawing at it Cinder watched in detached horror, the Beowolves began to dissipate but the black mist didn't fade away as was the norm instead it was seemingly inhaled by the tendril with began to shudder and spasm, uprooting itself as it absorbed the Grimm; Cinder cackled with manic glee at performing her mistresses bidding even as the voices of the Maidens she had devoured screamed in her mind. A rattling hiss behind her drew her attention, she turned with lightning crackling in her hand to face a pack of Grimm approaching her from behind, Grimm that walked on two legs with bladed tails swishing behind them. Cinder regarded the Shadow-stalkers and sensed a malevolent intelligence behind their eyes, extending her hand out to the head of the pack she allowed the symbiotic Grimm that resided within her to surface, its' mandibles clacking as the Shadow-stalker pressed its' snout against the smaller Grimm. Cinder smiled as the Shadow-stalkers bowed their heads to her, her twin Auras flaring into life as she strode past them back towards the depths of the Hive city

"Come, Mistress has need of you"

* * *

Coco unleashed a storm of bullets into the tide of Creeps before, Velvet stood next to her picking of larger Grimm, predominantly Deathstalkers and Infinipede with a glowing replica of Magnhild in its' Grenade launcher form; behind them Fox was covering the entrance to a supermarket filled with civilians fleeing from the countless Grimm swarming into the city, Yatsuhashi was situated on the roof his Semblance blasting any Grimm that manage to slip past Coco and Velvet

"How's that arm holding up?" Coco called up to him without looking away from the oncoming Grimm

"I'm fine Coco" he answered with a small smile as he launched a burst of sheer concussive force at an infinipede as it attempted to rear up, Coco had been caring for him since his injury in the escape from the Safe-Zone and while he knew she meant well there was a time and a place

"Reloading!" Coco called as she stepped behind Velvet and began feeding more ammunition into her gargantuan weapon; Velvet loaded a Fire Dust crystal into her weapon, the glowing blue replica weapon in her hand turning a vibrant shade of red when she fired next the resultant blasts engulfed Grimm by the score. As the weapon in her hands shifted back its' usual colour, the Dust crystal expending the last of its' energy Velvet watched as a single rocket propelled grenade arced towards the remaining Grimm before detonating against the carapace of a Deathstalker, Coco aimed newly reloaded Satani Arbor at the few remaining Grimm and opened fire while Velvet aimed Leporidae Rampant in the direction the projectile had come from

"Okay nice of you to help, now however it was come out" she demanded, painfully aware of the fact this city was currently the largest White Fang stronghold in Remnant. A few tense moments later a group of roughly two dozen White Fang grunts made their way out of a ruined building nearby that nobody in Team CFVY had been able to pay any mind to; among them was a Bear-Faunus with his mask removed, identifiable by the ears atop his head who was currently being held upright by two of his underlings, left leg reduced to a bloody stump below the knee and bleeding profusely from a wound in his chest

"Drop 'em!" one of the Grunts demanded indicating to their weapons as the White Fang raised their weapons

"You drop 'em" Coco countered with a snort as she aimed her mini-gun at them

"Everyone fucking drop 'em" the Bear-Faunus demanded, coughing up blood as he spoke "Fuck me I'm surrounded by idiots" the grunts around him reluctantly complied, Velvets' hard-light construct vanished as she stepped forward, Coco keeping her distance and steadfastly refusing to lower her weapon

"We need to get you to a medic" Velvet noted as she looked the man she assumed was a White Fang officer, he laughed in response

"I think that's a little redundant at this point. Besides, any Atlas doctors get a luck at me they'll let me die….I'm Teddy Russet, the highest White Fang officer left in Atlas" he informed her proudly

"Velvet Scarlatina, ex-White Fang captain" the Rabbit Faunus introduced herself "We have a lot of scared Faunus in there who can't defend themselves, there are other Hunter teams scattered around the city trying to create defensible positions to fall back to; we'll take any help we can get right now even if it's from you"

"Velvet what the fuck?" Coco gasped

"Fuck that traitor!" one of the grunts spat furiously "You're probably with Atlas!"

"Enough!" Teddy demanded, anyone looking at him could tell he didn't have long left "Go with ex-captain Scarlatina, we're here to protect Faunus and that you're gonna fucking do. No arguments" the White Fang grunts snapped to attention with a chorus of _'Yes boss'_ Teddy then turned to Velvet

"Adam had us rig charges and let Grimm into the other hive cities and the tunnel system between 'em. We were pretty well secured in Siebte but then Atlas launched their counter-attack, we've been so thinned out that plenty of them slipped past us"

"And now there's more Grimm coming in from above" Velvet concluded "We're pretty much surrounded, do the Atlesian military have a base set up?"

"The military?" the Grunt who objected before demanded incredulously

"Easier to defend a position when people with tanks and battle-suits are on your side" Velvet countered before calling up her Partner

"Yatsu, get down here and help Teddy"

"I'm not gonna-"

"We're not leaving you to die in the street" Velvet silenced him before turning to the grunts "I want all of you covering the civilians, we're heading wherever the Military have set up. Seemingly begrudgingly the White Fang did as she ordered them as Fox escorted those who had taken refuge in the supermarket out. Coco walked over and casually planted a kiss on the Rabbit-Faunus

"Pretty sure I was meant to be calling the shots"

"Sorry I-"

"Don't be you're hot as hell when you take control" Coco shot her a wink over her glasses "But are we sure we can trust 'em?" Velvet chewed her lip, giving away how nervous she truly was

"No but who are they more likely to try and kill, the Grimm that have flooded their home or the people that Hunt the Grimm"

"Fair point" Coco shrugged and with that the Hunters and White Fang, seemingly impossible allies set off towards relative safety.

* * *

The Bull-Head veered to the aside to avoid another volley of shots. Their arrival it seemed, had been anticipated

"Will you hold us steady, it's hard to concentrate when you fly like a drunkard" Watts' snapped while clutching his laptop steady, the screen was currently displaying a series of codes and programs that indecipherable to any of the members of The Absolution he currently shared the rear compartment of the craft with

"You should have stayed on the ship" the masked soldier Watts' assumed was in charge sneered "Actual fights get uncomfortable"

"Indeed" Watts rolled his eyes "And its' about to get more so if I can't focus judging by the signals I'm seeing" the craft lurched again

"Oh for-" Watts' was silenced by the pilot calling back in frustration

"One of those fuckers shooting at us from the windows is a crack shot, he's aiming straight at where he knows I'm sat. Trust me I'll fly worse with a hole in my- HOLY FUCK" he exclaimed as part of the grounds of the manor seemingly collapsed and folded in on themselves, a platform rising to the ground on which a trio of Mantle Sentinels were stood; the towering machines relics from a Kingdom that no longer existed

"Well!" the soldier in charge demanded of Watts "What are you waiting for? You're supposed to be able to hack these things?" the Bull-Head veered to the side as one of the Sentinels swiped at the craft with its' sword. Watts typed furiously, desperately trying to bring the machines under his control

"Can you do it or not?" The soldier demanded, Watts tried again and again before the realisation hit him

"They're too primitive" he tried to keep the bemused edge out of his voice "They're so old that none of my equipment is compatible with them"

"Fucking useless" the soldier growled as he unfastened his harness before turning to the dozen other well armed specialist soldiers aboard the Bull-Head as the rear hatch opened  
"Bomb the joints and get in the building, the grounds are a killing field. Go go go!" Watts snapped his laptop shut and made his way to the cockpit, watching with an impressed expression at how far the military equipment issued to Atlesian soldiers had improved since his time in the forces. Thrusters mounted over the soldiers shoulders drop-troop variant armour slowed their descent from the Bull-Head and steered them towards the towering robots, two died in their descent; the first killed by whoever was sniping from the windows, the second reduced to a gory paste by the sword of a Mantle Sentinel, the rest however succeeded in affixing charged to the neck and shoulder joints of the machines and leaping to the ground and sprinting towards the manor as the Sentinels were reduced to scrap metal when the charges detonated, another was gunned down before they made it inside. Watts' turned to the pilot with a raised eyebrow

"Perhaps it would be best to move back to a safer distance"

* * *

Salem let out a gasp, her breathing shallow and eyes rolling back in her head as a tremor passed through her body. Collapsing into her throne she reached into the hive consciousness of the Grimm she found the source of the sudden disturbance in her psyche and a twisted smile split her face. Cinder had succeeded in her task, the Grimm the False Maiden had taken with her to Atlas were always intended to be fed to what the humans had dubbed 'Project Hexxus' with each Beowolf absorbed by the tendrils more of Salem's essence found its' way into the Grimm and now it was fully part of the hive

"Welcome home my child" Salem cooed, spreading her consciousness through the Grimm currently in Atlas her breath caught in her chest once again as she felt another familiar presence

"And another of my lost children" the hissed before concentrating Outwardly it appeared that her body was melting, the pulsating black veins beneath her flesh bursting and black ooze leaking from her flesh as her body as she liquidised. Salem smiled the whole time.

* * *

Taiyang, Qrow and Raven cleaved through Grimm by the score, the sheer volume of them indicating that they were on the right path. Each of the Hunter teams had headed in a different direction when they had made their landing in the city and hadn't been in contact with each other since

"Qrow, Raven and I have got this under control" Taiyang told his old team-mate as his a wide swing of his mace smeared a Creep across the nearest wall "Fly back to our entry point and go find the girls"

"Tai" Qrow grunted as his Scythe carved through an infinipede in a single swing "We have work to do here, I'm no happier about this than you are but both of them are more than capable of taking care of themselves" he punctuated the sentence by shifting into his avian form as a Deathstalker lunged at him, returning to his natural state atop the beast before burying his blade in its' back

"Yang is unstoppable when she's angry" Raven noted "And if Ruby can learn to tap into her powers at will she will turn the tide of any battle" she almost casually decapitated a pair of Creeps before leading the way towards where the Grimm had been coming from. No sooner had the root like tendril worming its' way deeper into the city come into view than Raven dropped to her knees, her sword clattering to the ground as she clutched her head howling in agony

"She's here!" the masked Huntress screamed "She's here you have to run!"

"Raven!" Tai rushed to her side "Qrow what's wrong with her?" Raven pushed him back

"Get away from me….Tai, please just run" a new voice interrupted them

"Hello my child" Salem's body was still forming itself as she stepped forth from the tendril of what had originally been Project Hexxus, Raven was reduced to silently convulsing on the floor as the symbiotic Grimm within her responded to Salem's presence

"GET AWAY FROM MY SISTER!" Qrow roared as he rushed forwards sword at the ready, Taiyang charged behind him. Salem caught Qrow and threw him aside with unnatural strength, his body crashing through the wall of a nearby building. Taiyang swung Huanglong at her with devastating force, the blow resulting in a sickening crack that left her neck hanging at an impossible angle. Salem smiled, her head pulled itself back into place as her body repaired the damage, she grabbed the blonde Huntsman by the throat and threw him aside before stepping towards her prize, dark tendrils blossoming from her fingertips as she reached Raven and began stripping away the armour of her right gauntlet. Raven screamed as the symbiote Grimm burst forth from her flesh as Salem forced more of her own essence into it

"It's time to come home my child" with those words Raven fell silent. Salem strode back towards the tendril she had materialised herself from wearing a victorious smile. By the time Qrow and Taiyang pulled themselves to their feet and rushed back to Raven the abomination had left

"Raven! Raven are you okay?" Qrow asked only to have fling himself to the side as his sister slashed at this throat with her sword and open a portal behind herself which she then stepped through, vanishing.

* * *

The attackers had made their way into the manor, that was surprising to the defenders but not insurmountable. The eight soldiers that remained had split up once inside seemingly searching for someone, it was not hard to guess who. To respond to the threat, Mercury, Emerald, Bjorn and Klein had split up and began hunting the attackers using a series of hidden passageways to turn the tables against them leaving Neo, the most proficient killer amongst them to guard the room that the children had been moved to; which led her to her current problem

"I'm not hiding in a spare room sitting on my hands while you make an old guy deal with people with guns!" Oscar roared, voice cracking with puberty as he did so "I have been in actual battles before" Neo typed out her response

 _'I know you'd rather fight. I'd rather go and kill them myself but I gave my word I'd keep you all safe. This isn't up for discussion'_

"Just say I slipped past you or something, I've been getting trained by Hunters" Oscar pleaded, Neo typed a response and made to hand the Scroll for the boy to read it only to punch him in the temple when he tried to grab it, catching him as he fell to the floor unconscious she dragged him to the room where Whitley was trying to soothe a crying Jade, the young Faunus' entire body beginning to glow with a vivid green light as the powers of the Spring Maiden responded to her unchecked emotions. Neo shrugged apologetically at Whitley as she deposited Oscar on the ground and shut the door behind her, tipping Romans' old hat back to stop it from obscuring her eyes she shifted the Disturbed Garfunkel to its' death-ray mode and waited, knowing that Oscars' outburst had told their attackers exactly where to find them. Soon enough they came, a pair of soldiers in black armour carrying weapons that looked to be of a higher calibre than the standard Atlesian solder; the first died with a flash of light as Neo's weapon punched a hole through his chest. The remaining soldier opened fire, Neo deployed her weapon and deflected shot after shot, bullets ripping though the walls of the hallway until the weapon clicked empty; seeing her opportunity Neo rushed forwards to skewer the soldier who proved to be less helpless than he seemed as he swung the butt of his rifle at her face, the diminutive mute dropped to her knees and slid under the attack before planting her blade into the floor and in a show of acrobatic ability performing a handstand on the hilt of her weapon, wrapping her legs around her opponents throat and throwing him over her. The soldier rolled down the hallway before staggering to his feet and managing to load a fresh magazine into his weapon, eyes widening in shock as the hallway seemed to be filled with countless copies of the girl he was fighting, with a roar of sheer fury he unloaded, after images shattering like glass as the rushed relentlessly towards him until another sound split the air, a childlike scream. Neo's focus broke, the illusions created by her Semblance shattering as she turned to face the door to the room that she had hidden the children in, a horror stricken expression forming on her face as she saw where the Gravity Dust based armour piercing rounds had ripped through wood and plaster. Through the haze of rage and grief Neo became aware of a green light filling the hallway, looking down at her own trembling hands she saw that she herself was the source of the light. Everything made sense in her mind, Winter had briefed them as to how the Maidens' powers worked; Jade was dead. Neo had been the last person on the little girls' mind and she failed. Turning to face the soldier who had been stood rooted to the ground in silent terror since Neo had begun to glow she gave a silent scream of fury before launching herself at him, his armour was little use against the power of the Spring Maiden as she plunged her blade through his chest over and over until her arms refused to co-operate any more. Dragging herself to her feet she staggered towards the door dreading what she would see when she opened it. The door creaked open revealing devastation, Oscar had been unharmed and Neo caught sight of herself in the last unbroken plane of glass in the window, her eyes had shifted to a new colour, the same vivid shade of green as the Spring Maidens' Aura. There was blood staining the wall and casting her eyes downwards she saw that Whitley had been struck in the left shoulder but paid no mind to his own injuries as he clutched the limp form of Jade Rangifer to him, her cardigan stained with blood where a stray bullet had hit her in the chest. The youngest Schnee looked up at her, tears streaming down his face and told Neo what she already knew was the case

"She's dead"

* * *

Winter watched tactical displays and readouts regarding the situation on the ground and the air around her. Teams of soldiers that had previously been sent into Eisenstadt Siebte to deal with the White Fang were periodically checking in with her to inform her of the situation below the ground. The tactical display showed several blue dots of varying sizes indicating Atlesian warships and Bull-Heads and red dots indicating airborne Grimm; the Grimm outnumbered them at least four to one, the situation fluctuating as Bull-Heads were dragged down by Grimm who were in turn vaporised by the weapons of the larger ships.

"Ma'am" Matte Skye got her attention "Report from unit four-eight-nine, stationed below ground" Winter nodded and answered the comm, the sounds of gunfire and screeching Grimm filled the bridge of the Schleier Der Tranen

"This is lieutenant Stehlen reporting in"

"What's your situation solder?" Winter demanded

"Speaking freely Ma'am it's fucking crazy down here" the soldier answered her "The Grimm are everywhere but we've established a safe zone. We have Hunters and White Fang fighting alongside us"

"Say again soldier" Winter stared at the speaker in confusion, she couldn't possibly have heard that right

"White Fang fighters have allied themselves with our forces, as have Hunters. We'll be able to hold the line Ma'am"

"Understood" Winter fought to keep the incredulity at the news of the impromptu alliance out of her voice

"We have another incoming transmission" Matte informed her, Winter nodded for her to accept the transmission

"Operative Schnee, this is captain Sonne of the Schlossbrecher. We have type seven Dust missiles primed and ready. Requesting permission to fire ma'am?" Winter remained silent for a moment, watching the tactical display as Bull-heads scrambled from the newly arriving warship only to be swarmed by the Grimm

"Permission granted captain, fire on those tendrils that are spawning Grimm"

"Yes Ma'am" Winter turned away from the tactical display for a moment and watched from the main window of her ship as scores of missiles raced towards the Grimm tendrils emerging from the ground. Type seven Dust missiles were a relatively new combination of Ice and Gravity Dust. Explosion rocked the ground below as they impacted, the tendrils withered and curled in on themselves as ice spread across their surfaces at an alarming rate

"ALL SHIPS FIRE ON THE TENDRILS!" Winter bellowed into the comm, the night sky was set alight by hundreds of weapons being fired simultaneously. The tendrils shattering and dissipating, their ability to regenerate finally halted, the comm was filled with cheers

"EVERYONE STAND READY!" Winter bellowed

"Ma'am" one of her own crew called to her, voice clearly panicked "Seismic activity detected below"

"That Grimm was functioning as a spawning pool" Winter informed the other captains "We all know what happens when a spawning pool is destroyed" the exclamations of horror over the comm were drowned out by the sound of the earth shattering. The Grimm that emerged was monstrous that dwarfed even the Dragon from Vale, its' body resembled that of a beetle, if beetles were large enough for the warships above to use them as a landing pad. The entirety of its' back was covered in bone armour several feet thick, it's head sported a horn that extended into the air and a pair of crushing mandibles, with which it proceeded to clamp down on a tank with enough force to cause the hull to implode. Fighters streaked overhead, their strafing runs having no effect other to enrage the beast which responded by raising its' abdomen, sections that would have been wing casings on the insect the Grimm resembled slid aside and the pulpy black flesh beneath began to glow from within; a deep greenish blue that pulsated as the Grimms' legs sunk into the ground seemingly anchoring it. The Grimm screeched as it unleashed a stream of light from its' rear directly at one of the larger warships, Winter watched in horror as its' shields overloaded in seconds and the beam of light burned through the entirety of the vessel which in turn began to fall from the air

"Ma'am….Winter" Matte Skye looked on in abject terror, squeezing Winter's hand in her own "How do we fight that?" Winter turned to face her

"I don't think we can"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay this chapter probably broke some hearts and I won't apologise because that would be disingenuous, the next chapter is going to be just as bad if not worse. The next two chapters will wrap of the Vol.5 arc of this story, the story as a whole is going to have seven or eight arcs.

If you want to be spoiled as to who has plot armour and who doesn't I wrote a story for the _'RWBY Big Bang'_ project called _'Our Happy Ever After'_ /s/12367693/1/Our-Happy-Ever-After Set within the same time line as this story but ten years into the future it's also an introduction to some characters who will be in my next multi chapter project.

Also I've changed the formatting to match the way that my Beta-reader Air Force Muffin does things (Thank you once again)

Now let's summarise:

Yeah Winter is a bad-ass and I've shown that several times, but if Project Hexxus doesn't scare you then you're just crazy.

Yes Penny's Bull-Head has autopilot, but it's not as good of a pilot as she is and would probably have been ripped out of the sky by that many Grimm.

That's not the first time Ruby has had a logic leap ex-machina.

Rover using his Speed (which is probably orders of magnitude faster than Ruby at this point) to throw someone with a momentum based Semblance at a Grimm = total devastation.

Mild Merc and Em smut, because y'know what I needed some levity in this chapter and we all secretly love it.

"Simply one hell of a butler" because references.

Project Hexxus was a Grimm spawning pit detached from the Grimm hive mind, Cinder fed Beowolves into it and when they dissipated they reformed the connection with Salem.

Teddy Russet was one of Adam's Generals in Atlas, he stayed behind when the others evacuated.

White Fang willingly working alongside Hunters and Atlesian military, the apocalypse makes for some strange bedfellows.

If Weiss could beat one of those knights in the white trailer, a team of well trained and properly equipped soldiers that had at least a rough idea of what to expect should be able to deal with three.

Well, that happened to Raven.

Okay I had Neo knock Oscar out because it's hard to have a life or death fight when one side has access to someone who can warp time.

Jade was always planned to die, Neo was always intended to get the Spring Maiden powers, this isn't the original plan I had for how it would happen; the original plan was worse and I genuinely didn't want to write it.

You think Atlas doesn't have giant Ice Dust missiles? Why wouldn't they have those?

Yeah, when you destroy a spawning pit you get big beasties, we've been through this already with the Gojirex. This particular monstrosity I'm calling the coloniser, think a cross between a stag and Hercules beetle then make it a million times bigger; also its' entire rear end is a weapon that can blow a warship out of the air. (Blame Starship Troopers)

Thank you to MarianTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter.

Your terror was justified.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	93. 93: Darkness My Old Friend

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 93: Darkness My Old Friend**

Ruby span and swung Crescent Rose out in a wide arc, ripping through Grimm flesh with ease as the monsters attempted to get behind them. A single remaining Creep hissed and snarled in defiance only for its' head to explode in a spray of dark mist, Ruby turned to see Blake with the right half of Ember Celica around her arm

"You really need a new weapon for when we're fighting up close like this" the scythe wielder noted before turning her attention to Weiss and Yang who were clearing a path ahead, Weiss's glyphs forcing the approaching Grimm into a tight formation which was promptly filled with a jet of Aura fuelled flames from Yang's palm

"The road's clear" the blonde called back to them

"Keep moving forward" Ruby instructed "The weird Grimm tentacles might be gone but whatever it was that shook the whole city can't be good" with nods of agreement Team RWBY pushed on, finding little resistance as they made their way through the battle scarred streets. They had assisting a team of soldiers in Paladin Battle-suits attempting to tackle one of the snaking tendrils of Project Hexxus when they had seen it dissolve, their momentary relief ended by the sound of the subterranean city shaking and countless crashes and explosions.

"I hear something ahead" Blake warned them

"Me and Weiss can take point" Ruby answered, Weiss revved Stardust's engine pushing the Dust ATV forward as Ruby activated her Semblance to keep pace with the vehicle. The pair of them sped through the streets, Blake and Yang behind them until they came to a stop at the sight of a chasm that had been torn into the city; streets seemed to simply end and looking down one could see where several levels of Eisenstadt Siebte had collapsed in on themselves. Rubys' hand flew to her mouth at the sight of the devastation, she knew the death-toll would be catastrophic

"Gangrel!" Ruby came to her senses at the sound of Weiss's voice, looking across the chasm she saw that Gangrel Slate, Rover Tan and Artemis Blush were locked in combat with roughly a dozen Deathstalkers

"Gangrel get down!" Weiss ordered as she formed a small glyph in her hand and hurled it towards the Grimm, the Bear-Faunus teleported away allowing the buzz-saw like projectile to cut through its' target

"Thanks babe" Gangrel answered almost nonchalantly while turning his attention and weapons to another Grimm. Not to be outdone Ruby shifted Crescent Rose to its' rifle form and activated her Semblance, time slowing to a crawl in her perception as she let of four shots in rapid succession, each of them finding their mark in the skull of a monster

"Hole-y shit" the pun alerted Ruby to Yang and Blake's arrival. An echoing crack signalled Gangrel teleporting over to their side of the chasm, he immediately pulled Weiss into a hug and planted a kiss on the top of her head before addressing Team RWBY as a whole

"I'm guessing you came to see what the noise was and found this as well?" Ruby nodded silently, watching as Weiss sent a glyph across the hole for Rover and Artemis to use as a platform across

"Atlas don't have a weapon that can do this" the Bear-Faunus indicated upwards and Ruby's jaw fell once again, the sky was visible overhead as if something had burrowed into the city, or out

"We didn't think they had a weaponised Grimm spawning pit either" Blake added, her expression one of pure disgust"

"Fair point" Gangrel noted "But Grimm spawning pits tend to cough up something extra nasty when they get destroyed and Atlas's final fuck you was acting as a spawning pit"

"Then we need to get up there!" Yang exclaimed, eyes fixed on the night sky above where signs of an aerial battle could still be seen

"How?" Artemis asked

"I can make a Glyph big enough for all of us" Weiss answered before creating the platform in question. The seven Hunters braced themselves as they ascended, the sounds of a cataclysmic battle above drawing ever closer until they reached the surface and stepped onto solid ground once more; all eyes drawn to the monstrosity before them, an insect Grimm larger than the warships that were attempting to fight it. They looked on in horror as a flock of Griffins managed to tear free the right wing mounted engine from one of the Bull-Heads' still in the air, the pilot unwilling to die in vain sent their craft crashing into the giant Grimm but failing to cause any discernible damage, the Griffins that had mauled the craft found themselves under fire from another Bull-Head, one with much greater armaments

"Penny!" Ruby cried as the copper haired girls' fighter passed overhead. The monstrous insect Grimm chose to respond to the threat by anchoring it's limbs into the ground before raising its' abdomen, the entirety of which seemed to form a weapon and firing. Penny's Bull-Head rolled out of the way of the blast which instead collided with the shields of an Atlesian warship, the shields began to fluctuate under the strain before giving out

"WE HAVE TO DO SOMETHING!" Ruby yelled

"What are we supposed to do to that thing?" Yang demanded, the normally fearless blonde seemingly awestruck by the sheer scale of this threat

"Anything we can!" the younger Huntress spat before charging forwards, weaving through the remains of tanks towards the Grimm, the remaining members of Team RWBY and GRAP followed her without hesitation.

* * *

"Are we ready to move?" Jaune demanded as he slashed the claw of a Deathstalker, removing it from the beasts' body, the rest of the Deathstalker was promptly introduced to Magnhild; Ren could be seen nearby unloading the Storm-Flowers into oncoming Grimm

"Almost, just a few more stragglers" the nearest soldier to them answered. After the various teams had split up the three of them had attached themselves to a squad of Atlesian soldiers who had originally been infiltrating the city with the aid of Faunus who didn't want to live under White Fang rule as part of the effort to re-take it; when the Grimm had begun pouring into the city they had realised that they were nearer to a bus depot than any of the established fall back points and had begun loading civilians onto the buses to transport them to safety.

"Okay we're ready to go, let's move!" the soldier called, Jaune in turn beckoned to Ren and Nora

"We're gonna be on top of the buses to deal with any Grimm that try and take a shot at the convoy while it's moving"

"Aye captain!" Nora bounced on the balls of her feet and gave a playful salute before running and leaping onto the roof of the first bus to leave the depot

"We might just see the end of this" Ren noted with a weak smile

"The soldiers are saying Team CFVY showed up and rallied the White Fang, so anything can happen" Jaune agreed with a nod before Ren leapt onto the roof of a bus, Jaune waited until the last bus filled with evacuees left the depot before jumping onto its' roof. The convoy made its' way through the streets navigating the ruined building and debris for almost thirty minutes without incident, Jaune took that as a sign that the tide of the battle may be turning in the defenders' favour; then he heard the odd rattling hiss, seconds later the Grimm were upon them pouring from buildings on the left side of the road seemingly aware enough to target the bus drivers specifically. Jaune deployed the flame-throwers of Dragonslayer and incinerated Grimm while the sound of gunfire and explosions ahead indicated that Ren and Nora were similarly engaged, while soldiers stationed on the buses aimed their rifles from the window and opened fire on the attacking Shadow-Stalkers

"TELL THE DRIVERS TO STEP ON IT!" Jaune bellowed to anyone who would listen; the convoy began to pick up speed putting distance between themselves and the remaining Grimm, before he could let out a sigh of relief the blonde saw something that made his blood run cold while at the same time forced a furious snarl of unfettered hatred from his lips; Cinder Fall was stood atop the roof of a nearby building, identifiable by the twin glowing Auras around her as she launched a stream of flames into a building Jaune could only assume people were trapped in

"Ren!" he bellowed "You and Nora protect the convoy" before his friend could reply he shifted Dragonslayer into its' jet-pack mode and took to the air, racing towards the monster who had murdered Pyrrha and unleashing a wordless battle cry; Cinder turned to face him only to be tackled from the roof and ploughed into the street, before Jaune could press the attack the False Maiden kicked him away from her and returned to her feet, Jaune readied his sword and shield and the two stared at each other in silence for a moment

"You" Cinder rasped out, her voice having never fully recovered from the damage Ruby had inflicted upon her in Vale "She screams the loudest when you're here; perhaps it's time to silence both of you" with that they rushed at each other.

* * *

"I'm going to hold it still!" Weiss shouted to the rest of the Hunters on the ground trying to fight the Monstrous Grimm that Project Hexxus had spawned before speeding off on Stardust, leaping from the vehicle as she reached the gigantic mandibles and landing in a crouch

"WEISS WAIT!" Ruby screamed as the Grimm seemed to take notice of her, eyes widened in shock as her partners' body was engulfed in an icy blue glow, her summoned knight forming itself around her larger than it had ever been summoned before and grabbing the mandibles of the Grimm responding to her movements

"Whoa" Ruby mouthed out utterly stunned by the display of sheer power

"Oum damn I love that woman" Gangrel added, similarly stunned before coming to his senses and taking charge of the situation "Rover, Ruby get up there and help her out, put the damn things' eyes out! Blake, Yang, Missy we're gonna see if it's got any weak points!" with that he sprinted forwards, three Huntresses behind him as Rover and Ruby sped ahead running vertically along the Grimms' body

"Can't Ruby and Rover just phase into it?" Yang asked as she unleashed fire from her palm and shells from her gauntlets into the Grimms' fleshy underside

"Rover tried that with the Dragon" Artemis answered over the sound of Hakai Suru "Some Grimm are just too big, this is definitely one of them"

"Well let's hope it's at least feeling these" Gangrel snarled as he unloaded Gravity Dust armour piercing rounds into the Grimm with Blake next to him firing her gauntlet; their attacks ripped through the Grimm matter only for it to regenerate seconds later, proving to be little more effective than the warships overhead were in their efforts to break its' armoured carapace. The Grimm lurched forwards as it pushed Weiss back a step, attempting to thrash in head as its' eyes healed from Ruby and Rover's attacks only to be punctured again. The entire underbelly of the Grimm seemed to convulse and Gangrel had a split second to react

"MOVE" he teleported from under the beast as his allies leapt aside a split second before the ground was shredded by countless eight foot long bone spikes launched from the Grimms' body like spears

"Well it felt them!" Artemis called over to her team-leader with a manic cackle "Got any other bright ideas?" Gangrel's reply was halted by the sound of an ear splitting screech from the Grimm as it flung its' head to the side throwing Weiss's summon to the ground where it shattered revealing Weiss struggling to rise, blood pouring from her nose and ears with the strain of maintaining a construct of such a scale. Ruby and Rover rushed to the ground to grab the downed Huntress before reappearing next to their comrades

"We need a new plan or we're all gonna die here" Rover gasped clutching a stitch in his side

"Ruby can you pull this trick you've apparently got up you're sleeve?" Gangrel asked

"I've never been able to control it" she lamented, Gangrel growled in frustration as the Grimm turned its' attention to another warship before contacting Winter's ship

"Winter I need you drop your shields for a second and open one of your hangers, doesn't matter which. I might have an idea….at this point anything is worth a try"

"Gangrel what are you doing?" Weiss asked as she wiped blood from her nose with the back of her hand, the Bear-Faunus turned his attention to the ships remaining in the air picking out the Schleier Der Tranen before answering

"Something I'm probably gonna regret" he admitted before teleporting.

* * *

Adam attempted to brace himself against the wall of his cell with his remaining hand while silently wondering what was happening outside, all he knew what that the ship was lurching constantly and that the lighting occasionally flickered; none of the explanations he could think of boded well for him in current state, trapped, unarmed and deprived of access to his Aura. His remaining eye darted to the door while the damaged cybernetics of his left sparked in protest as the door to the brig opened brow creasing in confusion as Gangrel stepped into view, the Bull-Faunus found his attention drawn to the item in his former friends' hand; Wilt

"What's going on?" he demanded

"We need your help" Gangrel admitted, Adam stared at him in confusion for a few seconds before a mocking laugh escaped his lips

"How desperate do you have to be to come to me?" the laughter trailed off at the sight of the genuinely scared expression on Gangrel's face; he'd seen a lot of expressions on the Bear-Faunus' face in the almost thirteen years they had known each other, fear was rarely one of them

"Those racist humans that Cadmus Ferrus recruited have taken a leaf out of your book and set Grimm on the city, the difference is their Grimm is something we can't fight"

"I get it now" Adam sneered "You want me to use my Semblance-"

"Those are your people down there Adam!" Gangrel roared "Eisenstadt Siebte was where you planted your flag and now the Military, Hunters and the White Fang are fighting to save it are you really gonna be the only person sitting around doing nothing just to be fucking spiteful?" Adam shook with silent rage at the accusation before snapping

"Get this collar off of me and give me my damn sword back" Gangrel vanished, reappearing in the cell and ripping the Aura dampening collar away by hand before returning Adam's weapon to him and drawing his own, the Bull-Faunus' Aura flared into life enveloping him in a deep crimson glow as he slashed outwards, tearing the cell that had held him apart.

Adam and Gangrel stood side by side in one of the hangars of Winter's vessel, Adam looked down at the Grimm that had burst its' way from the city the White Fang had claimed in stunned disbelief, the burning wreckage of the latest ship to fall to its' wrath slowly crashing to the ground

"They unleashed this on people….on purpose?" Adam asked in a horrified whisper

"Pot; meet kettle" Gangrel snorted before leaping from the hangar, triggering his Semblance as he fell. He reappeared with a crack on the monsters' back planting his sword between two of the chitinous plates to steady himself and contacting Weiss

"Gangrel what are you planning?" she demanded, clearly distraught. Adam landed in a crouch nearby

"Just fall back, I'm not planning anything too crazy but just in case. I love you"

"In love with a fucking Schnee, where's your self respect" Adam spat venously before bringing Wilt overhead and sending an arcing wave of his Semblance outwards, the attack collided with one of the Grimms' many jointed legs and sheared through it without resistance. Gangrel readied Breaker and opened fire, blasting a series of rapidly healing craters into the armour of the Grimm

"It regenerates?" Adam demanded incredulously as the leg he had severed began to bubble and re-form. The Grimm let loose a deafening scream as its' abdomen opened out before firing yet again burning through the front of yet another warship, sending the ruined vessel crashing into the mountain that housed the city

"NOT MY PEOPLE!" He roared in a berserk rage slashing downwards furiously, each of his strokes sending a wave of crimson into the body of his target, ripping deep gashes into Grimm flesh only for them to begin healing almost instantly until he collapsed with exhaustion, turning to Gangrel to find that the Bear-Faunus had run out of ammunition and was wearing an expression of utter hopelessness

"Adam, if you can't kill I don't think anything else will….everyone's going to die"

"No!" the Bull-Faunus roared as he rose to his feet, Aura blazing around him "I did not go through all of it for this, I didn't go to war and sacrifice so many good Faunus just for the everything we carved out for ourselves to be destroyed by a single Grimm, THIS ENDS NOW!" Gangrel's eyes widened in shock as with a scream of rage Adam brought Wilt over head before spinning the blade downwards and driving it through his own chest. The carapace around him cratered as his entire body began to crackle with scarlet lightning

"What the fuck are you doing?" Gangrel demanded

"You know how my Semblance works" Adam grunted out. Gangrel nodded, Adam grew more powerful the more negative emotions he felt; rage, fear, pain and desperation fuelled him

"Oh" Gangrel realised what Adam had done and what was about to happen, Adam's Aura flickered and crackled as it became unstable, with a pained snarl the Bull-Faunus ripped Wilt free from his chest and handed it to his old friend

"Give that to Blake" he managed to cough out as he dropped to his hands and knees, entire body seeming to be lit from within by his Semblance, the remains of his cybernetic arm glowing with heat. Gangrel looked at the sword in confusion, earning himself a derisive snort

"She needs a new sword apparently, she based her old weapon on that. I'd rather it was put to some use instead of sitting in an evidence room somewhere"

"Any last words?" Gangrel asked, trying to fight the mixture of emotions welling up within him, Adam had allowed himself to become a monster and find justifications for every atrocity he committed, but he had been the Bear-Faunus' oldest friend and now he was dying from a self inflicted wound in front of him

"You want me ask you to tell them I'm sorry" Adam sneered, his week laugh cut off by a coughing fit that left blood flecking the bone white armour of the Grimm "I'm not. I did it all for the cause and I'd do it all again….I knew you'd come back in the end"

"I-"

"Just go!" Adam spat the Bear Faunus off, knowing he had no time before the energy building up inside of him would have to be released

"Goodbye Adam" Gangrel made to teleport a fraction of a second too late, a sphere of crimson extended outwards consuming everything in it's path as Adam Taurus died the way he had lived; inflicting his rage on everything around him at the cost of people he cared about.

* * *

"Oh my Oum" Artemis whispered as she alongside Rover and Team RWBY watched from the relatively safe position they had fallen back to and were left awestruck by the sphere of light that consumed the monstrous Grimm, leaving nothing from which to regenerate

"That was Adam" Blake gasped, recognising the signature attack

"Gangrel was up there" Weiss gave a single sob "No, please no"

"I'm getting him" Rover snarled, before he could move an echoing crack sounded out and the six of them turned to see Gangrel staggering towards them; their relieved greetings gave way to silent horror however

"Hey" he managed to slur out, obviously disoriented before throwing a red bladed Katana to Blake that the feline knew intimately "He wanted you to have it-" whatever else Gangrel wished to add was silenced as he collapsed into the snow, steam rising where his burned flesh made contact while his friends looked mortified by the fact there was a bloody stump below his left shoulder where his arm should have been.

* * *

Jaune crashed into a wall, flung back by the force of Cinder's kick to his chest, his muscles screamed in protest as struggled to stagger to his feet. The False Maiden could have landed a dozen fatal blows on him in the space of their fight if not for some unseen force acting on his own weapons and armour, pulling his sword and shield into place to deflect an attack faster than he could have reacted or simply pushing him out of the way of Cinder's stolen powers

"You are an infuriating little pest" Cinder mocked twirling her crystalline swords while she stalked towards him, eyes blazing with the golden and magenta light of the Fall and Summer Maidens. Jaune charged forwards once more and aiming an overhand slash at his adversaries' face; Cinder stepped back gracefully and in a single fluid motion parried the strike with her left sword while making to stab at his gut with her right; a dark Aura enveloped the chest plate of Jaune's armour and hurled him away from the oncoming attack once again

"She can't protect you forever, she already fell to my power!" Cinder screamed as she launched herself at the blonde Hunter, her swords clanging against his shield as he blocked; with a snarl of frustration she channelled the Fall Maidens' power through her swords, bolts of lightning launching Jaune across the street to land in a smoking heap, electricity crackling across his armour

"After I beat you" Jaune grunted in pain "I'm to take whatever it is of Pyrrha that's left, whatever it is you stole and bring her back"  
"YOU FOOLISH BOY!" Cinder shrieked "THE FALL MAIDEN IS DEAD, SHE DIED BY MY HAND! A FATE YOU WILL SHARE SOON ENOUGH!" As she spoke she channelled the powers of the Summer Maiden, a miniature sun forming at the tip of the sword in her right hand. Cinder unleashed her attack at the same moment Jaune charged, shield covering his face; Dragonslayer began to glow from the heat instantly but the Huntsman pushed on relentlessly, his substantial Aura being rapidly depleted. Jaune reached Cinder and swung out with his left arm, backhanding the False Maiden across the face with his shield, Cinder attempted to stab at his throat with her right only for Jaune's sword, wrapped in the darkness of Pyrrha's Semblance lashed out. Cinder screamed in agony as her hand dropped the floor. Jaune watched in detached horror as the flesh of the severed hand burst open as the head of a Grimm burrowed its' way out only to begin to fade away; the moment of hesitation proved costly as Jaune felt something plunge into him, looking down he saw that Cinders' remaining sword had been buried in his gut below his armour

"And this is how it ends" Cinder hissed as she ripped the blade free leaving Jaune to drop to his knees, blood flowing freely through his fingers as he clutched at the wound. Cinder stood over him wearing an evil smile

"She would have been proud of you" the False Maiden taunted "But even she knew that my victory was inevitable, she believed in destiny" overcome with rage Jaune lunged to his feet, Cinder had not time to react before his sword found itself buried in her chest, piercing her heart. Blood dripping from his mouth he brought his lips to her ear to ensure she heard  
"Her name was Pyrrha Nikos and she believed in me" with that he withdrew his blade and watched Cinder Fall collapse to the floor, body beginning to crack and fracture as the remains of the parasitic Grimm within her drained away what little life force remained. Jaune sank to the ground slowly coughing blood into his hands, realising he didn't have long left as his vision began to dim. He watched as Cinder's body began to dissolve particles scattering leaving nothing but her dress and crystalline swords behind. Jaune's eyes widened as from the scattering remains two beings formed, the first glowed a vibrant magenta and seemed to let loose a silent scream of rage before disintegrating, the trapped spirit of Rodakino the Summer Maiden passed on. The second figure made of glowing gold stepped forward. Jaune looked at the spirit of Pyrrha Nikos and managed to utter his last words with a smile on his face as the two of them passed into whatever afterlife awaited them together

"Hello again"

 **Authors Notes:**

I'm sorry, I'm so fucking sorry, I really am.  
Takes a deep breath. Okay, that happened. Next chapter is the wrap up of Vol.5, this story will not get as bleak as the last two chapters have been until the endgame.

Now let's summarise:  
Chapter title is a reference to the "Hello darkness my old friend" Gangrel's first lines to Adam in this story, it seemed fitting.  
Yeah Penny was one of the fighter pilots in the air, she's fine we'll see her next chapter.  
Weiss created her summon around herself and controlled it directly, think like the X-Men character 'Armour'.  
No Grimm that big and scary is going to have such an obvious weakness as 'no armour on its' underside'.  
Ruby has little to no control over her Silver Eyes because let's be honest they remove most if not all of the tension from fighting Grimm.  
However, if Silver Eyes are unavailable Adam's 'Anti-everything' Semblance may work as a substitute.  
Yes Adam is evil, but he's motivated evil. Everything he's done has been for the Faunus and in apocalyptic situation like that it doesn't matter whose side everyone is on. He will do anything to protect his people.  
Adam's final attack is a self destruct. I knew this was how he was going to go out from the start, I hinted at it in Vol.2, he was preparing to wipe half of the centre of Vale off the map before Raven stopped him at the breach.  
Blake now has half of Ember Celica and Wilt but not Blush.  
Gang and Yang will be giving each other robot fist-bumps in Vol.6  
I'm sorry, I always knew I was going to kill Jaune. I honestly can't imagine a happy ending for him without Pyrrha so this was the next best thing I could give him.  
Cinder's last words were admittedly bad-ass.  
Jaune's last words were heartbreaking even as I wrote them.

Thank you to MarianTheLibrarian22 for the review on the last chapter.  
Marian also asked me on Tumblr how it could possibly get worse….I hope you're satisfied.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	94. 94: Pick Up The Pieces

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 94: Pick Up The Pieces**

Fagin Grey sat in the living room of his penthouse apartment in Vaccuo in a disarray, he had been in the middle of getting dressed with the television providing background noise until he heard the news of the attack on Lower Atlas and sunk into his sofa with his eyes transfixed on the screen as a wave of numb disbelief crashed over him. Lisa Lavender was showing footage of a truly immense Grimm which seemed to be winning a battle against the Atlesian fleet and while not from Eisenstadt Siebte specifically as an Atlesian the Rat Faunus was shaken to his core; _'If it could happen to the hive cities then it could happen anywhere'_ he realised

"The nature of the weapon deployed against the Grimm is unknown" the reporter told the camera in the even and detached voice "But experts examining our exclusive footage of the incident tell us it's unlike any Dust based weapon they have sever seen" the image cut away to shaky footage obviously filmed on a Scroll by some thrill seeker with an impressive combination of bravery and stupidity. Fagin mouthed a silent string of curses to himself as he watched the monstrosity that the media had taken to calling the Coloniser be consumed by a sphere of crackling crimson light that obliterated everything in it's path

"The Atlesian Military are refusing to give a statement or answer any questions at this time or confirm reports that members of the insurgent group the White Fang whom the Kingdom had declared war against were fighting alongside their own military" Lisa Lavender concluded, Fagin reached for the remote control and silenced the television before reaching for his Scroll and calling the person he trusted most right now

"Orchid, tell me you saw the news?" he enquired the moment his lieutenant answered

"Yeah I did" came the hurried reply "I'm already on the way to your place now"

"Okay we'll talk when you get here" he ended the call and ran his hands through his hair while trying to work out what these developments meant for his organisation. While the Vaccuan Faunus Mafia had broken from the White Fang there were many who still saw them as just another faction, if the White Fang had indeed sided with the Atlesian Military it was effectively the end of their existence as an opposition. Then there was that attack that had killed the Coloniser, Fagin was under no delusions about the nature of the weapon, he knew Adam Taurus's Semblance when he saw it which meant that the leader of the White Fang was either captured or more likely dead. _'Good for him'_ the Rat Faunus thought savagely, there would be no tears shed on his part for his old friend; Adam had seen to that when he killed Felix at the breach. A knock at the door brought him from his musings, grabbing the shirt he had discarded from the back of the sofa he began buttoning it as he made his way to the door and unlocked it revealing Orchid Hemlock, his right hand in Vaccuo and occasional lover pulled him into a brief hug and Fagin was once again struck by hold cold her body was to the touch, as if the heat of the desert Kingdom had no effect on her flesh

"You know you don't have to knock" he chuckled softly

"I left my place in a rush, forgot my key" she answered, with a slight shake of the head Fagin turned away only to be attacked from behind the moment he did so. He struggled in vain against the cellophane sheet that was wrapped around his face cutting off his airways before a kick to the back of the knee sent him to the ground. As Fagin clawed at Orchids' arms three figures came into his field of vision; the first a Scorpion Faunus with dreadlocks whose White Fang mask obscured the lower half of the their face, though the stinger visible over his shoulder quivering in anticipation gave away his excitement; the second a female frog Faunus with protuberant red eyes and greenish skin with blue markings; it was the third individual that demanded Fagin's terrified attention though, a towering broad shouldered man sporting a full beard and a cruel smile. The Rat Faunus tried to plead for mercy as the man raised the pickaxe in his hands

"It's just business" Hazel rumbled before swinging.

* * *

"Was it really necessary to go that far?" Panama Lime asked, the Frog Faunus looked revolted and disturbed by the gory mess the traitor had been reduced to

"It pays to be thorough" Hazel chuckled

"Indeed it does" Orchid smirked, without warning she extended her arm as a pale blue Aura enveloped her body, her eyes blazing with light of the same colour. Hazel attempted fling himself out of the way, failing as his body was encased in a block ice from the shoulders downwards freezing him to the spot

"It also pays to keep a few tricks up your sleeve" Orchid sneered as she stalked towards her victim "Did you honestly think that our little business arrangement was going to last? Whoever you work for destroyed Vale and you thought I'd allow you into my Kingdom to do the same here? Vaccuo belongs to the White Fang" with that the Winter Maiden planted both of her hands on the sides of Hazels head, ice creeping outwards from her palms to encase the mans skull until Orchid pulled away with a violent twist which ripped the frozen head away from her victims' body

"Well damn" Noctis sniggered from behind his mask

"Here's what happened" Orchid turned to face her co-conspirators "Fagin asked me to get here as soon as possible, when we got here the human had already killed him. I took him out" Noctis and Panama nodded

"So where do we go from here?" Panama asked, practical as always

"You saw the same footage as I did, the White Fang are effectively done in Atlas. We need a new approach" Orchid sighed "Adam was a psychopath there's no nice way to say it. The Coalition are admittedly getting some results"

"By cutting deals with the SDC and playing fetch for Atlas" Noctis spat vehemently

"Fagin's approach was working as well" the Rabbit Faunus continued as if he hadn't spoken "Here in Vaccuo we've been using our control of the black markets to send aid to Vale, distributing among local factions who are planning to use the rebuilding of their Kingdom as an opportunity"

"And they'll all owe us favours" Panama deduced "We're going to control the Kingdoms behind the scenes"

"Exactly" the Rabbit Faunus grinned "And what better time to lay low and rebuild our organisations' power base than when everyone thinks we've already lost" with that she delivered a spinning kick to the remains of Hazel Rainart shattering the frozen body. The Winter Maiden left the apartment, the last two remaining generals of the White Fang following in her wake.

* * *

Winter allowed herself to sag in her seat as she watched Team CFVY leave her office aboard her ship. It was now mid afternoon and she had been debriefing soldiers and Hunters and reading reports regarding the attack since it had officially declared over; there were still Grimm in the depths of Eisenstadt Siebte but they were being dealt with methodically; the White Fang had been essentially neutralised with their fighters being taken into custody after the battle, they would receive trials and the fact that many of them had fought alongside the military in their time of need would be considered when sentencing was passed. The battle had been called a victory, the death toll was in the thousands and rising rapidly. The Hunters who had just left, members of her own Black-Ops unit had informed her of the scale of the destruction below the surface having performed sweeps of the city after the battle, their expressions harrowing when they told her they had recovered Jaune Arc's body would stay in the specialists' mind for some time. Yatsuhashi, who hailed from the same village beyond Vale's walls had been silent but visibly shaken. In additional to all of this was the news of the attack on her own home by assailants matching the description of the human supremacists The Absolution; a knock on her door demanded her attention

"Enter" she forced herself to keep her voice emotionless as she spoke, the door slid open allowing Mercury Black and Emerald Sustrai to enter

"What in Oum's name happened" she demanded the moment the door closed behind them. Emerald was the one to reply, her eyes puffy as though she'd been crying only moments earlier

"Jade's dead" she choked out "We tried to keep them safe, your brother was injured but he's being treated. I'm sorry" Mercury took her hand in his giving it a reassuring squeeze before placing the items in his other hand on her desk

"Neo's gone, we found these near the body of one of the attackers. Whitley said as soon as she saw Jade she left" Winter took the first item, a Scroll with a typed message on the screen

 _'I couldn't save her and I couldn't save Roman. I'm sorry. Don't look for me'_ the second item was Roman Torchwick's bowler hat

"Do you have any idea where she might have gone?" Winter asked, concern for her soldier making it's way across her face. As far she was aware Neo had no one, the paperwork the mute had been required to complete had been enlightening. _'Family name: Politan, I think. Date of Birth: No idea. Next of kin: pfft'_ had stuck out

"None" Mercury admitted "I know Roman had retirement plans but he never told me what they were"

"I may have to send you to locate her" Winter told the former thief and mercenary

"About that" Mercury shuffled uncomfortably, comprehension dawned on Winter's face as she looked from his face to hers

"You want out" it wasn't a question

"Yeah" Mercury admitted "Our original agreement was that we vanish in the chaos, we're not getting a better chance than this"

"We're going to join The Coalition and help defend some of the refugees from Lower Atlas" Emerald explained

"The Coalition?" Winter asked with a raised eyebrow  
"They accept human members as well as Faunus" the mint haired woman shrugged "They're doing good work and helping people. I followed Cinder, I know what a cult of personality looks like; The Coalition aren't that….I've got a lot of blood on my hands I can't wash off, I want to try and make up for it" Winter nodded in understanding, knowing that Mercury would follow Emerald wherever she went she held out a hand for the two of them two shake

"I'll have the paperwork attended to; it's been a pleasure serving with both of you"

* * *

The first Gangrel was aware of when his eyes opened was pain, his entire body burned and his head pounded

"They pumped you full of painkillers" a voice that he recognised as his father's informed him gently "Your Aura is probably flushing it out of your body though, don't try and get up" Gangrel gave a wordless grunt of annoyance and promptly ignored the advice, attempting to force himself into a sitting position, collapsing when his arm refused to comply. The Bear-Faunus looked at the offending limb, or more accurately the space where it should have been; bile rose in his throat as he took in the sight of the bandage covered stump

"You're going to be okay, I promise" Weiss whispered as she took his remaining hand in both of hers; hearing her voice waver he pulled her into a hug only to wince in pain at the contact

"You've got burns and blisters all over" Bjorn told him "It'll heal but just try and stay still as much as possible" looking around the room as much as his limited mobility would allow Gangrel searched for anything that would distract him from the panic and nausea that was slowly setting in; as well as Weiss and his father Blake, Rover and Artemis were in the room with him which he recognised as part of the sick bay of Winter's ship

"Adam's dead?"

"Yeah" Artemis nodded "When you passed out I checked for any sign of his Aura, Rover went and searched the wreckage. There was no body to find"

"So we won then?" he croaked out eyes roving his visitors' grief stricken faces he soon realised something was wrong "What aren't you telling me? Who else got hurt?"

"Team CFVY found Jaune's body near what looked like the remains of Cinder Fall" Blake answered, tear tracks visible on her face

"That's not all" Weiss whimpered before burying her face in his chest body shuddering as she sobbed"

"There was an attack on Schnee Manor" Bjorn shook his head as he wiped tears from his own eyes "It's Jade….Gang I'm sorry"

"No" the single word all the Bear-Faunus could manage as the news sunk in, he numbly wrapped his arm around Weiss attempting to comfort her as best he could while tears welled up in his eyes. Bjorn made his way across the room and pulled them both into a tight embrace

"You were treating her like she was yours?" the single choked sob escaped Gangrel at his fathers' murmured question was the only answer he could give

"Who?" he demanded through his tears "Who killed her?"

"Gangrel" Blake tried to soothe him

"Don't tell me to calm down!" he snarled "Some sick bastard killed her, killed a five year old girl and you expect me to be calm!"

"No" Weiss muttered as she looked up at him, tears still falling freely "We don't expect you to be calm but we need you to rest"

"You're in no shape to fight bro" Rover sighed from across the room

"You can't worry about revenge or justice right now son" Bjorn told him tightening his hold on Gangrel and Weiss "You need to grieve, both of you"

* * *

"I'LL NEVER BE ABLE TO SET FOOT IN THE KINGDOM I BLED TO PROTECT!" Cadmus roared furiously, spittle flying from his mouth and flecking Watts' face. The hacker and information broker wiped his cheek while letting a long sigh that adequately conveyed his displeasure with his business partners' temper

"You're overreacting"

"Your secret weapon failed and my men were seen carrying out your attack on Schnee Manor!"

"Cadmus!" Watts snapped silencing the furious veteran "I assure that not only will you return to Atlas, you will return there as a conquering hero of the people. My benefactor will see to it" Cadmus's right eye visibly twitched with rage at Watts' nonchalant attitude. The ship Watts' had procured for him was currently hovering above the no mans' land between Kingdoms with its' shields down and stealth capabilities active to avoid detection by any who sought them which left them at the mercy of any Grimm that flew close enough to brush against the hull

"Take me to them" Cadmus demanded "I'm done with your promises and weasel words I want to see the man in charge" Watts' gave him a sinister smile

"It's not a man, but as you wish" with that he reached into the folds of his jacket and produced a small container made of Atlesian steel which when shaken a furious buzzing began to emanate from. Watts' opened the container and a minuscule Grimm shot forth, barely the length of his index finger and resembling a hornet. The Grimm launched its' stinger away from the men the projectile disintegrating as it flew; reality seeming to warp in its' wake until a crimson portal had formed

"You wanted to see how it is I can appear almost anywhere yes?" Watts motioned for his business partner to step through the portal.

* * *

Salem regarded the two humans before her with murderous contempt

"Who or what is this?" she hissed waving at the bearded man in dark armour

"My agent within the Atlesian Military Mistress, Cadmus Ferrus" Watts' bowed his head in deference

"And you bring him to me to draw attention away from your own failures?" Salem demanded "As if my wrath could only be directed at a single target like an angry child?"

"Mistress I am only following your orders-"

"You retrieved Project Hexxus and then allowed it to be destroyed you worthless fool!" the abomination shrieked "Why were you not present to to disable their weapons?" Watts' audibly gulped in fear before producing his Scroll and searching for an image

"Mistress I was at Schnee Manor-"

"YOU DARE PUT YOUR OWN SCHEMES ABOVE MY WILL!"

"N-no Mistress, never!" he pleaded "I have found the Spring Maiden, this image was taken from the helmets' of one of the men who took part in the assault" Salem regarded the image silently for a few moments, the last flickering embers of Watts' hope died as his Mistress produced a feral snarl that showed her fangs, a sound more fitting of a Beowolf than the mind of the Grimm itself

"Your failures are even greater than you know" her voice was oddly calm while Watts in comparison trembled where he stood "I was made aware by another of children that the Spring Maiden was at this human nest. I was also made aware that the Spring Maiden was a defenceless child; so why then does she appear to be gutting a man in this image?"

"Mistress I-" his pleading was silenced by someone who moved too fast to be seen, Arthur Watts' lifeless body collapsed to the ground his severed head rolling away from it. Cadmus turned to face the attacker stepping back in shock at the sight of a woman brandishing a katana wearing crimson armour and a mask stylised to resemble the face of a Grimm; yet he knew instinctively that this woman was no mere Faunus thug; what terrified him the most was her eyes and the unnatural light that shone from them, an Aura that slowly and deliberately shifted between vibrant magenta and gold

"Thank you my child" Salem cooed

"Yes Mistress" Raven Branwen's monotone voice answered her

"Now as for you" Salem hissed turning her attention to Cadmus Ferrus who was making his best attempt to appear stoic and unafraid "What did the failure promise you?"

"To help me purge the Faunus animals and the weaklings and traitors who aid them from my homeland" Salem gave him a bright smile, hatred and bigotry were things she could work with

"I will honour his agreement so long as there are no more failures. Do we have an accord?" Cadmus looked between the two beings he supposed were women before him and understood plainly that refuse was to die

"We have an accord"

"Good" Salem beamed "Raven see him home safely, I will summon you when I have need of you my child"

* * *

Ruby had been packing what little clothing and belongings she had acquired during her time in Atlas attempting to stay active and force herself to think anything but what had happened when Yang had entered the room she had shared with Penny; the copper haired android by her side, eyes downcast

"You need each other right now" Yang said simply before Ruby bolted across the room and pulled them both into the tightest hug she could manage

"I'm so sorry Ruby" Penny mumbled "I am so sorry they were assigned to me, they were my responsibility. I should have been down there with the; if he had he might still-"

"Nope" Ruby pulled her closer "You're not doing this. You're not second guessing yourself and saying what if until you hate yourself. I did so much of that when I lost you, I can't watch you do it to yourself"

"How do you not hate me right now?" Penny, couldn't physically cry but she shook with grief as she buried her face in Ruby's shoulder

"Because I know who was really blame and they're gone" Ruby answered before turning to Yang "Where is everyone else?"

"Weiss and Blake are on Winter's ship with his Dad and the rest of his team; he's like a brother to Blake she needs to be there….that's not a jab at you sis" she gave Ruby a gentle squeeze at the sight of her apologetic expression "Klein is in the hospital with Whitley keeping the media away. Team CFVY said they wanted to make a start on cleaning this place up, keep themselves active before we get shipped out" Ruby nodded in understanding, following the battle they had all been given indefinite leave by the Atlesian forces and were free to return to Vale

"What about Ren and Nora?" Ruby asked hesitantly

"They've been in their room since they got the news….Oum I've never seen Nora like that before" the sight of the normally hyperactive and happy go lucky Huntress bawling uncontrollably into Ren's arms while her partner trembled with silent sobs was something Yang didn't think she'd ever be able to forget

"YOU LISTEN HERE YOU LITTLE SHIT!" the drunken roar could only have come from Qrow Branwen; the three girls bolted out of the room, halting in stunned silence of the man holding Oscar off of the ground by his throat only to be dragged away by Taiyang

"What the hell is wrong with you?" Yang demanded as she rushed forwards' putting herself between her uncle and the teen

"Stay out of it Yang!" Qrow bellowed before Tai silenced him with a choke hold

"No go on" Oscar coughed as he massaged his throat the glare he gave the older man was truly evil "Tell them how you expect me to go home and sit on the bench even when I can save lives"

"I'm not having another dead kids blood on my hands on my hands"

"THERE'S ALREADY BLOOD ON YOUR HANDS" Oscars' voice cracked as he shouted, tears welling up in her eyes "All of your hands. You tell me I'm supposed to be powerful then treat me like a baby. If I'd been allowed to join the fight Jade would still be alive!"

"Enough both of you!" Taiyang snapped, the voice he used on students coming into effect "Oscar what have you told your family about where you are?"

"That I got a scholarship at one of the prep schools for Hunter training and kept it from them as a surprise….Jaune showed me how to forge the paperwork" he answered wiping tears from his eyes with the admission

"Qrow I want you to go somewhere. I don't care where it is but make yourself useful in the relief effort somehow; I don't want to see you on Patch until you've had a chance to calm down"

"Tai-" his old friend raised a hand to silence him

"We'll find her and we'll get her back I promise" he turned to Yang "I promise both of you. As for right now, Oscar I will personally train you alongside Sun but I want you to understand you need to be able to keep up the training I'm putting him through" Oscar nodded in understand, upon seeing the gesture Taiyang turned to his daughters pulling them close

"We'll find a way to make it right, all of it"

 **Authors Notes:**

So, that's the end of the Vol.5 arc. Updates may be a little slower from now on as I'm starting a new job and bookings for gigs have started coming in again. Hopefully I should still be able to update once or twice a week.

Let's summarise:  
Hazel dealt with Fagin gangland style only to be dealt with by Orchid; who is now taking over what's left of the White Fang.  
I did say we've met all four Maidens' weren't expecting that were ya?  
Neo has gone AWOL but she'll be back. Unlike Merc and Em who've served their purpose in this story, if you've read 'Our Happy Ever After' you know how life turns out for them.  
Neo's paperwork though.  
Yeah Jade broke everyone's heart, Jaune just ground the pieces into the floor.  
Watts fucked up, now he's dead. Along with the rest of Salem's original four horsemen.  
Cinder and Raven had identical symbiotic Grimm. Salem can transfer power from one to the other as long as the Grimm is already in a host.  
Vaccuo was the next Kingdom on Salem's kill list. Vaccuo is Faunus friendly. She just recruited an anti Faunus Nazi with a small army at his disposal.  
Everyone is a grieving mess.  
Qrow losing his shit on Oscar isn't condoned but I understand it.  
Also Oscar's accusations, they're not exactly wrong.  
Tai is the one to comfort everyone, because let's be honest it's not the first time he's had to pick up the pieces of grieving kids' lives.

Thank you to Treenymphie and MarianTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter:  
I'm sorry about Jaune, but at least he got a beautiful send off.  
Well Gang isn't fine by a long shot, but he's still breathing.  
'Emotionally lethal' is phrase I'll be using from now on.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.

Stick around for Vol.6


	95. 95: Home (Vol6)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 95: Home**

Velvet washed dishes absent mindedly in the unfamiliar kitchen; having been trapped in the ruins of Vale she had never visited the property her family had moved to in the settlement occupying the vast farmland between the walls of the capital city and the front line. She snapped to attention as she felt something press against her, only to relax as she felt Coco's arms wrap around her waist

"Morning" the half-asleep fashionista mumbled as she pressed her lips to Velvet's cheek "You didn't have to make breakfast in bed"

"No but I felt like it; besides that woke me up" the Rabbit Faunus indicated to the rain lashing against the window with some distaste; with winter drawing to a close the snow in Vale gave way to a near constant deluge

"Poor thing" Coco teased, kissing her cheek again before moving her attention to Velvet's neck only you jump back reflexively at the sound of the back door opening

"Hey Dad, how's it going?" Velvet asked brightly. The greying Rabbit-Faunus unfastened the top half of his boiler suit sliding his arms out of the sleeves and worked a crick out of his neck before before answering

"Utter nightmare to be honest Velv" he managed to answer before a jaw cracking yawn interrupted him "A lot of these developments have been sitting more or less abandoned since Mountain Glenn. It took half the engineers in Vale to get the power running before the winter, now these storms are knocking out power lines. Where's everyone else?"

"Sweet Oum, you should have called I'd have come out and lent a hand" Velvet admonished, earning herself a bemused yet proud smile from her father before she continued, the love of technology that had led to the creation of her unique weapon and had been formed when her father used to take her to work and show her the inner workings of various machines and vehicles "Mum's already gone, she had to get on that early bus they run to the Halo; Poly stopped at a friend's house round the corner last night and Flax is in bed….I think" in truth she had seen surprisingly little of her brother since she had returned from Atlas despite him no currently being on active duty

"Actually I wanted to talk to you about your brother" Bister Scarlatina sighed as he took a seat at the table "While you were in Atlas, the Dragon that attacked Vale woke up again and left"

"We heard" Coco nodded "It headed to Mistral, we know the people who took it down"

"Well" he continued "After it left the sludge that it had been leaking down the side of Beacon tower was still making Grimm but nowhere near as many. The people running what's left of the Hunters and Vale's military decided to try and re-take Beacon"

"They attacked a spawning pit?" Velvet mouthed in shock "With people that weren't even trained Hunters?"

"They pulled it off" her Father shrugged "They're going to have a big memorial for everyone who died since the fall of Vale in a couple days. Flax came back after the battle and he hasn't been right….I don't know what to say to Velv, I was hoping you might" Velvet could see how much the admission pained her father

"Jaune's funeral" Coco pointed out "It's going to be part of the memorial" the Rabbit-Faunus nodded silently forcing herself not to think about finding the blonde's lifeless body laid in a ruined street or the way his remaining team-mates had broke down at the news

"I'll talk to Flax" with that she made her way out of the kitchen, the house her family lived in now was noticeably smaller than their old home in Vales' suburbs but it was better than a lot of people had. Climbing the stairs she reached her brother's room and knocked on the door, an unintelligible grunt answered her. Suppressing a snort she entered, Coco behind her; her eyes needed only a moment to adjust to the gloom caused by her brother keeping his curtains closed. She saw that the room had none of his personality imposed on it and was reminded that he had lied his way into the army almost immediately after finding safety

"Hey kid, what's up got no hearts left to break around here?" Velvet asked as she sat herself on the corner of the bed, the mass of blankets shifted revealing her brother who Velvet noticed had gotten noticeably toned while she'd been away

"Hey sis" his voice seemed dull, as if he deliberately keeping emotion out of it; that combined with the dark rings around his eyes instantly set alarm bells off in Velvet's mind. Quickly weighing up her options she settled on the direct approach

"Dad told me you've been acting off since you came back from Beacon. Team CFVY have dealt with spawning pits before so if you want to talk about it me and Coco are here any time" she watched his lower lip quiver for a moment before her forced his emotions under control and nodded silently

"Come on Flax, give me something" her voice took on a pleading note

"Come on kid, it's us you're talking to. We're not jar-heads like Team CRDL"  
"GET THE FUCK OUT!" Velvet was unprepared for the venom in her brothers' voice when he rounded on Coco, clambering out of his bed as if to physically remove her. Velvet held him in place while turning to her girlfriend, silently asking her to leave the room. As the door closed behind Coco Velvet turned her attention back to Flax

"You wanna explain what the fuck that was?" her voice much sterner than it had been as she prepared to give her younger brother a piece of her mind; those preparations halted abruptly when Flax pulled her into a hug and started crying, through his tears and sniffles she could make out a halting explanation

"Russell's dead….I saw it happen"

"Oh" the single syllable was all Velvet could manage as she tried to make sense of her own emotions. Russell was part of the group of bigoted humans who had influenced her decision to join the White Fang and she had no particular investment in his safety, however every Hunter that fell against the Grimm was a loss and whatever issues there had been between Team CRDL and herself Russell and Cardin had seemingly taken good care of her brother whose back she was stroking while he mourned the Mohawk wearing teen

"What happened?" Velvet asked "Talk to me Flax, you need to talk to someone. It helps"

"Sweep Team Four were assigned to demolition duty. Blowing up streets to create bottlenecks to trap Grimm in when the attack started. Cardin was covering Brick and Oxford while they set charges; me and Russell were hanging back and keeping the engine running on the Puma" Flax took a deep shuddering breath and stepped back from his sister, wiping his eyes as he did do "Russ was manning the gun when an Ursa Major came out of nowhere, ripped straight through the gunners' nest before we could do anything to stop it. He was there one second then just….there was so much blood Velvet" Velvet pulled him back into a hug trying her best to soothe him

"Hey, it's okay. You're gonna be okay"

"Sweep Team Four are meant to be back on active duty after the memorial service….I don't know if I can do it Sis"

"I thought you wanted to be a Huntsman?"

"I did; I do" the younger Faunus stammered "I just….fuck, he's dead Velv"

"I know" she told him softly "And it never gets any easier seeing someone you know hurt or worse; but you've got to ask yourself, would you be willing to sit on the sidelines while they're out fighting"

"I'm not a coward!" Flax snapped

"I never said you were. If you want out then talk to Goodwitch and she'll understand, you know I'll support you either way"

"Thanks sis" the younger Faunus mumbled, Velvet lovingly ruffled his hair

"It's gonna be okay Flax, come on….you owe Coco an apology"

* * *

Weiss and Gangrel entered the manor brushing snow from their jackets, Weiss reaching up to help the wounded Faunus remove the item

"Thanks" he murmured softly before pulling her into a hug, Weiss helping him with the loss of his arm meant more to him than he could say. The brief moment between them was interrupted by the sound of someone clearing their throat, the pair of them turned to face Winter

"Klein told me you'd be back soon" the operative told them by way of greeting

"We went to visit Jade" Weiss answered. The girls' funeral had been soon after the attack on Schnee Manor. The decision had been made to scatter her ashes on the exterior of the mountain, it had seemed fitting considering they way Jade had wanted to spend every possible moment outside from the first time she had seen the sky; Weiss and Gangrel had visited the place every morning since.

"Come into the study I have something for Gangrel" Winter told them before making her way towards the room in question

"I thought you'd still be overseeing the relief effort personally?" Weiss asked as they entered the study, Eisenstadt Siebte lay in ruins and Winter had made it a personal mission to spend every moment she could helping the people of the city, the last thing Atlas needed was for it's poor and Faunus populations to given further proof that their government and military cared little for them.

"Ironwood reassigned me" Winter explained "He's recovered enough from the attack to return to command. He's placed me in charge of the blockade around Atlesian airspace; which leads to my next point, the pair of you will need to leave tonight if you wish to be at the memorial in Vale and Jaune's funeral"

"Yeah Blake shipped out last night with Penny" Gangrel answered her "We were kinda waiting for…." he trailed off, Winter gave him an understanding nod as she retrieved a large container from the desk and removed the lid

"It's finished, they had to build a custom one rather than resize an existing prosthetic due to your size" she explained "The manufacturers recommend at least a month between amputation and attaching the limb….You're not going to wait that long are you" Gangrel looked at the cybernetic left arm in the box. It was not Atlesian Military standard, the armour plating a dark gunmetal rather than gleaming chrome, dark synthetic muscle visible in the spaces around the joints; if the gleaming and sharpened retractable claws visible on the ends of the fingers were any indication the limb had been designed with Faunus in mind

"Weiss, can you help me with this?" she gave him a warm smile

"Of course I can"

* * *

Ren caught a Beowolf in his bare hands as it pounced at him, slamming the Grimm into the ground with enough force to crack pavement before unleashing a barrage of punches and palm strikes that cracked its' bone mask until the monster began to fade away. Howling alerted him to another Grimm approaching, spinning he withdrew one of his bladed pistols and raked it across the beasts' neck with a wordless howl of rage; his roar was answered by that of an Ursa which barrelled towards him. Ren pushed his rain slicked hair away from his eyes and readied his weapons only for the Grimm to torn asunder by an explosion that left pink mist in its' wake

"REN!" he turned face Nora and saw that her expression was equal parts concern and fury "What are you doing out here?" his eyes lowered at her question, unable to meet her gaze. The pair of them had been staying in whatever rooms were available at the Halo defences since their return to Vale and Ren had set out into the ruins with no clear intentions beyond inflicting as much of the pain currently tearing at his broken heart on the Grimm as possible

"I just needed to-"

"YOU NEEDED TO COME OUT HERE WITHOUT TELLING ANYONE, ARE YOU TRYING TO GET YOURSELF KILLED?"

"WHY NOT? EVERYONE WE LOVE DIES EVENTUALLY ANYWAY!" he snapped, instantly regretting it when saw her pained expression "I'm sorry I-"

"Don't ever say that again" Nora interrupted before wrapping her arms around him "Please never say that again" Ren let out a single choked sob

"Why did he go alone? I told him we would follow him to the end of Remnant and he went to face her alone. Jaune, Pyrrha, our parents….why does everyone we love have to leave us Nora?" the redhead merely clutched him tighter as she cried into his shoulder, Ren rarely broke down and lost himself in his grief but when he did it cut through all of her exuberance and felt like a knife in her already broken heart

"I'm not leaving. I promise that whatever happens we will always be together"

"Together together" he added with a watery chuckle kissing the top of her head "I love you so much Nora….I have no idea what I'd do without you" the tender moment between them was interrupted by the snarling of yet another approaching Grimm, Nora readied Magnhild in one hand while squeezing Ren's with the other

"Ready?"

"I've got you here don't I?"

* * *

Grimm died in droves, bodies torn asunder as high calibre rounds ripped through them

"It's good to be home" Yang cackled as rolled her shoulders back and delivered an uppercut to the snout of a Grimm that launched the beast ten feet into the air

"Well this is better than cleaning our rooms" Ruby snorted as her scythe cleaved monsters apart in wide arcs. Taiyang had been informed that Signal would be reopening soon and his workload would be increasing with the influx of students from Bulb Prep transferring to the only remaining academy in Vale; in addition to this during his time in Atlas there had been no-one to keep the numbers of Grimm in the forest under control. Yang and Ruby had offered to deal with the forest while their father while he dealt with paperwork and sparred with Oscar and Sun. The Monkey Faunus was able to walk again after his injuries at Cinder's hands but wasn't ready to hunt Grimm again just yet.

"Think that's the last of 'em" Ruby called over to Yang the blonde discharged a couple more shots into the chest of the Grimm she was holding by the scruff of the neck

"Awesome, let's head home" she made to walk past her sister, boots squelching in the mud; the rain had stopped but everything was still sodden only for a pair of bodies to crash through the canopy formed by the trees. Yang and Ruby stood in stunned silence for a few moments before they realised who had joined them

"Penny!" Ruby exclaimed as she launched herself into the copper haired girls' arms

"Hey firecracker" Blake gave Yang a bright smile "Penny's Bull-Head picked up a couple trees getting knocked down and we figured it might be you"

"I think that was Ruby" Yang chuckled "I might have punched a Beowolf through one though"

"CAW!" a crow dropped down from its' perch on a nearby tree branch before revealing its' true form

"Uncle Qrow!" both Yang and Ruby exclaimed in unison

"Hey squirts" the grizzled Huntsman chuckled before turning to Penny "Hey carrot-top thanks for the lift over from Atlas; so what're you two doing out here?"

"Clearing the woods out for Dad" Yang answered

"I was thinking I might visit Mom as well" Ruby added quietly, squeezing Penny's hand with her own "Can I introduce you to her?"

"That would be sensational" the android murmured kissing Ruby gently

"I'll come as well" Qrow turned to face the direction of her grave "It's been way too long since I spoke to Summer" the three of them set off, leaving Blake and Yang behind keeping each other company

"Sorry it took us so long to get here, I stayed behind for Weiss and Gang"

"Don't be" Yang pulled the Faunus into a crushing hug "I'd have done the same for Ruby, it's fine. How are they?"

"They're both great at putting on a brave face" Blake sighed "They're both managing to keep it together and they know we're all here when they need us" Yang sighed into Blake's shoulder before taking note of the new weapon strapped across her back, it seemed she found a replacement for Gambol Shroud; a blade Yang was painfully familiar with

"You're keeping his sword?" she asked, Blake's hand subconsciously found its' way to the weapon

"I needed a new one"

"Yeah but does it have to be his?….This is the same sword that cut my arm off Blake" the Faunus unsheathed Wilt and twirled the blade in her hand

"I'm sorry Yang, I should have thought, it's a good sword but if it makes you uncomfortable I can get another one" she made to throw the weapon into the undergrowth, Yang's eyes travelled from the blade that featured prominently in her nightmares to the gold bracelet adorning Blake's forearm, the original right half of Ember Celica

"Don't" she mumbled as stopped Blake "He's gone, he can't hurt anyone else. You may as well put that thing to some good use" the dark haired Huntress replaced Wilt in the sheath she'd acquired for it before cupping Yang's cheek and pulling the blonde into a kiss; she was unprepared for the enthusiasm with which it was returned, finding herself pressed against a tree letting out gasps of pleasure as Yang's fingers brushed against her Faunus ears

"I've missed you too" she managed to pant out as they broke apart, Yang gave her a devilish smile and wink before leading off of the path and deeper into the woods

"Yang where are we-oh!"

* * *

At was early evening when a knock sounded at the back door of the Scarlatina household, Velvet's father had already left for work and her mother was yet to return. However hectic their work schedules had been before the fall of Vale was nothing compared to their lives now, it was a small mercy that the refugees had established a sense of community and camaraderie that transcended any divide between human and Faunus; those without skills and trades were happy to look after the children of those that did while they worked. Answering the door Velvet was greeted by Cardin Winchester; his armour had long since lost the shininess it had when he was her tormentor at Beacon

"Coco, go get Flax" Velvet called over her shoulder before turning her attention back to Cardin "Are you okay?"

"What?" he seemed genuinely confused

"I heard about Russell" Velvet sighed "Look Cardin we'll never be friends but that's rough and everyone we lose to the Grimm is a waste. You want to come in?"

"Thanks" Cardin grunted as he stepped out of the newly restarted drizzle; Flax and Coco entered the kitchen which the back door opened in to

"Hey Cardin" the younger Faunus held up his left hand, the one with missing fingers as a greeting

"Hey kid" Cardin answered "I figured I'd come see you in person since you haven't been answering your Scroll. A few people think you're getting ready to cut and run; you know if you go A.W.O.L they just send someone to find you right?"

"I know" Flax sighed "I'll admit I thought about not coming back but-"

"Don't, I'll work something out for you" Cardin interrupted "Signal on Patch is reopening soon, they're gonna take all the students from Bulb as well, you were accepted there. I'm gonna tell Goodwitch how old you really are and recommend you be sent there for some training, I'll vouch for you myself if they want references"

"Okay and why are you doing that for him?" Velvet asked suddenly suspicious "I mean Vale changed us all a little, but you're still the guy who told me to go back to Menagerie on your first day at Beacon"

"Look I'm sorry about that" Cardin sighed with a shake of his head "Really sorry; I had my own demons to fight and I shouldn't have taken them out on you"

"No you shouldn't" Coco growled, knuckles cracking menacingly; Cardin shot her a disparaging look, clearly having been through enough since the last time he'd found himself at the fashionista's mercy that she didn't scare him any more

"You know what being an 'Anthro' means?" the question was aimed at Velvet

"Yeah, every Faunus knows. Why would…..Oh" she gave a gasp of surprise as comprehension dawned on her

"What?" Coco asked

"Okay so you know how when a human and a Faunus have a kid together ninety something percent of the time the kid will be a Faunus, an Anthro is a pretty nasty name for the rare cases where the kid is born without any Faunus traits"

"So wait" Coco looked incredulous "You, the racist ass-hat are-"

"I'm a human" Cardin cut her off "A human with a Faunus for a dad who used to beat the shit out of me and mum until he left; I spent half my childhood getting told I was _'no-one's kid'_ because he was convinced my mum was cheating on him"

"Oum….that's rough, I'm sorry" Coco mumbled

"I don't want sympathy Adel" Cardin growled "Look I was a dick at Beacon, I've grown up since then, I've had to. Anyway I'll leave you alone, Flax when we go back on active duty I'll take you to Goodwitch. With that Cardin left the Scarlatina household leaving Coco, Velvet and Flax in his wake

"Wow, I actually never imagined that's what his family life was like" Velvet admitted despite everything she felt a small pang of pity for him before turning to Coco "On the subject of families; how come I've never met yours?" Coco merely smiled and pulled her into a hug, arms wrapping around her waist

"Don't worry I haven't got any skeletons like that in the closet" she grinned, her smile faltering for a moment "I mean I get on well enough with my parents, It's just with them starting up their restaurant and their careers taking off so young we're not really close like your family are. Honestly I'd rather be here"

"Stay as long as you want, my parents love you" Velvet grinned before kissing Coco softly on the lips "I love you as well" with that she deepened the kiss while giving her brother the finger for miming vomiting behind Coco, proving that despite everything else that the wars and Grimm had taken, some of his childlike innocence remained.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay firstly I'm sorry; it's been over a week since I updated and that's the longest gap since I started the story in September. I started a new job this week and I've had the flu, the combination of those two things basically left me decommissioned; on top of that I've got gigs to prepare for.

Welcome to Vol.6, I think Vol.7 will be the grand finale of this story; we've still got some ground to cover.

Now let's summarise:  
Velvet's love of technology coming from her engineer Dad taking her to work is the kind of headcanon that gives me life; the Scarlatina family are so wholesome and pure lol.  
Vale hasn't been sitting idle while everyone has been away; the re-taking of Beacon could have been a major battle but I felt like it'd be weird for nothing to happen until Team RWBY, CFVY etcetera come back, life continues to go on without them.  
R.I.P Russell Thrush.  
Ironwood is back in charge of Atlas.  
Gang has a new arm.  
Utterly broken and defeated Ren and Nora. They have lost everyone except each other.  
Ruby introducing Penny to Summer, just a little stab in the feels.  
Blake is using Wilt now, Yang was understandably a little freaked out when she saw it but I honestly don't think there's much that Yang couldn't forgive. I toyed with the idea of combining Wilt and the Ember Celica gauntlet into a single weapon but that might be a step too far.  
A little Cardin back story and Flax is going to Signal, not major plot points but world building is always good and it's peace of mind for any fans of Flax.  
An interesting side-note that will never be discussed. Squish never knew his dad, and Cardin didn't inherit any Faunus traits from his….They could actually have been half brothers and never known about each other.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter.  
I know, the heartbreak is real. Though Ren and Nora will get a little sunshine next chapter.  
Yeah but now Salem has a small detachment of well trained Atlas soldiers who most likely still have Watt's hacking equipment as well as Raven. She's lost all four of her original generals but she's still not to be trifled with.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	96. 96: In Memoriam

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 96: In Memoriam**

Weiss nuzzled into Gangrel, being awoken as her cheek pressed into cold metal where flesh had formerly resided

"Sorry" the Bear-Faunus mumbled, wearing a guilty expression as he realised that it was his prosthetic that had inadvertently woken her

"It's fine" the pale Huntress assured him sleepily before softly kissing his cheek "We needed to wake up soon anyway, we should be in Vale in just over an hour" she added as she checked the clock mounted on the wall of the small cabin they'd been assigned on the airship they had taken from Atlas, one of very few to be allowed in or out of the Kingdoms' blockade

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked as she fixed him with a concerned stare, eyes unintentionally wandering to the point where his cybernetic arm met his shoulder

"I'll be fine" he grunted before relenting at the sight of her worried expression "It feels wrong" he admitted

"In what way?"

"It doesn't burn like it did when it was first attached but I just feel off balance and I'm constantly worrying about breaking or slashing something" he flexed the mechanical fingers extending the claws built into the tips to highlight his point. In response Weiss wrapped her leg around his waist and positioned herself on top of him as she laced her fingers between those of the prosthetic limb

"We'll get through it, you'll get through it; you always do" she sighed before kissing him "But try and talk to Yang about it, she might be able to help"

"Either that or get Ruby to look at the arm" Gangrel added with a small smirk "I don't think there's anything that kid can't build"

"True" Weiss laughed as she rolled off of him, catching sight of the black dress she intended to wear for the funeral service, chewing her lip nervously she turned back to Gangrel

"I've never been to a funeral in Vale before. I don't want to unintentionally disrespect anyone"

"I've been to a couple….I came to Vale, joined a street gang and turned it into a White Fang cell, I've known a few people that died" the Faunus admitted "They don't cremate here they bury their dead and the services go on for longer because anyone who wants to speak on behalf of the dead can. This is going to be different to most funerals though"

"A memorial to everyone who fell" Weiss sighed "Are you gonna be okay?" he took a deep breath before nodding gently

"Yeah, I'll get through it. Easiest way to stop myself breaking down over Squish being gone is remembering how much shit he'd give me if he could see it" he chuckled. Weiss gave a small smile before climbing out of the bed they shared

"Well at least Atlas was able to spare some additional soldiers to bolster Vale's defences for the memorial. The Dragon might be gone but I can't imagine how many Grimm an event like this will attract" The Bear-Faunus nodded silently as he stretching with a loud yawn, joints of his mechanical limb groaning in protest before climbing from the bed himself, wrapping his flesh and blood right arm around Weiss and pulling her close. It was going to be along day and they both expected that we would need to turn to each other for support before it was over.

* * *

"Well they've definitely improved the place since the last time I was here" Sun noted, casting his eyes around the docks as he wandered somewhat absent mindedly

"It's impressive how fast Vale is getting back on its' feet" Penny agreed as she and Ruby examined the defences that were slowly being transformed from makeshift collections of sandbags and whatever guns could be salvaged and mounted into a formidable array of weapons to keep any Grimm from attacking by land air or sea; the docks themselves had been cleared of wreckage enough that smaller airships could land or deploy Bull-Heads to the ground

"Well the situation couldn't stay Grimm forever" Yang smirked, Blake shook her head and sighed

"Please don't make any puns during the service Yang"

"Just getting 'em all out of my system now" the blonde chuckled. Before the five of them could continue towards their destination they were halted by a pair of Faunus walking towards them

"Hey" Yang said brightly as Rover and Artemis approached them, clad in black clothes for the occasion as everyone else was; though Artemis had taken the opportunity to cut her hair to shoulder length and dye it a vivid neon pink once again

"Hey" Rover answered before looking the skies and indicating towards a pair of smaller Atlesian warships preparing to descend "Gang and Weiss are on one of those, Atlas is sending some people to guard the route from the walls to the cemetery that the procession is taking"

"A scenic walk through part of a ruined city" Sun snorted only to receive a firm elbow in the ribs from Yang

"It's so we never forget what we lost" Artemis stepped between them to diffuse the situation

"So is anyone here speaking for any of the dead? Everyone on Team GRAP is saying our goodbyes to Squish….they never recovered his body" the felines' voice trembled as she remembered seeing Squish fall to the Grimm, her Semblance allowing her to see the exact moment his Aura vanished

"I'll say a few words for Sage" Sun nodded

"I'm speaking on Jaune's behalf" Ruby spoke up, voice wavering slightly "He was the first friend I made at Beacon, I have to" Yang pulled her sister into a hug while Penny squeezed her hand gently

"You'll be fine sis. He'd be proud of you"

"Where are Ren and Nora?" Blake asked suddenly, Rover winced slightly at the mention of the only surviving members of Team JNPR

"We're not sure" he admitted "They got to the Halo at the same time as us but nobody has seen much of them since, we've been manning the walls so we haven't had chance to go looking"

"They'll be here" Yang asserted bluntly "There's no way they won't be here for this" the conversation was halted briefly as Weiss and Gangrel joined them, their airship having landed while the others were speaking

"Team RWBY is back together" Ruby gave a weak smile and cheer as she pulled Weiss into a hug, it was a testament to how far the former heiress had come since joining Beacon that she merely pulled her partner into the hug with a muttered _'dolt'_

"Robot fistbump?" Yang held out her own prosthetic, which Gangrel noticed she'd taken the time to paint gold "Come on Penny doesn't get it" the Bear-Faunus snorted and brought the knuckles of his cybernetic limb against hers with a resounding clang before turning to his own team-mates

"Looks like they patched you up with the cheap shit" Rover smirked nodding at the mechanical hand, the only part of the arm left visible by the sleeve of his suit

"At least I don't glow in the dark though" Gangrel nodded to Rover's chest where the faint glow of his Aura Regulator implant was visible

"Can we agree your both idiots with no sense of self preservation" Artemis sighed "Although out of the two of you, Rover's my favourite" she added before leaning over and kissing the canines' cheek while the others laughed at the antics of the older team until Sun interrupted them

"Hey, I'm gonna head towards the wall and see if anyone else from Haven made it here" with that the Monkey Faunus left, lost in his own thoughts as the other eight Hunters gathered at the dock collectively braced themselves

"Come on" Gangrel sighed "It's time to say goodbye"

* * *

The memorial and funeral service had broken their hearts. The two of them had watched on from the periphery, both feeling as if they stepped forwards they would shatter under the sheer crushing weight of emotions they were keeping in check. Ren had squeezed Nora's hand trying to use his Semblance to give her a calmness he himself didn't feel when Pyrrha's parents had told stories about their daughter followed by her manager from her time in the tournament scene and several of her former opponents coming to pay their respects to the invincible girl. They had been allowed a brief respite when the service moved on to fallen Hunters with whom they were less acquainted, Sun had wept for Sage during his eulogy, all three remaining members of Team GRAP had given a joint speech on Squish's behalf as well as several people that neither Ren or Nora had ever met. Then it came, Jaune's funeral. A priest who had never known the blonde gave some well meaning platitudes about honour and bravery. Nora was reduced to uncontrollable sobs during Craven Arc's speech, Jaune's fathers' eyes welling up with tears as he lamented his son never knowing how truly proud of him he was. His mother and elder sisters following him, Ren's composure broke when Ruby began her eulogy

"We should be there" he said simply, wiping his eyes as Ruby stepped down from the stage allowing Professor Goodwitch to take over, saying her goodbyes to each of her students who had given their lives in the fight against the Grimm

"I don't know if I can" the redhead admitted as she wiped her nose and blinked tears from her eyes. Ren simple cupped her cheeks and rested his forehead against hers

"Nora Valkyrie you are the strongest person I have ever known" he told her, his voice gentle but firm "You've been my rock for years and I don't know what I'd do without you….and right now our friends need us" with that Nora nodded, lip still quivering as she fought against fresh tears; taking Ren's hand in hers the pair of them made their way towards the coffin that held Jaune's body. The blonde Huntsman had been dressed in a dark suit and his hair styled impeccably

"He looks wrong" Nora mumbled at the sight of her former team leader, Ren gave her a questioning glance

"It doesn't look like Jaune" she explained before ruffling his hair until it resembled the blonde's usual appearance "That helps a little"

"What are you doing?" a harsh voice demanded. Ren and Nora turned to see Craven Arc stalking towards them, prosthetic foot causing a pronounced limp as always

"Craven!" a new voice followed, that of Jaune's mother. The woman defied any expectations or assumptions one would have of a mother of eight children, still having the physique of an active Huntress and broad shoulders that dwarfed those of her husband

"They're his old team-mates Ivory" Craven snarled giving the two of them an accusatory look "And yet they didn't have anything to say, they didn't even have the decency to come properly dressed"

"I'm sorry we didn't speak for him" Ren stepped forwards maintaining eye contact with Jaune's father; whatever issues there had been between the two of them the man was clearly grieving for his son "We, I couldn't do it, I'm sorry"

"And Jaune wouldn't have minded the clothes anyway" Nora added chin raised in defiance, Ren squeezed her hand gently

"We don't have anything else" he admitted "We're orphans. Almost everything we had was in Beacon when it fell, everything else was lost when we were attacked by bandits on the route to Mistral. We've been sleeping in buildings recently cleared out by Vales' militia since we returned. We've got nowhere to go, Jaune and Pyrrha were the closest thing to a family we had" Ivory Arc stepped forwards silently before simply pulling them both into a crushing embrace as tears spilled from her own eyes

"You stay with us" she told them firmly she turned and looked over her shoulder to her husband "Craven we can't leave them to carry on like this, they come home with us" Craven Arc nodded silently

"Jaune's room is how he left it. You can stay as long as you need"

* * *

Night had begun to fall by the time Ruby returned to Patch, the rest of Team RWBY, Penny and Gangrel were currently joining her on the porch of the Xiao Long household while Sun had returned to Juniors' bar for his shift. The door opening halted the conversation between the Hunters until Oscar stepped out onto the porch with them

"Hey, Tai asked how many guests we've got staying tonight and if he's going to need to get the air bed out"

"Air bed?" Weiss mouthed in confusion, drawing laughs from those around her

"Yeah an air bed Weiss" Yang chuckled "It's already a little crowded. Oscar's sleeping on the couch, me and Ruby are sharing Ruby's room while Penny and Blake share mine….at least that's what dad thinks" she added with a wink that needed no explanation

"We can get the last ship back onto the mainland if it's easier for you?" Gangrel asked

"Honestly I think Tai enjoys having people round" Oscar noted "I'll tell him to get the air bed"

"Wait before you go" Weiss halted the younger teen "What is going on with you and my brother? He was asking for you" a slight blush crept across Oscar's freckled face

"I...um, yeah. I'll talk to him" with that Oscar vanished, a few chuckles at his expense following him. Gangrel's scroll vibrating caught his attention. Fishing the device from his pocket and opening it he saw that it was a message from Velvet, reading it he announced its' contents to the rest of the group

"Velvet says she's just heard from Yatsu, him and Jaune weren't exactly close but they were from the same village just outside of the walls. He's apparently just seen Ren and Nora near the Arc's house so they're okay" a sigh of relief passed through the group at the knowledge the pair were safe and sound

"We'll have to get in touch with them when we make our next move" Ruby nodded

"Next move?" Blake asked

"Well we can't sit around Patch forever" the scythe wielder huffed "I just don't know what our next move is"

"The Absolution" Gangrel answered with a bloodthirsty snarl "They were the one who dropped Project Hexxus on Eisenstadt Siebte, they were the ones who attacked Schnee Manor….they killed Jade, we go after them"

"Any idea where to look?" Blake asked

"We were thinking maybe somewhere in Mistral" Weiss answered "The White Fang never made any headway in Mistral, it's the safest place for them"

"Which makes sense if we knew for certain that they were on the defensive" Penny murmured, quietly processing the information

"What about Raven?" Yang demanded "What about my mum? Someone needs to look for her, we know she was taken against her will" Blake squeezed the blonde's hand in an attempt to soothe her

"We know Yang, but we don't have any leads and Raven can be almost anywhere" Yang visibly slumped in defeat

"Unless" Penny began quietly as she reasoned the situation out "Of all the weapons The Absolution could have used they went to the trouble of stealing Project Hexxus, which created a large enough Grimm presence for Salem to appear in person. Salem has already proved she's willing to use proxies and third parties to achieve her goals; she used the White Fang to help in her attack on Vale"

"You think that the Absolution are working for Salem?" Ruby asked

"It's a possibility" Penny admitted

"And if we can find wherever they're hiding we find Raven" Yang banged her knuckles together, the fire inside her reigniting

 _"CAW"_ a bird dropped from a nearby tree swooping down onto the porch before revealing itself to be Qrow Branwen

"So do you always listen in to other peoples' conversations?" Gangrel asked with a raised eyebrow

"Only when it's my nieces deciding how to run head first into danger; again" the grizzled Huntsman countered

"Uncle Qrow" Ruby gave him a stern glare that squeezed his heart like a vice when he realised how much she reminded him of Summer "You can't stop us from doing this" he let out a long sigh

"You're right. I can't stop you, I could probably slow you down if I was dumb enough to try. Yang did you keep my flask topped up, saying this sober is gonna leave a taste in my mouth"

"Here you go old man" Yang chuckled handing him the hip-flask that she had indeed been keeping topped up since Qrow had bequeathed it to her. Qrow took a swig before continuing

"I know that as soon as you get a lead you're all gonna chase after it. I've tried my best to keep this war from taking any more kids and I've failed. So now I'm going to be out there with you. When you get a lead on The Absolution or Raven I'm going to be coming with you" Ruby's eyes seemed to light up with boundless enthusiasm at the notion

"Now that's some good news" Yang smiled

"Rover and Missy will come with us, so will Team CFVY" Gangrel nodded

"So we've got Team RWBY, Team CFVY, Team GRAP, Penny, Ren, Nora and our bad ass uncle Qrow; we're gonna beat the bad guys so bad they won't know what hit 'em" Ruby grinned, a trace of the hyperactive fifteen year old that had arrived at Beacon rising to the surface

"Yay for adult supervision" Yang snorted

"So we've got a whole lot of muscle and artillery" Gangrel growled "Now we just need someone to point it at" nods and murmurs of agreement filled the air as the group rose from the porch to make their way inside.

They would not have long to wait.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay this chapter feels short, but it did what I wanted it to, the next chapter will set up some of where the Vol.6 arc is going and the chapter after that will really put things in motion.

Now let's summarise:  
Gang isn't fully comfortable with the cybernetic arm yet.  
I like the idea of the Kingdoms having enough cultural differences that it's possible to make a drastic social faux pas.  
Vale continues to rebuild. At the moment it's still shanty towns and reclaimed buildings in an ever expanding perimeter from the walls, but at least parts of the city are being reclaimed.  
Yang needs someone to robot fistbump, seriously. Vol.5 make it happen.  
"It's time to say goodbye" because references.  
Ruby would obviously say a few words for Jaune, she could have said some for Squish as well but I honestly don't think she'd be able to do both and keep her composure. It seems right for it to be Gang Rover and Missy to be the ones that speak for him, Team GRAP were the closest thing to a family he had.  
Ren and Nora utterly broken but got some kind of closure.  
Jaune's Mum is a Hunter like his Dad (Same team at Beacon) I imagine her as looking like Zarya from Overwatch, Jaune resembles his Dad more than anything.  
Ren and Nora just became honorary Arcs.  
Weiss has no concept of an air bed.  
Oscar may have flirted shamelessly with Whitley but getting called out on it by Weiss is a different matter entirely.  
Penny doesn't exactly know that The Absolution are working for Salem now, but she's smart enough to suspect.  
Also there's going to be sixteen people headed towards the villains when they make their move. That's a whole lot of muscle.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter:  
Yeah Velvet and Flax are pretty close.  
Cardin is still a dick, but the dickishness comes from somewhere.  
I know the Renora grief is hard to write. I'm sorry.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	97. 97: This Thing Of Ours

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 97: This Thing Of Ours**

Rain lashed against the windows of the sparsely furnished rented office, the occasional flash of lightning doing more to illuminate the room than the dim light hanging from the ceiling. Orchid drummed her fingers impatiently against the desk of what she had jokingly nicknamed her 'war room', a small office in a somewhat more reputable part of inner city Vaccuo than her usual haunts, giving her somewhere from which to co-ordinate the remains of the White Fang. Her rabbit ears flicking towards the door at the sound of it creaking open, a pair of sodden and bedraggled Faunus entering

"I genuinely hate this place" Noctis grumbled as he removed his trench coat "How can it be humid and raining at the same time?" the Atlesian Scorpion Faunus' displeasure with the Kingdom she called home forced a small chuckle from her lips as he and Panama Lime, the Poison Dart-Frog Faunus took seats opposite her

"So how are you adapting to life in Vaccuo?" she asked "Issues with the climate notwithstanding" her two generals took a moment to think before answering; it was Noctis that spoke first, stinger twitching with enthusiasm as he spoke

"I've been having the competition shut down without making too much of a fuss, like you asked. A couple stabbings and shootings here and there a few cars with their brakes cut, the authorities seem happy to turn a blind eye" the Scorpion Faunus seemed baffled by that fact.

"The police here are willing to let us deal with our problems amongst ourselves to an extent as long as nobody gets caught in the crossfire" Orchid explained "Just keep morale up among our people, we're pinning Fagin's death on an alliance between the other crews that Hazel was brokering; use it as fuel to clear them all out"

"With pleasure" Noctis smirked, Adam's former chief enforcer in the failed Kingdom of New Menagerie may not have had the finesse for organised crime but he understood well how to apply violence and intimidation

"What about you Panama?" the Frog Faunus gave a broad smile

"I've been overseeing our acquisition of the turf Noctis has taken over, buying out smaller businesses and staffing them with our own people"

"Good the more cash we have coming in the better, more places to launder some of our dirty money is always a good thing as well" Orchid nodded before letting out a long sigh "The game has changed, between Adam going crazy and the Coalition we've been undercut"

"You think the Kingdoms will keep up their agreements with Obsidian?" Noctis snorted

"It doesn't matter" the Rabbit Faunus answered bluntly "The people like their message and they've been seen to get results, that's all that matters. All we can do is take care of things on the ground the way we were always supposed to"

"We may have a problem with the first bank of Vaccuo" Panama interrupted "They've been threatening to close accounts tied to our shell companies" Noctis gave an annoyed huff before turning to Orchid

"Want me to have some of the management their disappear?"

"No" Orchid said slowly, thinking to herself before checking her watch to see that the bank in question would still be open for a few more hours "I've been delegating too much since taking over, I'll freely admit that; I think it's about time I dealt with a problem directly. Get a few cars ready I'm going to go and see the manager myself, I'll make them an offer they can't refuse"

* * *

It had been a month since the fighting in Atlas, roughly two weeks since the memorial and Jaune's funeral and the young Hunters currently based on Patch had fallen into an easy routine. Signal had reopened leaving Taiyang busy Qrow occasionally helping him, even the rowdiest of students calmed down when the living legend entered the classroom. While Oscar didn't attend the school he did study the curriculum with help from Sun whenever the blonde Faunus wasn't working at Juniors' bar or preoccupied by Miltia Malachite. The rest worked shifts clearing out Grimm from the woods that took up a large portion of the island, the influx of refugees from Vale had slowed but the increase in population had left the beasts more active than ever and in need of constant suppression; an activity that Blake and Yang had recently finished. The pair had found themselves at the cliffs on the edge of the island, on the other side of the woods to the ever expanding town that was Patch; Blake curled up on her partners' lap in the cool breeze taking warmth from the limitless supply of heat that was Yang Xiao Long

"I love this place" she murmured into the blondes' neck

"I know the cliffs are pretty cool, I used to train out here before Beacon" Yang agreed with a smile

"I mean all of it" the Faunus explained "I was kind of expecting Patch to be full of backwards racist hicks but it's so peaceful here, I don't get why anyone would want to leave"

"It gets kinda boring after a while" Yang admitted "But it's great to come home to, even if we are all backwards hicks" she added with a wink causing Blake to laugh softly before leaning up to kiss her cheek

"Well when everything settles down I think I'd enjoy coming home here as well"

"You want to move to Patch?" Yang asked slowly, somewhat disbelieving of the news

"I left Atlas behind when I left the White Fang and my old home there is in ruins, Beacon was my home and now that's gone as well. Since the battle of Vale I've been living in temporary accommodation, warships, safe-houses; Gangrel's in the same position. I want to settle down somewhere and have a home and I think Patch might be the place, it's away from all the crime, violence and hate I grew up around, I can see the sky here and the air's fresh; it's perfect" there was a brief moment where Yang was silent as she processed the information before she repositioned herself on top of her partner and brought her lips crashing against Blake's

"Oh my Oum I love you so much!" the feline blushed as Yang pulled her close

"Well the fresh fish here is great as well" Blake mumbled "But I love you too"

"Well I've never tried quilting before" Yang began, getting a confused glance from Blake "But I'd love to make Patch work for us" the Faunus took a moment to let out a long sigh before pulling Yang closer to her

"I'd make a comment about your 'material' but that would bring me to your level" Yang's eyes lit up at her lovers' pun before she pounced and began a merciless tickle-fight that may or may have devolved into a make-out session on the secluded cliffs.

* * *

Orchid Hemlock wore a satisfied smirk as she made her way towards the first bank of Vaccuo, Noctis and Panama flanking her. The three of them clad in the usual attire of the Vaccuan White Fang or the Faunus Mafia as they were sometimes known, pinstriped suits and Fedoras; though Noctis still wore his bone white mask covering the lower half of his face. The branch manager of the bank had been easy enough to pressure into compliance; Noctis resting his stinger against the feeble mans' neck and a slight show of power from Orchid herself while Panama dictated terms had assured their demands were met. As they they left the bank the footsoldiers that been scattered around the building and just outside of the entrance began to close ranks around their leaders

"Bring the car around" Orchid instructed one of the grunts as they stepped out into the unrelenting downpour of the Vaccuan wet season, the sky beginning to darken as the sun hidden behind an unbroken cover of stormy grey clouds began to set

"Well that went easier than expected" Noctis observed with a soft chuckle "In Atlas they'd have called the police the second that many Faunus walked in"

"I'm not going complain if they're woefully unprep-"

 _CRACK_

Panama was cut off by the sound of a high powered rifle being fired from a nearby window. Panic took over instantly as bystanders began running and screaming in all directions. Orchid and Noctis stood in disbelieving silence for a fraction of a second as Panama dropped to the ground, the Frog Faunus' skull blown open by the attack, blood and gore freezing on contact with Orchids' skin. The second gunshot snapped the world back into focus as one of the grunts dropped to the ground, a hole in their chest. Then Orchid saw them, ducking behind parked cars and behind corners; Atlesian soldiers in black armour, different variants and armaments represented among the group

"KILL THEM ALL!" Noctis bellowed rushing forwards, being one of the few Faunus fighters present with an unlocked Aura; shots clattered harmlessly against his flesh as he leapt over a car, hands pinning the black armoured soldier behind to the door of the vehicle before his tail shot forwards, tip of his stinger emerging in a spray of blood from the back of the mans' helmet. Orchid watched on in horror as several of her followers were mowed down with out mercy, the car she had arrived in came screeching around the corner only to be sent skidding out of control as a salvo of bullets tore through the wind shield, reducing the drivers' chest to a bloody mess

"I don't know who you are" Orchid snarled as pale blue light began to engulf her fists and shine from her eyes, breath misting in front of her "But you picked the wrong crew to fuck with!" with that the Winter Maiden launched into action.

* * *

Ren's arm snaked around Nora's waist as she let her head rest on his shoulder while the two of them cuddled on the sofa in the Arc household; in the time since Jaune's funeral the pair had found themselves slipping into a comfortable routine. They helped Ivory Arc and occasionally Yatsuhashi deal with any Grimm that encroached upon the village allowing Craven Arc to go back into retirement and return to raising his children that still lived at home. The old Hunter would never say it out loud but with Antonia and Victoria having left home, Jaune being gone, Citrus having being offered and accepted a place at Haven Academy since Beacon had been all but destroyed and the twins Daisy and Buttercup now attending Signal, the travel time from their village to Patch meaning that they were almost never at home, having to take a coach into Vale and a boat to the island he missed having a house full of children. Only the youngest two, Poppy and Hellebores remained. Ren and Nora had been accepted as honorary Arcs to both help fill the void and give the two of them something approaching normalcy. The sound of the door opening took their attention away from the mindless television show that had barely held it in the first place, Craven limped into the house muttering under his breath

"So who is it this time?" Nora asked with a knowing smile, only his own children could get such a reaction from the man

"The twins and the Hell-Child" he sighed, Hellebores Arc or 'The Hell-Child' to the older members of her family was the youngest Arc at nine years old and seemingly had a gift for causing mischief wherever she went

"What happened?" Ren asked calmly

"One of the refugee kids from the city likes to play with matches, he and Hellebores seem to be friends now; so now I get to have a conversation with that little snot's parents about how woods and farmland are flammable and if they would kindly keep their spawn away from my daughter"

"Want us to take care of it for you?" Ren offered

"No it's fine I'll deal with it" Craven shook his head "But thanks anyway, I wish she'd just latch onto you two the way Poppy has" he added with a snort, the twelve year old girl had seemingly accepted Nora as her new older sister and tried to tag along with she and Ren whenever possible

"Most parents would be concerned about that" Nora chuckled

"What because you're a Huntress and occasionally get a little enthusiastic with your job, have you met my wife and kids?" his answer got genuine laughs from both Ren and Nora before the scarred Hunter turned to Craven

"So what's the matter with the twins?"

"Boys" the single word was hissed with more malice and venom than Ren would have thought possible, Craven pinched the bridge of his nose and let out a long sigh before continuing "Saw them both getting off the coach from Vale and went to say hello, walked into a conversation I wish I could forget. There's a boy in their class at Signal that they both seem smitten with, some Faunus boy that lied his way into the army apparently"

"Women" Nora gave an apologetic shrug

"It can't be that bad surely?" Ren asked

"My twin daughters have a crush on the same boy, in what way does this end well? Oum's sake Hunting was easier than daughters" Craven groaned, earning himself a cackle from Nora

"We interrupt our scheduled broadcast for a breaking news report from Vaccuo, has Atlas declared war?" the televison blared out

"What?" Ren mouthed as he turned to see Lisa Lavender on the screen

"News just in, what appears to be Atlesian military forces have been seen attacking a group of Faunus some witnesses are calling a splinter group of the White Fang though this remains unconfirmed" the anchorwomen announced "The attack took place outside of the first bank of Vaccuo just before closing time and it appears that both sides had left the scene before the authorities arrived. Though we have exclusive footage of the incident captured by an eye witness, viewer discretion is advised as this clip may contain scenes that some viewers could find disturbing" the screen changed, displaying footage that had obviously been captured on a Scroll. The subject of the footage was a Rabbit Faunus with glowing eyes and fists wreaking havoc on everything around her. A black armoured soldier appeared over the hood of a car that they were taking cover behind clearly intending to fire before dying a gruesome death as the rain drops around him became sharpened fragments of falling ice, piercing the gaps between his armour; the soldier dropped to the floor desperately clutching his throat. A pair of soldiers attempted to rush the Rabbit-Faunus from behind only to meet equally horrific ends as the accumulated rainwater from the gutters and side-walks surged forward forming spears of ice, leaving the bodies of the soldiers suspended by the chest and skull, a sniper positioned in a nearby window was frozen solid by a blast of pale blue light flung from the Faunus' hand before the footage was abruptly stopped, the screen returning to a clear disturbed Lisa Lavender

"I apologise to our viewers, we had no idea that the footage we had received was that graphic-" Nora tuned her out before turning to Ren, expression worried

"Her hands and eyes, the way they lit up-"

"Exactly like Cinder" he finished as he rose to his feet "We need to find Yatsuhashi, get the others, we know where the Winter Maiden is"

* * *

Cadmus Ferrus entered Salem's great hall, marching towards her throne with a resolute expression; he would not show fear or apprehension in front of her. The masked killer he could still only assume was a human stepped forward as he neared, eyes blazing behind her mask as her hand clenched around her weapon

"You would do well to learn respect and bow before your Mistress" Salem noted with an amused tone "Lest Raven begins to perceive you as a threat" Cadmus scowled, mechanical components of his right arm whirring as he balled his fists and gave a barely perceptible bow of the head

"Good, you're learning. Slowly but you're still learning my child" Salem made no effort to keep the mocking edge from her voice "Now tell me, how goes your work in Vaccuo. Has fear an unrest been sown?"

"It has" seeing Salem raise an eyebrow, clearly expecting a more detailed answer he continued "The Faunus animals that plague Vaccuo are criminal by nature, it was merely a matter of having my soldiers convince the bankers that deal with their money to make things difficult to draw the White Fang out and publicly deal with them"

"So they are dead?" Salem asked

"Not entirely" Cadmus admitted "Though the end result will still be fear and unrest in the people of Vaccuo, I lost several good soldiers when one of them unveiled powers we were unprepared for" as he spoke he withdrew a small photograph, taken from the cameras built into one of his soldiers' helmets, Raven took the photograph from him as he made to approach Salem; handing it to her personally

"I see" Salem hissed as she examined the image "You have done well Cadmus, very well indeed. Your attack has uncovered something I would very much like for Raven to acquire"

* * *

Gangrel, who had been pacing restlessly after hearing the news that The Absolution had been spotted in Vaccuo felt his Scroll Vibrate, withdrawing it from his pocket he saw that it was a video call from Winter

"It's your sister" he informed Weiss who had been sitting in silence, lost in thought since hearing the news. The Bear-Faunus answered the call

"Slate, Weiss. I take it that you've heard about the latest developments?" Winter asked

"The Absolution are in Vaccuo" Gangrel snarled

"Yes and so is the Winter Maiden" Winter informed him "I know losing Jade is still fresh in everyone's memories but we need to focus on the bigger picture right now. That footage has been seen all over Remnant, there is no way our enemies don't know about the Winter Maiden, or the fact that she seems to be part of the White Fang"

"The world thinks that those were Atlesian soldiers" Weiss pointed out

"Indeed" Winter growled through gritted teeth "General Ironwood is currently speaking with the Vaccuan government directly and attempting to de-escalate the situation"

"But us turning up in Vaccuo is gonna make that really difficult" Gangrel noted

"You're a Black-Ops unit. You don't officially exist, you're not affiliated with Atlas in any provable way despite how well known certain members of the unit are" Winter countered "But we won't be able to send a ship to get you to Vaccuo"

"And the SDC has no real influence there, Vaccuan Dust mines are nationalised" Weiss sighed

"The train between Vale and Vaccuo stopped running after they took refugees after the battle" Gangrel ran a hand through his hair "And Penny's Bull-Head won't take all of us in one trip, fuel is gonna be an issue. If the White Fang are involved I don't want to ask Sun to talk to his dad, Gut Wukong is loyal to whoever is paying at the time and the White Fang pay him well"

"Captain, if I may?" First mate Matte Skye stepped into view, a somewhat cocky smile on their face

"Speak freely Matte"

"I can get them to Vaccuo. After the battle of Vale, while I was away from the military I was serving aboard one of the civilian vessels ferrying refugees, helping defend them from Grimm. The captain of the 'Pride' owes me a favour I can call in. It might take a day or two for him to arrive but he'll do it"

"Then we'll contact the others" Weiss nodded "Team RWBY, CFVY, GRAP, Penny, Ren and Nora. Qrow Branwen has already promised to assist us

"You keep that dusty old bird from doing anything too reckless or stupid" Winter snorted "He's a good friend. Matte contact the captain of the Pride and make the arrangements, I'll inform General Ironwood that the Winter Maiden has been located and we're moving to secure her. Stay safe out there Weiss"

"As safe as I can, considering" Weiss gave a weak smile before the screen went blank and Gangrel collapsed the Scroll. Weiss gave his free hand a gentle squeeze, the metal of his cybernetic limb cold to the touch

"Are you going to be okay" Weiss asked him softly, a lump in her throat that she refused to acknowledge at the thought of facing Jade's killers

"I will be" he growled "The Winter Maiden works for Fagin, that's going to be an interesting discussion. And The Absolution are there as well, every single one of them answers for what they did" Weiss met his gaze, eyes blazing

"Agreed"

* * *

In a squalid apartment somewhere in Vaccuo, a pair of green eyes watched the news coverage of the attack outside the bank. Eyes narrowing in unfettered hatred at the sight of the black armoured soldiers, fists shaking in rage. The air around the figure became even more humid than the Kingdoms' usual oppressive climate and a potted plant on a nearby windowsill became engulfed in a vivid green light, growing at an impossible rate as vines and thorns sprouting from it, seemingly reaching towards the screen before the figure simply picked up a chair and threw it at the television before collapsing to the ground in a fit of silent sobs; swearing vengeance to herself

 _I'll make them pay. I'll make them all pay._

 **Authors Notes:**

Today (4th March 2017) marks six months since I posted the first chapter of this story.

"This thing of ours" is translated from the Italian phrase "La Cosa Nostra" it seems fitting for a chapter involving the Faunus Mafia.

Let's summarise:  
Nobody from Atlas can deal with Vaccuo's climate.  
Orchid has taken over the Vaccuan White Fang (In effect the only part of the White Fang left with any real clout) by pinning Fagin's death on Hazel and the other, mainly human crews in Vaccuo and then proceeding to wipe said crews out.  
The Coalition have actually been so successful in their aims of undercutting the White Fang by offering a non-violent and _more effective_ way to protest against institutional racism that the White Fang have been effectively pushed back to where we saw them at the start of the story, acting like a street gang day to day.  
" _I'll make them an offer they can't refuse"_ because references  
The Blake and Yang scene was: A) because I felt like I'd been neglecting the Bees a little. B) it helped show the passage of time, sure it's only been two weeks since the last chapter and a month since the end of the Vol.5 arc, but Vale is moving forwards. Tai is teaching at Signal again; life goes on regardless of how many tragedies happen.  
I think Blake would be at home on Patch.  
So yeah, the Absolution leaned on the bankers to shut down the accounts tied to the Vaccuan White Fangs' legal front businesses, knowing that they'd come show up and set up an ambush.  
Also Panama Lime is dead, she was never a major character but she was one of the three remaining heads of the White Fang. That just leaves Orchid and Noctis.  
Domestic Renora, let them have this they deserve it. The Arcs' have fully accepted them as their own.  
Also, yes the Faunus boy two of Jaune's sisters have a crush on at Signal is Velvet's brother Flax; because his inability to go anywhere without causing some kind of trouble amuses me.  
"Hunting was easier than daughters" was borrowed from the "War was easier than daughters" line from Game Of Thrones.  
Orchid when she's not hiding her powers is obscenely brutal; I mean look at what she did to Hazel. I watched Logan last night, imagine her fighting style as Wolverine crossed with Sub-Zero from Mortal Kombat. Also Noctis is pretty brutal as well.  
Matte Skye has a plan to get everyone to Vaccuo (Yes the 'Pride') is the ship she was on in Vol.4 canon.  
We all know who that was at the end don't we.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter.  
We're both crying.  
I love adding in little references and Easter Eggs to this story, it makes it more fun.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	98. 98: Voyage

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 98: Voyage  
**

The Pride, the vessel that Matte Skye had procured for them took almost two days to arrive in Patch. In that time the rest of the Hunters intending to make the journey to Vaccuo had arrived on the island, finding accommodation until the ship arrived. It had done so in the early hours of the morning, reaching the docks as the sun rose. The journey had so far gone without incident, even Penny's personal Bull-Head 'The Pearl' had managed to be stored in the cargo hold without much complication alongside Yang's motorcycle and Weiss's ATV 'Stardust'. Currently the Pride was ploughing through the waves in the dead of night. Travelling between Vale and Vaccuo by sea took longer than by land and they expected to reach their destination late the following afternoon. Qrow ran a hand through his soaked hair pushing it away from his eyes, the rain had abated somewhat, slowing to a fine misty drizzle but he knew well enough that that would change as they neared their destination. Ostensibly he was on deck on to assist Ren and Nora in keeping watch for Grimm in the water at the captains' request, a not unreasonable expectation on the grizzled old seafarers' part; in reality Qrow was on deck in search of cold fresh air to mitigate the effects of his drinking, stomach lurching with every movement of the boat. Groaning slightly and rubbing his eyes he cast his eyes to the two young Hunters, each had one hand firmly on their weapons while their free hands were intertwined with each other. He noticed that their combat gear and weapons seemed have to been thoroughly cleaned and given proper maintenance recently and allowed himself a small smile, _'The Arcs' are good people'_ he thought to himself; he knew some of the older members of the family and had spent his time prior to returning to Patch assisting with the relief effort and clearing out of Grimm in Atlas alongside Winter and the eldest Arc daughters Antonia and Victoria, the scientist having leant her technical skills to the task.

"Shift change!" a gravelly voice barked out Qrow steadied himself and turned to face Gangrel Slate and Weiss Schnee approaching them with their weapons at the ready

"Woo-hoo" Nora gave a half-hearted fist pump as she yawned before leading Ren back to their cabin by the hand

"You smell like shit….you don't look much better either" Gangrel noted as Qrow made his way passed him, sensitive snout wrinkling at the older mans' breath

"Oh please you're Atlesian you could probably drink me under the table" the veteran Hunter countered

"You're right I probably could" the Bear-Faunus smirked "But for Oum's sake stop drinking the cheap shit and go get something from the kitchens to take the edge off it or you'll be no use to us tomorrow"

"Fine fine" Qrow chuckled before setting off, making his way into the belly of the vessel, using walls to support himself as the ship rocked; rounding the last corner on the route to his destination he stopped, almost sure his eyes were deceiving him. Several confused and bleary blinks later Oscar Pine was still stood before him wearing a guilty expression

"Okay" Qrow ground out "When the hell did you sneak aboard?"

"When is a bit of a tricky concept for me" the freckled teen gave him a cocky grin that failed to hide his obvious apprehension. Qrow let out an irritated huff

"Don't be a smart-ass kid. We'll try again, how did you sneak aboard?"

"Penny's Bull-Head" the young Wizard answered bluntly "When she was getting it into the cargo hold I managed to pause time for long enough to sneak on. I've spent the whole day hidden in the rear compartment….I came to get some food, and find a bathroom"

"And the AI didn't question that?"

"Surprisingly no"

"Oz" Qrow growled out massaging his temples "You're not ready"

"When am I going to be ready Qrow?" Oscar demanded "Seriously when, you didn't want to train me until Raven forced you and now she's gone; so what are you just going to-" he was cut off by Qrow pinning him to the wall by the throat

"Oz I'm going to say this as plainly as I can. You've got a mouth on you that's going to get you hurt"

"You just don't like hearing the fact-"

"I know!" Qrow roared, fist colliding with the wall beside Oscar's head "I know I've fucked up, I failed my sister, I failed Amber, Pyrrha hell even Ozpin, I know and I don't need some little punk reminding me every time he opens his mouth!"

"Shit" Oscar's voice came out as a scared whisper as he saw tears welling up in the drunk old Huntsman's eyes "I'm sorry Qrow"

"Do you even know what it is we're going to Vaccuo to do?" Qrow demanded

"Y-yeah" the teen stammered "We're going to protect the Winter Maiden and take out the people who, who killed Jade"

"Protect the Winter Maiden" Qrow chuckled darkly "You saw the news, she doesn't need protecting she needs to be contained for everyone's sake and as for the those sick sons of bitches that defected from Atlas; they've already shown the lengths they're willing to go to. They've killed kids, fucking kids, they dropped weaponised Grimm on a city full of people and you think you're ready to jump into this fight?"

"I know I'm not ready to fight yet" Oscar muttered "I can't tear through Grimm the way you and the others can; but I can still do something. At the Bio-Domes I used my powers to help Ruby"

"You want to take on a support role?" Qrow asked

"Until I'm ready to do more" Qrow let out an irritated growl

"Fine, you're already here so it's not like there's much I can do about it now"

"Thank you"

"I'm not happy about it, I don't want or need any more blood or failures on my conscience" Qrow grumbled shaking his head before making his way towards the ships' kitchen "Come on Oz, let's get something to eat and you can find an empty cabin, Penny will not be happy if she finds out you stowed away on her Bull-Head"

* * *

Gangrel rubbed his eyes, having only managed a few hours sleep after being relieved from watching the water by Blake and Yang; forcing them to remain open as he took a seat at one of the tables in the dining room of the Pride; the ship was intended to carry many more people than were currently aboard it and the Bear-Faunus didn't want to think about the amount of Lien the captain was probably making from this trip. Ruby was the first person to join him, arriving in a trademark display of comical exuberance; bursting into the room with rose petals trailing behind her

"Sorry I'm late I overslept and didn't see your message so….Oh, nobody else is here yet" Penny trailed after her wearing an amused expression at her girlfriends' antics

"Where's Weiss?" Ruby asked noticing her partners' absence

"We were on watch last night after Ren and Nora, She's still fast asleep and I didn't want to wake her up. Besides I only sent the message to team leaders, Penny and your uncle" as he finished talking Coco and Qrow entered the room, both looking worse for wear

"I do not appreciate being awake" Coco growled

"They have coffee, it's self service" Gangrel sighed. A few moments passed as everyone got breakfast and made themselves comfortable around the table

"Okay so what's this secret meeting about?" Coco asked between sips of obscenely strong coffee

"We need to figure out what we're actually going to do when we get to Vaccuo; going there with good intentions and no plan is a good way to get us killed and probably start a war"

"A good point" Qrow nodded "One some kids really need to learn" he added in an annoyed mutter without further explanation

"So have you got anything in mind?" Coco asked

"Find Fagin Grey" Gangrel growled "The Winter Maiden works for him and he hasn't been using her to wipe competition off the map; that doesn't sound like him. I spoke to Junior before we left, he hasn't heard from Fagin in over a month but supplies have still been coming in"

"The same Fagin Grey that let everyone in Lower Atlas starve?" until The Coalition started sending supplies down the fashionista asked with a raised eyebrow

"Yeah him" The Faunus admitted "He tried starving out Lower Atlas to deal with Adam, apparently everyone else was just an acceptable amount of collateral. I'll be sure to bring that up"

"You think he'll just give us the Winter Maiden?" Qrow drawled out disbelievingly

"I'll either twist his arm or break his neck"

"Okay so we might have a way of tracking down the Winter Maiden" the grizzled Hunter stroked his stubble thoughtfully "What about The Absolution, I thought you'd be going after them"

"Oh trust me I will be" Gangrel snarled "But I have no idea how to find them or what their plan is, all we know so far is that they hate Faunus and there's a good chance they're working for Salem"

"Their attack on the Winter Maiden supports that" Penny interjected, seeing everyone's eyes turn to her she continued "Not because of the fact she's the Winter Maiden, they seemed drastically under prepared for that. It was a broad daylight attack against a criminal organisation intended to sow fear, it fits Salem's modus operandi; fear tactics combined with taking over and destabilisation of underground factions to weaken a Kingdom from within followed by a decisive blow that allows the Grimm to run rampant" everyone remained silent as they took in the androids' words. Gangrel nodded slowly as he realised that it fit, The White Fang's original plan to launch their attack from Mountain Glenn at the same time as events at the Vytal Tournament happened or Adam's breaking of Atlas followed by Project Hexxus

"So they're definitely working for Salem then" Gangrel growled "Even more reason to find the Winter Maiden"

"To keep her from Salem?" Qrow asked

"That and draw The Absolution out, let them come to us"

"This is all interesting but we kinda have more obvious problems" Ruby pointed out "Where are we going to stay when we get to Vaccuo?"

"We'll dock at Nusar-Khalij, but realistically we need to get out of that part of town" Gangrel answered "It's effectively White Fang controlled and Vaccuo might be more tolerant than the other Kingdoms but that many humans walking around the Faunus part of town is gonna attract too much attention we don't want"

"Fox's family are in Vaccuo" Coco spoke up "I know he has an aunt and uncle that run a hotel that he visited last summer. His parents have been there since Vale fell, they were some of the refugees to Vaccuo"

"That might work" Gangrel nodded "I'll have to get in touch with Winter and get her to organise it"

"But with the tensions between Atlas and Vaccuo, would Fox's relatives even be willing to help us?" Penny asked, Qrow gave a low chuckle  
"Vaccuans have an….interesting way of seeing the world kid, governments can have whatever arguments amongst each other they want but Vaccuo will keep on surviving"

"Cool, I'll tell Fox to call his parents" Coco rose to her feet and made to leave

"Penny and I are going to go and let Blake and Yang get some sleep, we'll tell them what's happening" Ruby announced; Qrow turned to the Bear-Faunus when the huntresses had left

"So we've got something approaching a plan. But you know the White Fang better than I ever will, how likely is this to go wrong?" Gangrel gave a shrug, mechanical components of his left arm whirring slightly at the motion

"Honestly, things have gone so far passed what I signed up for that I have no idea"

* * *

Rain lashed against deck of the Pride relentlessly while the temperature remained uncomfortably warm and humid as the ship approached Vaccuo, the bay visible in the distance through the deluge

"Sweet Oum I've heard about Vaccuo's wet season before, but I didn't realise it was going to be this bad" Rover grumbled, shaking water from himself in a manner that many would say showed off his canine side

"You've got nothing to complain about" Artemis laughed from her position beside him "I'm gonna have to re-dye my hair the second we dock, it's getting washed out just standing here" her Fiancé merely wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close

"On the bright side we should be there soon, Fox's family hotel might have a pool-"

"You know damn well I don't swim" Artemis's feline ears lay flat against her school

"True, but I also know you look great in a swimsuit" Artemis rolled her mismatched eyes and kissed his cheek

"Sometimes I have no idea why I love you so much" their conversation was halted as both of them picked up the sound at the same time, their enhanced Faunus hearing allowing to hear the distinctive _'fwump, fwump'_ of large wings

"Nevermore" Artemis hissed as she slung Hakai Suru from her back and shifted it to its' rifle form; Rover pulled Malis-Canis from his shoulder in it's shotgun mode, golden lightning crackling around his body as he prepared to use his Semblance. The muted crack of his partners' weapon sounded out as the first of the flock came into view, half a dozen Grimm met their ends as they attempted to dive bomb the bow of the Pride only for Rover to rush out to meet them in a burst of speed, time slowing to a crawl in his perceptions as he discharged his weapon into each of their screeching maws

"Okay that's a lot of Grimm!" Rover bellowed over the sound of flapping wings and enraged squawking as at least a hundred giant Nevermore descended upon the ship; several were reduced to black mist as Coco ran onto the deck with a war cry unloading Satani Arbor into the monsters, Velvet behind her with a glowing replica of the weapon in her hands; the sound of gunfire seemed to rend the air apart as every Hunter aboard the vessel surged forth. Gangrel readied Breaker and spat Fire Dust rounds into the Nevermore sending their burning and fading carcasses into the depths, Yatsuhashi unleashed his Semblance, waves of sheer concussive force crushing any Grimm they impacted against as Nora unleashed a volley of Grenades; Yang launched a jet of Aura-fuelled flames from her hand at any Nevermore that dared near the ship while Weiss dropped to a knee preparing a summoning Glyph beneath herself and sending forth her own flock of glowing white Nevermore to tear the attacking beasts from the sky while using other Glyphs as shields to protect her friends; not to be outdone Qrow took to his avian form and soared into the midst of the flock before returning into his natural state with a flash of Aura and withdrawing his weapon in its' sword form, cleaving through the wings and skulls of Nevermore as he fell

"Okay this is no problem, we've got this under control!" Ruby called out over the din of battle when, seemingly summoned by her words the entire ship lurched to the side sending her staggering

"What the hell was that?" Yang demanded as Blake pulled her to her feet

"ANCHOR-HEADS!" the voice of the captain bellowed from the bridge of the vessel

"Fuck they're ugly" Gangrel snarled as he leaned over the side of the ship and unloaded, switching to Gravity Dust as he did so; the high powered rounds tearing through the monsters. Each Anchor-head was roughly twelve feet long with a sleek body propelled forwards by a powerful tail; the entirety of the front of the Grimm was covered in bone plates, a from the blade like fin that pierced the water to the armoured skull protrusions which were adorned with jagged edges and jutting spikes

"They're on the other side as well!" someone shouted

"I've got them!" Ren rushed over and emptied the Storm-Flowers

"We've got a problem!" Gangrel snarled as his weapon punched a hole through another Anchor-head that rammed into the hull "We're taking on water, they're ripping holes in the ship"

"Get rid of the Grimm in the water, I can fix the ship!" Penny called out

"Penny what are you doing?" Ruby's voice came out in a panic cry

"Ruby, trust me" she took a deep breath before holstering her weapons and dropping to one knee, when she next spoke her voice came out in a dull monotone "Nano-bots active, commencing field repairs" streams of translucent silvery liquid to emanate from her the copper haired girls' hand, moving as if they hand a mind of their own towards the edge of the deck. Gangrel watched in stunned silence as the liquid trickled down the hull of the ship and began to fill the holes in the hull, solidifying as it did so

"Low power, entering stasis" Penny's monotone voice sounded out

"Rover get her below deck!" the Bear-Faunus roared as she collapsed in a limp heap

"Got it!" he answered from behind his mask which he had lowered at some point in the battle rushing forwards in a golden blur as a never more dived towards Penny; a split second later the two of them were gone; in their place was Oscar, holding onto a broom handle which was lodged in the eye of a rapidly fading Grimm

"Rover and Penny are safe, and sweet Oum how fast is he, I slowed time down and he was still fast!" Oscar demanded incredulously "Oh fuck I killed a Grimm, I actually killed a Grimm!"

"Great now get back below deck!" Qrow bellowed only to be drowned out by the sound of heavy duty machine guns ripping through the remaining Nevermore. All present turned towards the source of the sound to see half a dozen armed and armoured speedboats rushing towards them

"Vaccuan border patrol" Gangrel noted with a relieved smile

"About time" Weiss gave an exhausted huff

"Guys!" Fox called out as he stepped back from the bow a worried expression on his face as his Semblance alerted him to something rising from the depths below "We've got incoming and it's big!"

"Okay everyone reload while you can-" Qrow was cut off by the Grimm bursting from the water, swallowing one of the speedboats whole and sending another flying through the air

"What the fuck is that?" Artemis demanded while snapping off a salvo of shots, to no discernible effect

"Several tons of nope" Nora answered while launching a grenade at it with similar results

"That" Qrow sighed "Is an Ahab" the Grimm was roughly two thirds the size of the Pride itself and resembled a whale, long and slender with armour plates adorning its' body

"And how the fuck do we fight one of those?" Gangrel snarled

"Preferably from the air with a very big gun, we've got half of that" Qrow shrugged before bellowing up to the bridge of the ship "We need the main cannon!"

"It'll take some time!" the captain answered, the weapon in question deploying with the sound of several grinding gears and pistons

"It carries other Grimm!" Coco warned the others as the Ahab's mouthed opened allowing almost twenty smaller Nevermore that had been created within its' body to surge forth before dipping below the waves once again

"Oh well this is going to be a whale of a time" Yang snarled through gritted teeth as she unloaded her gauntlets into the attacking monsters; as the Nevermore were gunned down the Ahab made its' presence known once more, breaching the surface with enough force to flip another border patrol speedboat, maw opening to unleash more Grimm upon them

"NO!" Ruby shouted standing firm on the bow of the ship, silver light bursting from her eyes before beginning to radiate from her entire body. The freshly deployed Nevermore were simply unmade by the shock wave of silver light that surged from the young Huntress. The Ahab turned to face them, its' size belying an incredible speed

"MAIN CANNON'S READY!" the captain thundered

"It's too fast" Qrow realised "We won't be able to hit it"

"I've got it" Oscar answered stepping forward beside Ruby and taking a deep breath

"Oz-"

"Look it's this or nothing" the young Wizard snapped bracing himself as the Ahab surged forth as if to ram the ship. Oscar let loose a scream as he unleashed his own power, reality seemed to warp around the monstrous Grimm as time was brought to a halt around it, raindrops hung suspended in the air and the ocean stood still

"FIRE!" Qrow ordered, moments later the main cannon fired with a deafening report tearing a hole one could comfortably drive a car down through the entire body of the Ahab. Qrow rushed forward grabbing Ruby and Oscar as they simultaneously collapsed from exhaustion

"We did it?" Nora asked seemingly shocked by the fact

"We did it" Qrow nodded as he hauled his niece and student over his shoulders "They're just exhausted. Everyone made it"

"Well except those poor bastards on the boats" Fox pointed out with a grimace; before the conversation could go any further an amplified voice demanded their attention. Looking over the side of the ship they saw the remaining speedboats training their weapons on the Pride; the speaker was a Monkey Faunus with matted and greying blonde hair, a serrated blade at his hip and a wooden left leg using a megaphone

"This is captain Gut Wukong of the Vaccuan Border Patrol, we'll be escorting you to the bay and taking you in for questioning"

* * *

The group made their way ashore, acutely aware of the border patrols' weapons being trained on them as they made their way down the ramp from the Pride to meet them.

"They're not going to arrest us surely, we did nothing wrong. We were attacked by Grimm" Yang asked in a hushed tone as she adjusted Ruby whom she was carrying, the question was addressed to Qrow who was currently carrying Oscar's limp form but it was Gangrel who answered

"Doesn't matter much. Everything I know about him tells me Gut is as corrupt as they come and just wants an easy life"

"Isn't he Sun's dad?" the blonde asked

"Exactly" the whispered conversation ended as they reached solid land. The armed guards moving to flank them. Gut Wukong limped forward from between his underlings, wooden leg clacking against the ground with every step taking a drag on the cigarette in his mouth before speaking

"Well, this is fucking interesting to say the least; interesting is usually not a good sign in this job"

"Captain Wukong" Qrow started stepping forward "We're here to-"  
"I couldn't give two fucks what you're here for" the old Faunus cut him off "I know who you are Branwen, I'm pretty sure everyone in law enforcement does. You show up in my bay with a ship full of Hunters that can only be bad news for me one way or another"

"We're not trying to be in the bay any longer than we have to be Wukong, step aside and we'll be out of your way" Gut's eyes twitched towards the towering Faunus, brow furrowing at the sound of his distinctive Atlesian accent

"Oh fuck no" he spat "An Atlesian Hunter showing up here, you've got no chance. Get back on your boat and get the fuck out"

"Captain Wukong, we know your son, call him-"

"My boy is notorious for getting neck deep in shit, I'm not cleaning this up. Now move" with a hand gesture from Gut the soldiers surrounding them raised their weapons. Then he paused, face paling as he felt a weapon pressed against his lower back

"What the-" he tried to turn to face his attacker only to hear the sound of a weapon charging with a dull thrumming

"Nobody has to get hurt" Qrow murmured "Call your soldiers off, let us go and forget you saw us" the Monkey Faunus scowled before begrudgingly turning on his heel and stalking off, muttering curses as he did so the border patrol leaving with him. The assembled Hunters turned to face their saviour, taken aback at the sight of a very familiar individual who shifted the weapon into her hands into its' parasol form in attempt to keep the rain off of her pink and brown hair while gazing at them with eyes that had changed colour since the last time they had seen her, her irises were now the vivid green of the Spring Maiden even when she wasn't actively using the powers

"Neo?" Weiss asked "You're okay? Winter was going to send people to look for you-" the former heiress was silenced by the mute reaching into her pocket and throwing a scroll for Weiss to catch, looking at the screen she saw that a message had already been typed

 _'Find me when you're ready'_ when Weiss looked up to ask what she meant, Neo had vanished.

 **Authors Notes:**

Nothing to say so let's get straight into the summary:  
Qrow spent some time helping Winter and the eldest two Arc children in the relief effort of Lower Atlas before returning to Patch when Tai told him to take some time to calm down, that's why he came to Patch with Blake and Penny. (It isn't a plot point here, but it will be important to a spin-off I have planned for when this story is finished)  
Oscar is determined to be useful, he's also seemingly determined to see just how far he can push Qrow.  
Qrow honestly thinks of himself as a failure.  
Gang still doesn't know Fagin's dead yet. Neither does Junior, all they know is Fagin hasn't been seen in person for a while but considering there was a turf war happening in Vaccuo it's not unexpected.  
Penny has pretty much figured out Salem's preferred Modus Operandi.  
Fox having family in Vaccuo was mentioned causally all the way back in Chapter 01.  
The team have the bare bones of a plan, lean on the White Fang/Faunus Mafia until they can get to the Winter Maiden and use her as a way to draw out The Absolution.  
You didn't really think they were going to sail between Kingdoms without incident? Surely not?  
Ruby invoked Murphy's Law, bad Ruby.  
Anchor-Head Grimm, I mentioned them back in the Vol.4 arc, one of them bit off Sun's dads' leg when Sun was a kid.  
Penny's field repair; was last used in the battle at the Bio-dome after Adam tried to cut her face off; as well as repairing herself she can use it repair nearby machines, the downside is it drains her more to fix something else.  
Oscar killed his first Grimm, granted Ruby had wiped out an entire pack of Beowolves by his age but credit where it's due.  
Fox's Semblance, once again being used as an early warning system.  
I like my Whale/Aircraft carrier Grimm more than the leviathan.  
Ruby slowly gaining more and more control over the silver eyes.  
Oz in a support role, doing things like freezing time around targets so they're stuck in place.  
Gut Wukong is corrupt as they come and the part of Vaccuo is the head of border patrol within is pretty much under White Fang control, you can see why he wouldn't want them to come ashore. Also considering the tensions between Atlas and Vaccuo after The Absolutions' attack he definitely doesn't want any Atlesians with Hunter training running around his part of town.  
Neo's back.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review of the last chapter.  
Oh yeah, Orchid is brutal. I already knew I wanted her to be downright nasty with her powers but I watched Logan on opening night and that influenced her fighting style a little.  
I have a plan for a Maiden fight this volume but not the one you're thinking.  
If Renora doesn't warm your heart then you have no heart to warm.  
I have some fun things lined up for Vaccuo; I can't wait until we see it in canon it has the potential to be interesting.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	99. 99: Most Wanted

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 99: Most Wanted**

The first thing Ruby picked up on as she was dragged reluctantly back into wakefulness was the sound of furniture being moved. Muttering a barely intelligible slew of grunted syllables that could one could only assume were intended to be words she groggily rubbed her eyes, wincing slightly at the dull throbbing pain coursing through her skull

"I didn't mean to wake you" an apologetic and familiar voice told her, Ruby opened her eyes and saw Penny pushing a single bed that had presumably been at the other side of the room next to the bed that Ruby herself was laid in

"It's okay" Ruby mumbled "How long was I out?" Penny pushed the beds together and climbed in before answering

"I haven't been conscious for long" she admitted "But a few hours, I think. It's night now, we were due to arrive late afternoon"

"Are you okay? What happened?" the scythe wielder's voice took on a concerned edge at the questioning. Penny wrapped an arm around her girlfriends' waist and pulled her close, Ruby resting her head on the copper haired girls' chest

"I'm combat ready, I'm fine" Penny assured her "I used my nano-bots to repair the damage to the ship, it drained me; that's all"

"I used my silver eyes again" Ruby informed her "I feel like I'm getting better but I still can't control it fully"

"You'll master it, don't worry" Penny gently kissed the top of her head while lacing the fingers of her free hand between Ruby's

"It's not enough" the caped Huntress sighed "Not even close"

"Ruby?"

"If I could have controlled them in Atlas then Gangrel would still have his arm, we could have gone back to the fight in the city itself….we could have saved Jaune"

"It wasn't your fault"  
"Cinder might have killed him" Ruby gave a small sniffle "But I still could have done something if I could control my powers, I'm partially-"  
"No you're not" Penny asserted bluntly "I stayed in the air when I could have sacrificed The Pearl and fought in the city, I'm more to blame than you are. Jaune rushed in to fight Cinder when he knew he needed back up; none of it changes anything. Cinder is to blame and she's gone. We'll all do better next time"

"There won't be a next time" Ruby growled fiercely as she nuzzled into Penny "I'm not saying goodbye to any more of my friends" the android simply held her close and began gently stroking her hair; inhaling sharply as Ruby kissed along her collarbone. Penny cupped Ruby's cheeks and brought her face to hers, fully intending to leave her girlfriend breathless when a knock at the door prevented her

"Hey, sorry if I'm interrupting" Oscar gave a small shrug as he entered the room "I'm in the next room and I heard you talking. Qrow asked me to let him know when you woke up"

"Where is Uncle Qrow?" Ruby asked as she rolled off of Penny, turning to face the freckled teen

"Almost everyone's out. Qrow went looking for the seediest dive bar he could find; 'to gather information' naturally" he snorted

"Of course he did" Ruby gave a wry chuckle, looking out of the window of what she assumed was a hotel room for the first time and seeing that it was night "Where's everyone else?"

"Ren and Nora are sat on the roof" the teen gave a bemused sigh

"What?"

"The weather got worse, Nora's sat on the roof with an unfolded wire hanger soaking up lightning; Ren is up there trying to stop her from catching a cold"

"Yeah, that sounds about right" Ruby accepted with a shrug, at this point very little the hyperactive ginger could do would surprise her. Penny gave an amused giggle beside her

"Team CFVY are here somewhere, Fox's family are here so they're chilling with them. Everyone else is out" Oscar continued

"Do you know where they went?" Ruby asked

"I'm not sure about Team GRAP but Weiss, Blake and Yang were picking their bikes up from the ship"

"What about The Pearl?" Penny asked suddenly concerned

"There's a landing pad for small airships and Bull-Heads basically down the road, The Pearl apparently flew itself there" Penny nodded before narrowing her eyes

"You stowed away on The Pearl didn't you?" seeing Oscar gulp slightly before nodding she continued "We'll talk about that later"

"Y-yeah" Oscar nodded nervously "Hey Ruby, you're good with weapons right? I wanted to ask you for a favour"

"You need a better weapon than the broom handle you were using?" Ruby snorted "Well I wish you'd asked me back in Patch when I actually had my tools and workbench but I'll see what I can do when we've had a chance to explore Vaccuo a little, I'll need equipment"

"Thank you" he gave her a broad smile before leaving the room, Ruby gently kissed Penny's cheek when she saw her glaring daggers after him

"You're upset about him sneaking onto your Bull-Head?" she gave an amused smile

"It was bad enough when Qrow managed to hitch a ride from Atlas to Patch without me knowing" she pouted, which Ruby thought was utterly adorable "But a fourteen year old? The Pearl is probably the most advanced Bull-Head on Remnant and people can randomly sneak onto it. Would you like to help me work on some upgrades?" Ruby laughed pulling the android closer to her

"It's a date"

* * *

The trio of Faunus wandered through the Nusar-Khalij area of Vaccuo, seemingly without any real destination in mind though the stayed close to the docks built in and around the natural bay

"Oum's sake does the rain ever stop here?" Artemis grumbled as she and Rover walked hand in hand, lightning illuminating the humid air once again

"Yeah maybe in about a month or so" Gangrel answered, looking over his shoulder from his position a few steps ahead of them "And you'll like the place even less then, it's an open air hot-box"  
"I think that might be an oxymoron" Rover pointed out

"This heat defies nature, you think it gives a fuck about grammar?" the Bear-Faunus asked with an annoyed growl as he wiped lukewarm rainwater from his eyes

"How sure are you she's even in this part of town?" Artemis asked, it was obvious who she was referring to

"Honestly, I'm not sure" Gangrel admitted "I mean she must have been around the bay somewhere to even see the Pride docking; but this is the Faunus part of Vaccuo. The White Fang have had Nusar-Khalij locked down for a few years now, I don't get why she'd be here"

"I mean if you want me to just go door to door I could?" Rover suggested

"No" Gangrel shook his head "Dealing with Fagin is gonna be a headache as it is, I'll bet Lien if you go door to door you'll run into at least half a dozen crack houses, a couple chop-shops and a small weapons factory. Bursting into his businesses will just piss him off"

"Sweet Oum" Artemis muttered disgusted by the rampant crime, earning herself a small chuckle from her team leader. The trio prowled the docks for some time longer until a clue presented itself

"It can't be" Gangrel stared at the ship disbelievingly. Lightning crackling again making the emblem painted into the hull of the freighter, vibrant orange and resembling a face that one would carve into a pumpkin

"What is it?" Artemis asked

"That" he huffed "Is Roman Torchwick's ship"

"So that's why Neo's here?" Rover asked, rather than answer the towering Faunus simply turned away from the docks and began scanning the nearby buildings; amber eyes narrowing as he found what he was looking for

"Missy use your Semblance on those buildings" he pointed to a row of takeaways "There's apartments above them, she'd be able to see the freighter from there" Artemis stepped forward lowering her goggles while simultaneously wiping rainwater from the lenses as her mismatched eyes began to glow. Moments later she turned away from the buildings with a hiss of displeasure

"Oh yeah, someone's up there, someone with an Aura that nearly blinded me" Gangrel smiled before setting off in the direction of the apartments

"Found ya"

* * *

Neo's eyes darted towards the door of the run down apartment she inhabited, the mute wouldn't call what she was doing here living. Letting out a silent sigh at the sound of someone pounding on the door she unplugged her Scroll, one of many she'd stolen, from the charger and made her way across the room. Opening the door she was confronted with a trio of Faunus, typing out a message she handed her Scroll to Gangrel who gave an annoyed growl upon reading

 _'Took you long enough XD'_

"Well next time just stand still and don't fucking vanish for dramatic effect you cretin" the Bear-Faunus snarled. Neo retrieved her Scroll and typed out another message, this one a single word

 _'Aesthetic'_ reading the message from next to him Rover couldn't help but smirk

"Hey, we'll wait out here while you two talk" Gangrel closed the door behind him as he stepped into the squalid apartment  
"So this is what you ran off for? I've seen crack-houses in better states than this" Neo's eyes narrowed, vivid green light beginning to shine from them, Gangrel remained unimpressed

"Yeah, you're the Spring Maiden. We kinda figured" the Bear-Faunus sighed "You know why we're here" he waited silently while Neo typed her response

 _'The Winter Maiden and The fuckers in black armour'_

"They're called The Absolution, they're a bunch of anti-Faunus psychos and we think they're working for Salem. I've gotta ask though, why here of all places?" he indicated to their surroundings, Neo gave a silent huff as she formed her reply

 _'Roman paid the rent on this place for the next five years or so, it's one of his old safe houses. Nobody would think to look for us here. I was going to lay low for a while and find somewhere to vanish to but I saw The Mule, Roman's freighter; I want it back'_

"Vanish?" the Bear-Faunus gave her a confused look "You were going to run? I thought you had more fight in you than that" Neo's hands trembled as she typed

 _'I couldn't save her'_ she jerked at a sudden contact, relaxing when she realised it was Gangrel's hand on her shoulder; the cybernetic one he hadn't had in Atlas

"They'll pay for what they did. All of them. But we have other problems, Salem's people obviously saw the news they know at least one of the two remaining Maidens is in Vaccuo. They're going to come after you sooner or later"

 _'Let_ _'_ _em come. I can take Cinder Fall'_ was the rapidly typed response

"Cinder's dead" Gangrel told her "Jaune killed her….he didn't survive the fight. Adam's gone as well" the news stunned the mute for a moment, Cinder had been the most influential member of the faction bankrolling Roman she had met. A meeting with Salem herself had obviously been deemed far above their pay grade

 _'So do we have a plan?'_ Gangrel thought for a moment before replying

"We were going to get in touch with what's left of the White Fang, see if we can get the Winter Maiden to co-operate. Use her to draw out the The Absolution and anyone else Salem has working for her" he gave one last disparaging look around the apartment "We're holed up in a hotel away from the bay, you can come and join us….or you can stay here with the roaches" Neo cracked her knuckles while scowling before vanishing into another room, reappearing moments later carrying her parasol with a small suitcase behind her as she handed her scroll to the Faunus

 _'Four stars and up and it had better have a pool XD'_

* * *

Blake leaned into Yang, arms tightening around the blondes' waist as the Bumblebee turned a corner; Weiss being visible from the corner of her eye for a moment before Stardust fell back into position behind them, a trail of steam behind it as raindrops came into contact with the jet of blue flames spewed from its' exhaust. Her ivory haired friend had originally wanted to help Team GRAP find Neo rather than cruise through the streets of Vaccuo looking for White Fang meet ups on the off chance they'd find one. Gangrel had vetoed the idea; relations between Humans and Faunus may be better in Vaccuo than elsewhere but the Kingdom was notoriously lawless and a Schnee would always be recognisable in a Faunus community, it was better not to take chances. Casting her eyes around she saw that they were nearing what appeared to be a closed down cinema, the car park of which was strangely a bustle of activity

"Pull in there!" she called to Yang over the deep rumbling purr of the engine, Yang nodded in understanding before steering the motorcycle into the car park and killing the engine; pulling to a stop a respectable distance from what Blake realised was a large group of young men and women congregating around a number of modified cars and motorbikes. Without warning two of the cars shot forwards at speeds that they were never intended to travel at, the cheers of the bystanders momentarily overpowering the blaring rap music issuing from the speakers of another car, a Faunus artist Blake was vaguely familiar with

"What on Remnant?" Weiss murmured as she pulled to a stop beside them, Yang turned to the former heiress giving her a broad smile

"A street racing meet"

"It's White Fang organised" Blake murmured to them, her superior vision allowing her to pick out graffiti that identified it as such adorning the wall of the cinema

"But there are humans here?" Weiss pointed out, upon further inspection of the crowd Blake realised she was right; the attendees of the illegal gathering were a mixture of humans and Faunus ranging from their early teens to late twenties, there were several individuals within the crowd wearing T-shirts and hoodies sporting the 'Trust In Us' slogan of The Coalition

"Let me do the talking" Blake murmured as she made her way towards the crowd, Weiss and Yang fell into step beside her; the blonde wearing a cocky smirk as they approached

"HUNTERS!" a voice rang out "SHOW'S OVER PEOPLE!" there were a few moments of hectic scrambling as those too young or unable to drive scattered, running in any direction that would get them away from the trio of newcomers, the roar of engines filled the air as vehicles began to speed off into the night. A group of half a dozen Faunus in pinstripe suits stepped forwards

"You need to turn around and go back to Shade" the speaker was a puffy cheeked Squirrel Faunus with protruding front teeth

"We're not from Shade and we don't trouble, we came to talk"

"Yeah we don't talk to people who scare off the business" he grabbed Blake by the shoulder only to be sent sprawling to the ground by a brutal right cross from Yang, jaw breaking with an audible snap. There was a brief scuffle as Blake moved to restrain Yang only for another of the White Fang to try and tackle her, stumbling forward as a shadow clone dissolved in his grasp and receiving a knee in the face for his troubles; then a shot rang out

"Hey!" the Huntresses and White Fang both turned to face the source of the interruption, a heavily tanned Cheetah Faunus whose acid green eyes shone in the darkness, he wore a white biker jacket with black sleeves clearly intended to evoke the vests worn by the White Fang in other Kingdoms and a helmet resting on his head obscuring his feline ears. Stalking over to them while tucking the pistol he'd fired into the back of his jeans he hauled one of the downed grunts to his feet, sparing them a disparaging glare as he did so

"Get these two idiots to hospital, go on fuck off! You were all told not to antagonise Hunters, we don't need that kind of heat!" turning to the Weiss Blake and Yang he glowered "So now you've scared off everyone who was betting on the races, wanna tell me what the fuck Shade wants?"

"We're not from Shade" Blake reiterated

"How did you know that we're hunters?" Weiss asked

"Are you shitting me?" the Cheetah Faunus snorted "Two of you are carrying swords and one of you has a top of the line cybernetic that's probably worth more than my apartment"

"We're looking for Fagin Grey" Blake interrupted, only to receive a curious look in return

"Fagin Grey died over a month ago"

"Oh" was all Blake could say, she needed a moment to process the news. Fagin had been a dishonest, untrustworthy and downright spiteful man who in the end had been willing to sacrifice countless people to a vendetta, but he had also been a constant in her life for as far back as she could remember; one of the group of Faunus that had been the closest thing to a family she had. Forcing her emotions to the side she continued

"Then we need to see the new leader of the White Fang in Vaccuo. We have information about the people who attacked you outside the bank"

"Sounds like Ursa shit" the Cheetah Faunus laughed "Police have been trying to shake down everyone to find out about that, Shade have doubled the amount of students they have on patrol around the city itself and now you just suddenly turn up with information….Nah, I'm not biting"

"That's perfectly understandable" Weiss agreed as she stepped forward "But answer yourself this, would Shade Academy of Vaccuo be willing or able to get a Schnee to take part in the sting operation you're convinced this is" the Faunus narrowed his eyes considering the information before nodding to Bumblebee and Stardust parked nearby

"Those yours?" upon seeing their nods of confirmation he continued "Okay I can't take you to the boss, but I can take you to the second in command….If you can keep up" he turned and made his way towards a black motorcycle with heavy chrome detailing

"Oh this is gonna be fun" Yang smirked banging her fists together"

"Let the Faunus drive, humans haven't got the reflexes for this game" the Cheetah Faunus called over his shoulder

"You're a race-ist" Yang called back as she made her way to her bike, bringing the engine roaring into life as Blake took her place behind her; the distinctive sound of Stardust's engine signifying that Weiss was ready. A moment later the White Fang biker shot passed them with a demented cackle and a screeching engine, the highlighter orange neon light mounted on the underside of his bike fading in the distance.

* * *

Weiss grit her teeth as she wrenched the steering wheel of her ATV with as much force as she could, sending Stardust skidding around a corner at an insane speed, tires screeching as they slipped on the rain-soaked tarmac; Yang hadn't been able to push Bumblebee to its' full potential, the torrential weather and Blake's lack of a helmet left the blonde unwilling to gamble with her partners' safety. Weiss however was gaining on the Cheetah Faunus whose name they hadn't had chance to learn, each breakneck turn and burst of speed his mount performed was further confirmation to her that the vehicle had surely been subject to some illegal upgrades. Another screeching turn later and she was chasing him through a street filled with nightclubs, party-goers fleeing out of the road for fear of being mowed down. Speeding after him she realised she was almost level with him, as they reached the opposite end of the street a single gunshot rang out, the bullet whizzing past her face. Weiss triggered her rarely used time dilation Glyph, allowing her enough reaction time to stop Stardust from spinning out of control and ploughing into a building, instead she came skidding to a stop; flames from her exhaust leaving a noticeable scorch mark on the walls she had almost collided with. The sound of a roaring engine alerted her to Blake and Yang's arrival whilst her quarry had vanished into the distance

"What happened?" Yang demanded as they leapt from the bike

"Someone shot at-" she was cut off by the crack of another gunshot, followed by a saw blade flying through the space between them and embedding itself in the wall

"Nobody 'saw' that coming" Yang quipped as she gazed at the projectile, the sound of shattering glass turned their attention back to the direction of the gunshots. A petite girl clad in a red jacket and a beanie hat obscuring her left eye leapt from the broken window, firing her sniper rifle while still in the air, Weiss managing to deflect the shots with a Glyph. May Zedong landed and shifted her weapon to its' axe form, sweeping Yangs' legs from beneath her

"Nolan now!" someone bellowed, without warning a young man wearing a blue sleeveless jacket over a black hoodie appeared seemingly from nowhere bringing an electrified baton down on the blondes' chest with a dull thud

"STAND DOWN!" Blake and Weiss turned to the sound of the voice to see Brawnz Ni deploying his claws while Roy Stallion kept his remaining saw blade trained on Blake who appeared ready to lunge at May and Nolan who both had their weapons trained on Yang, the rose haired sniper preparing to fire at Yang's face at point blank range

"Don't take your eyes off of that one. You saw what she did in the tournament, she's dangerous" Nolan ordered, indicating to Yang

"What in Oum's name is the meaning of this?" Weiss demanded furiously

"Authorities have been trying to clamp down on the illegal street races for months. Shade offered to lend students to assist and you three were just racing the suspected ringleader literally through the city centre"

"In our capacity as Huntresses! We were following a lead" Weiss insisted, aware of how feeble the defence seemed

"You can explain yourselves at Shade" Roy grunted, the sound of approaching sirens punctuating his words

"Shade?" Blake hissed, not tearing her eyes away from the pair of Hunters standing guard over her partner

"You're Hunters" Nolan shrugged "You can either come to Shade quietly or you can get Aura dampeners slapped around your necks when the police get here" Blake's eyes narrowed as she stepped forward, silencing Weiss's imminent tirade before it could begin

"We surrender. We'll come quietly"

 **Authors Notes:**

Let's summarise:  
Chapter Title is a nod to 'Need For Speed: Most Wanted' it seems fitting.  
Ruby blames herself for things. She's grown up idolising Qrow, downside of that is she's picked up some of his character flaws (I was actually considering having her get blackout drunk after Penny's death but I scrapped that idea).  
Nora sits on the roof during thunderstorms.  
Oscar is getting a new weapon at some point.  
Do not sneak onto Penny's Bull-Head, just don't do it.  
Honestly upgrading and customising Penny's Bull-Head seems fitting for a Nuts & Dolts date.  
Roman's freighter 'The Mule' the White Fang used to it get from Vale to Atlas then from Vale to Vaccuo. They docked it in the Faunus part of town, Neo saw it and stayed where she could see it.  
Neo is a little broken, but still sassy.  
Neo hasn't met Salem in person.  
The illegal street racing in a cinema car park is actually based on real life events where I live, that used to be one of the things to do on a Friday night when I was in school. The meet-ups were basically a small illegal rave as well.  
I love writing sheltered Weiss, she obviously no idea what a street racing meet looks like.  
Yang obviously would.  
Humans wearing Coalition merchandise at a White Fang organised event, that's Vaccuo in a nutshell.  
Hunters are pretty easy to spot, let's be honest.  
It'll be explained more in the next chapter but with Vaccuo being what it is students from Shade in addition to their lessons and away missions are also tasked with helping the police patrol the inner city and crime hotspots, Atlas students are the most well thoroughly trained but Shade students are the most experienced, especially in urban and guerilla warfare.  
Blake knows Fagin is dead now.  
As happy as Yang is to risk herself she will NOT risk Blake's while she's riding Bumblebee.  
Team BRNZ, bet you weren't expecting to see them again.  
It might seem brutal and over the top but look at it from their perspective, BRNZ just saw _WBY racing through the streets with someone they have been trying to apprehend. When subduing _WBY focusing on keeping Yang restrained seems like a smart idea, especially the last time you saw her was when she fucked up Merc at the tournament.  
So _WBY have been taken into custody, bet you didn't see that coming.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter.  
More Neo, enjoy.  
I forgot I told you the Ahab was coming.  
Penny doesn't have her eight swords/giant cannon, so now she has a Bull-Head with a giant cannon added onto it, and she's even more durable.  
Thank you.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	100. 100: Face to Face

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 100: Face to Face**

Qrow flapped furiously, soaring through the seemingly endless downpour towards his destination. He had been at a bar, genuinely searching for information despite what Oscar or anyone else may have thought; Qrow had a reputation for drinking that was well deserved but what few people realised was just how well he could hold his liquor and how well he could feign intoxication. People talked to him when they thought he was drunk and told him things that they shouldn't. The intelligence gathering and flirting with barmaids had ended when he had received a message from someone he hadn't spoken to in several years stating that Yang, Blake and Weiss had been taken into custody and were being held at Shade Academy.

Another flash of lightning behind the academy brought it out in stark relief against the skyline. Shade Academy unlike it's contemporaries was built in the centre of the Kingdom, a vast building made of pale stone with golden and ivory detailing set into its arched doors and windows. Four watchtowers stood at the corners of the grounds, holdovers from the great war when Shade had been solely used as the seat of Vaccuo's government. The roof of the academy was comprised of a monumental stained glass dome, pale cerulean with swirls of green and crimson. This was his destination, soaring towards the dome revealed that it was not a single construct and housed several floors of the Academy. The lower half contained Shade's library, above that were the Professors living quarters. At the top of the dome was the current heads' office and living space; it was also rumoured that the Vaccuan government still did important business here from time to tike, the window was open.

Landing on the marble floor of the heads' office he returned to his true from and pushed his rain slicked hair back from his eyes as he adjusted to the light in the room

"I would offer you a drink, but the idea of the great Qrow Branwen not having one on him at all times is absurd" a husky voice greeted him, a small smile tugged at Qrow's lips as the owner of the voice strode into view. A tall woman with flowing pale yellow hair clad in thoroughly worn and faded brown slacks tucked into well polished black boots, a black sleeveless jacket with twin capes hanging from the hips sat atop a deep green shirt, beneath one of those capes hanging from the multitude of belts loosely slung around her hips was her weapon in its' collapsed state; a scythe that put even his own weapon to shame. The woman whose message he had received

"It's been a while Rae"

"That is has and it's been relatively calm, so how about you take a seat pull out the bottomless hip flask of yours and weave the thrilling story behind whatever it is you've brought to my doorstep" Rae Straw, Headmistress of Shade Academy was clearly agitated which Qrow knew from experience that did not bode well for him

"First off, you have three Huntresses in your custody. One of them is my niece, I'm going to want them back" he started as he took a seat at her desk, Rae produced two glasses and a bottle of something Qrow chose not to enquire about as he spoke

"I'm aware of that I sent you a message saying as much. The blonde one is yours I assume? She kept insisting that I contact you the way I honestly expected the Schnee to insist I contact her families' lawyers" the grizzled Hunter allowed himself a small chuckle at, her estimations of Weiss were no worse than his had been of Winter when they'd first met

"What happened?" he asked with a resigned sigh before taking a sip of what turned out to be brandy

"My students have been helping the authorities tackle some of the criminal rackets within the Kingdom as part of their training" Qrow nodded in understanding. Contrary to popular belief though Atlas had the most thorough training for its' Hunters and the frozen Kingdoms' Hive cities they were not the best at urban combat, those trained at Shade excelled at city fighting, guerilla warfare and in several cases infiltration. This was due to the fact that in addition to their classes and away missions they were expected to help keep the peace in the Kingdom. Rae took a gulp from her own glass and continued  
"One of the teams were casing an illegal street racing event run by the White Fang, it was proving lucrative for them and honestly I wanted it shut down so no more stupid teenagers die when they spin out of control or plough through a wall. Your niece and her friends were caught racing the suspected ringleader of the operation through a street full of pedestrians" Qrow made a noise somewhere between a sigh and a groan, of course Yang would find a street racing meet. Even after the thorough chewing out Tai had given her in the aftermath of her first trip to Vale in which she had taken her seventeenth birthday present, the Bumblebee out for a 'spin'

"The White Fang?" Qrow asked with a grimace "That wasn't them being idiot teenagers, that was them doing their job. Rae you must know why we're here"

"The Winter Maiden is here" Rae admitted with a pained sigh "And Atlas tried a hit on her"

"Those weren't Atlesian soldiers. They work for the enemy"

"You're sure?"

"They killed the Spring Maiden inside Schnee Manor" Qrow answered bluntly "They didn't take her powers and we know who the new Maiden is, we've already recruited her but Salem has the Fall and Summer Maidens' powers and now she's sending her forces to Vaccuo for the rest" Rae looked unnerved for a moment before draining the contents of her glass

"You really are a bad luck charm Branwen. Always fucking have been" his attempt to interrupt was waved aside "I can't blame Ozpin, he's dead. But between you Glynda and Ironwood there was supposed to be some sort of safety net, half of Remnant is on fire and now it's all coming here"

"Then maybe if you'd played a more active role when you were brought in-"

"Do you know what being head of this academy involves Qrow?" Rae demanded venomously "Vaccuo may be tolerant but it's not peaceful. That brings Grimm, our defensive walls have the highest rate of attrition of any military installation in Remnant and I'm in charge of supplying fresh meat for that grinder. I don't want my students dead, which means I have to be here, I can't take off chasing fairy-tales!"

"I know that" Qrow murmured softly, Rae's stalwart refusal to let those in her care suffer was something he understood all too well "But now the fairy-tales have come to us and they don't have happy endings. Ozpin is gone. Nile is gone, Leo is filling in for him as best he can. Ironwood has been out of commission for months after the traitors attacked the council. Glynda is holding what's left of Vale together. Honestly it's me and Winter right now. We need you" Rae stared at the empty glass before her for a moment before deciding against it and drinking straight from the bottle

"You have the Spring Maiden?"

"And a silver eyed warrior" Qrow nodded, at that her eyes narrowed

"Summer's daughter?"

"My other niece"

"You keep her safe Branwen"

"I always try" he sighed

"I can have my students and other Hunters in Vaccuo turn a blind eye to your teams' activities. The police are so used to turning a blind eye they'll do it almost on request at this point. The Vaccuan White Fang are a major player, especially in the inner city parts of the Kingdom. You deal with this quietly. And then you get rid of those fucking Atlesians" Qrow smirked at the last part, Rae was a Vaccuan through and through; her opinion of the frozen Kingdom and its' military was well known to him.

"Quiet was the plan, but we don't know how much fire power they have. If they're working for Salem things may get complicated"

"If it comes down to it then Shade will stand ready" Rae assured him "I want to preserve my students, but each of them is willing to lay down their lives to preserve the Kingdom; don't expect me to make that decision lightly. Is there anything else you need?" Qrow rose to his feet and made to leave the office via the door rather than the window he'd arrived through

"I'm going to need my huntresses back"

* * *

Yang leaned against the wall of the room, or more fittingly cell that the three of them were confined to. Upon being escorted to Shade by Team BRNZ their weapons and Scrolls had been confiscated, although they had been spared the indignity of Aura dampening collars which at least allowed her to recover from the small scuffle with the Vaccuan Hunters. They were currently being held below ground in what may have once been a classroom but had since been stripped of any furniture and had its' walls and doors reinforced. Yang thought she may be able to break out if she tried but knew that the Didymo twins, the Hunters whom Gangrel and Rover had faced in the second round of the Vytal Tournament were standing guard outside. With a bored huff she turned her attention to her cell mates, Weiss was silent but clearly livid at the sheer indignity of being detained like a common criminal. Blake on the other hand seemed eerily calm, she was doing sit ups

"Now that's a view" Yang shot her a suggestive wink, from her current position she could see a fair amount of her partners toned body and quite easily see down her top. Blake merely rolled her eyes

"You're such a pervert" Weiss muttered from the corner of the cell

"Yeah but you all love it" Yang smirked "Besides you're a captive audience"

"Just do some sit ups or something, it passes the time" Blake sighed. Yang shot her a curious expression

"This isn't your first time being locked up is it?"

"Not even close" her partner admitted with a bitter laugh "Remember where I come from" Yang gave her an apologetic look as she realised that considering Blakes' past it was obvious that she'd have spent some time in cells before

"So how long do you think we'll be here?" the blonde asked, the nervousness she was trying to hide creeping into her voice "I've only ever had one run in with the police and Dad threatened to sell my bike after it. Honestly there's hardly any trouble to get involved in on Patch" Blake stopped her push ups' before rolling on to her back and beginning sit ups

"Well in theory up to twelve hours without being charged, but I know Atlas broke their own rules whenever they damn well felt like it so honestly I don't know" Blake gave an annoyed huff "Adam asked me to be his girlfriend police station holding cell"

"What?" Weiss sounded dumbstruck

"And you said yes?" Yang raised an eyebrow

"I was fourteen he was seventeen, which thinking back should have been my first red flag. The SDC had just announced that all of its' human factory and warehouse workers would be getting a pay rise, Faunus wouldn't. Gangrel was living in Vale at the time but the rest of our little group decided to go set fire to a factory. We were pretty unsuccessful and the police couldn't prove anything but Adam and I got caught on the way home after we'd all split up. They kept us in a cell with no heating during the winter….I'd had a bit of a crush on him for a while and used it as an excuse to cuddle with him; I wasn't expecting him to kiss me" Yang had heard enough, she simply shuffled over to her partner and the next time she rose from the ground pulled wrapped her arms around the Faunus and pulled her into a searing kiss

"Okay...did you just get jealous?" Blake asked with a knowing smile as they broke apart

"I just wanted to kiss you" Yang muttered, Blake grinned and wrapped his arms around her partners' shoulders and took her lower lip between her teeth as she kissed her

"You're aware I'm still here?" Weiss hissed before muttering a slew of decidedly 'un-Weiss-like' curses under her breath. The sound of the cell door opening provided incentive for the two to break apart

"Hey Uncle Qrow" Yang smiled

"Firecracker" he gave her a cocked eyebrow and a smirk "I spoke to the Headmistress. You're free to go" he indicated over his shoulder to the Didymo twins whom Yang could see were holding Blake, Weiss and her own weapons

"Then let's go" Weiss said as she rose to her feet

"It's early morning and your bikes have been impounded" Qrow pointed out "It's a long walk back to the hotel in the rain. We've been offered beds in some of the spare dorms for the night"

"Headmistress?" Yang chuckled "Of course you've been offered a bed….the question is whose?" Qrow sighed

"Do you really want to have this conversation firecracker….I'm no worse than your father and I will tell you why in excruciating detail" Yang wisely chose to remain silent.

* * *

It was predictably raining yet still sunny the following morning, a fine drizzle that did little to counter the humidity. The four of them arrived at the impound, rows of confiscated vehicles surrounded by a spiked fence topped with barbed wire

"Some of these are nice" Yang murmured "Seems a waste to keep them here"

"Whatever it is you're thinking" Qrow warned her "Stop" the four of them found the entrance only to be greeted by a familiar face

"You!" Blake hissed

"Me" the Cheetah Faunus grinned "Name's Bolt"

"You're White Fang" Weiss sounded baffled "But this is a government owned impound"

"Yeah well, someone's gotta get our cars back" he snickered "Come on, your bikes are round back"

"You know this guy?" Qrow asked quietly as they followed him through the rows of vehicles

"He's the guy we were arrested for racing" Yang muttered

"Yeah, sounds about right for Vaccuo" her uncle sighed, resigned to the way things were in the Kingdom

"And here they are" Bolt called back to them getting their attention, the four of them looked ahead; stomachs plummeting at the sight that greeted them. Resting against the Bumblebee was a dark skinned Scorpion Faunus with dreadlocks whose tail seemed to constantly twitch. Standing in front of Stardust was a tall and slender Rabbit-Faunus with caramel skin and dark flowing hair; sizing them up with pale pink eyes from which icy blue light began to shine

"So" the Winter Maiden said conversationally as a blade made of solid ice formed in her hand "I heard you wanted to talk. Let's talk"

* * *

The Desert Sun Hotel, Fox's Aunt and Uncles' establishment did in fact have a swimming pool, thankfully situated indoors. With it being the wet season there were very few tourists in Vaccuo at the moment and the Hunters were currently almost the only guests there, leaving Velvet and Coco with the pool to themselves that morning

"Shame they don't have any water slides" Coco lamented

"Not really, I really don't like my ears being drenched" Velvet shrugged as she leaned against the side of the pool

"Poor thing" Coco grinned as she swam close enough to the rabbit Faunus to press against her slightly, the thin gold bikini she wore left little the imagination and left Velvet's throat dry

"I can't believe you brought a selection of swimsuits" she chuckled

"Not my first time in Vaccuo….weather was better last time though" the fashionista explained

"Family holiday?" Velvet asked

"Yeah" Coco shrugged "It was nice, kinda lonely though. It was before Beacon and even when my parents aren't at work, they're still at work"

"Well we can explore Vaccuo until we've got a mission if you want?" Velvet suggested

"Aww you'd get your ears wet for me?" Coco laughed kissing the Faunus' cheek "I always wanted to see the Colosseum, they have tournament matches here all the time; like the under seventeen tournaments that Pyrrha competed in"

"Is that why you became a Huntress?" Velvet asked "To see the world?"

"That and I wanted to be as far away from what my parents do as possible. I mean I love them and I'm glad they're happy owning their restaurant but I've worked there, I hate it. I need to be out there doing something that matters"

"You sound like Flax" the Faunus chuckled before returning the kiss

"Jack ass" Coco feigned outrage before splashing her girlfriend, who looked anything but amused

"Really?" Velvet sighed "Okay" without warning her hands were around Coco's waist and the taller Huntress had been picked up and dunked beneath the water

"Oh that's it" Coco seethed as she resurfaced and pushed Velvet back against the side of the pool. Without warning her hands were on the Faunus' hips and the two of them were kissing passionately; Coco turned her attention to Velvet's neck, kisses interspersed with gasps and whimpers as her lover slid a hand between her thighs and Coco began to rock her hips against her

"Fuck Velvet, I love you" she managed to gasp out. Velvet, spurred on by this turned them so that Coco was the one pinned against the side of pool and increased the tempo as she exposed her lovers' breasts and began teasing a pert nipple with her tongue; the her Scroll began to vibrate, clearly audible from its' position by the side of the pool

"Don't you fucking dare answer that" Coco whined, desperate for Velvet to continue

"I have to, it's Gang" the Faunus gave her an apologetic look, clearly no happier with the situation

"Bad time Gang" she snarled as soon as she answered the call

"The Winter Maiden is on her way here. Be ready" was the only reply she received before the line went dead

"Fuck" the Rabbit-Faunus hissed before turning to Coco "I'm sorry babe, I've gotta go" Coco simply pulled her back as she made to climb out of the pool, nibbling her ear before whispering

"Not before we finish here, no way are you leaving me frustrated like that" Velvet was all too happy to oblige.

* * *

The five of them sat around a table in the dining room of the hotel and Gangrel silently wondered how much of what was going on Fox's family was aware of, this meeting going wrong had the potential to be devastating for the building if not the people inside.

"So" Orchid began "I have funerals to arrange so let's make this brief shall we. You turn up here asking for a dead man and telling my people you know who it was that attacked us at the bank; who the fuck are you?"

"How did Fagin Grey die?" Blake asked from her position beside Gangrel, Velvet sat on the other side of him

"We ask the questions" Noctis warned

"I'm Captain Belladonna formerly of the White Fang in Atlas. These are Captains Slate and Scarlatina formerly of the Vale branch"

"I'm fucking sure" the Scorpion Faunus laughed sarcastically "Captain Shadow-Cat Belladonna, Adam Taurus's ex that defected and the old head of Vale….fuck off, who are you really-" Noctis stopped laughing when Blake withdrew Wilt, eyes homing in on the distinctive crimson blade

"What is it?" Orchid demanded, frost forming on the edge of the table as she began to tap into her powers at the sight of the weapon

"That's Adams' sword" he answered simply

"I was next to him when he sacrificed himself at Eisenstadt Siebte; it's how I lost my arm" Gangrel growled "He asked me to make sure she got Wilt"

"Okay, so you are who you say you are" Orchid conceded as she tried to keep the conversation on track "Then you're aware of Adams' business partner. They sent someone to bring the Vaccuo branch back under control after we split. He started uniting the other crews, mainly the racist humans. It started out as a turf war but he ended up killing Fagin in his apartment, I dealt with him"

"And since then I'm guessing you've gone on the offensive and started wiping those crews out" Velvet spoke up, more familiar with this part of the day to day running of the White Fang than she'd ever wanted to be after her time with Adam

"Of course" Orchid gave a cruel smile

"Then you've played into their hands" Velvet sighed "The soldiers that attacked you are part of a group called 'The Absolution' they're the ones that dropped Grimm on Atlas, they work for someone who can control Grimm. Bringing you under control was never the end goal, starting the turf war was"

"That is biggest heap of shit I've ever heard" Noctis laughed "You can't control the Grimm"

"Really?" Gangrel snarled "Because me and Velvet were in Lower Atlas when you flooded it with Grimm, they can obviously by herded at the very least"

"Look at what happened to Vale, a string of robberies and turf wars; then all it takes is one tragedy and the Grimm rush the defences" Velvet pointed out

"Fuck" Noctis breathed out realising that their story wasn't as far fetched as he'd first thought.

"So we'll assume I believe this for a moment" Orchid sighed leaning back in her chair "How do we deal with these 'Absolution' fucks if even fighting back feeds into their plans?"

"Quietly and away from public places" Gangrel answered bluntly "We clearly can't afford another bloodbath like the bank"

"Okay so who are these guys and what do they actually want?" the Winter Maiden demanded

"Well in Atlas they were militant anti Faunus, so the last remaining branch of the White Fang would have been at the top of their list of targets anyway" Blake answered "But since they allied themselves with Salem they want you specifically because you're the Winter Maiden"

"What like the kids' story?" Orchid asked incredulously

"Exactly, Qrow can probably explain the specifics better" Blake nodded before catching her expression "Wait….do you not know what you are?"

"I just know I could freeze stuff by touching it since my Grandma died" Orchid shrugged "Mum always told me keep it secret; all I ever needed to know was that it made me dangerous for anyone that wanted to hurt us"

"Boss you can't tell me you actually believe this?" Noctis asked "I mean okay the Grimm thing makes a little sense if you look at it a certain way but come on, fairy tales?"

"Neo" Gangrel said simply. The mute revealed herself, having been hidden from view by her Semblance the entire time. Her eyes and hand began to shine with the vivid glow of her own powers and the flowers in various vases around the dining room began to grow at an incredible rate

"Holy shit" the Scorpion Faunus whispered

"There are others like me?" Orchid asked, somewhat unnerved at meeting her potential match in terms of power

"There were" Gangrel sighed "You're the last two left" the Winter Maiden sat in stunned silence, taking in the information before she turned to her last remaining lieutenant

"Send word to every other crew in Vaccuo, I want peace talks. The fighting can't carry on" Noctis nodded silently, knowing better than to object a direct order. Rising from his chair he left. Orchid looked at the three ex White Fang captains and the Spring Maiden before her and saw the confused stares they were giving her

"I don't want to rule the world, I don't care about power" she began, slumping in her seat slightly "I care about keeping our people safe, that's all I want or need power for. Adam and Fagin wanted power and somewhere down the line they forgot what it is we stand for. Honestly I support Obsidian Eadala and what it is he's doing in Atlas but fighting institutional racism is only half the battle, We're the other half. I'm willing to sit down with the heads of the other crews and divide the Kingdom up between us"

"And anyone who doesn't like their share?" Velvet asked

"If they're risking bringing Grimm into the Kingdom I'll kill 'em myself" the two Rabbit-Faunus stared each other down for a moment before Orchid rose to leave

"Now like I said earlier, I've got funerals to arrange" she found her path blocked by Neo who glared daggers at her

"Roman Torchwicks' freighter" Gangrel explained "She wants it back" the Winter Maiden shrugged

"Fine, I'll deal with it" as she left she turned and gave them some final words "Just so we're clear when we've got Vaccuo under control we find out where The Absolution are hiding and we hit 'em where they live"

"That's the plan" Gangrel assured her with a feral smile.

 **Authors Notes:**

100th CHAPTER AND OVER 50 THOUSAND HITS ON THIS STORY  
It's almost a shame that this chapter is more dialogue based with no insane action scenes.  
This is by far the greatest contribution I've made to any fandom I've been a part of.

Now let's summarise:  
Yes Qrow drinks a lot, but he's also not an idiot. He can go into a bar have a couple drinks and get people talking quite easily.  
Shade Academy was loosely based on the Taj Mahal, I then made some changes to the design.  
Shade's Headmistress is based on the Scare Crow, I'll admit I forgot about the theme the heads of the academies have when I made Professor Nile the head of Haven, but that can be corrected by making Leo Lionheart his deputy who has taken up the mantle. Also come on, the 'Scare-Crow' and Qrow _have_ to have some history.  
Her name "Rae" is the feminine form of Ray, Ray Bolger was the actor who played the Scarecrow in the 1939 film Wizard of Oz. Straw is pretty damn obvious now isn't it.  
Of course Yang has gone illegal street racing in Vale. Of course she has.  
Communication between the heads of the Academies broke down after Vale fell and Ozpins' death.  
Rae refused to take an active role in the Oz-lluminati because Vaccuo needs constant monitoring, because of how lawless it is some part of the defensive wall around it is always under attack.  
I think Weiss would be pissed off in a cell. Yang would try and play it cool but honestly she's from Patch, she's not as street smart as she likes to think. Blake on the other hand as done this before, many times.  
Little Blake and Adam back story.  
Yang is totally a petrol head.  
Bolt, the Cheetah Faunus is a White Fang member and runs the street racing, while at the same time working at the impound basically giving the White Fang a steady supply of vehicles for whatever they need.  
And because he's White Fang of course he told Orchid and Noctis that people were looking for her.  
There Coco and Velvet in swimsuits. It's Vaccuo, consider this your mandatory 'Anime beach episode'….you beasts.  
Yes Velvet can pick Coco up.  
Gangrel, Blake and Velvet. Realistically the best three choices to bring to a negotiation with the White Fang.  
And that's why Blake got Wilt. So she could use it to prove she is who she says she is to the new White Fang leadership.  
Orchid is most definitely leaving out her part in Fagin's death.  
And there's the beauty of Salem's plan. Even though Hazel is dead he still won.  
Orchid didn't actually know what she was; her Grandma was the previous Winter Maiden who passed on the powers to her.  
Neo and Orchid is the first time two Maidens have actually met face to face (Unless we're counting Cinder killing Rodakino)  
Also the team are now operating in Vaccuo with the permission of both The White Fang and Shade, giving them pretty much free reign.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 for their review on the last chapter:  
Yeah Neo is always tricky for me to write, glad you think I pulled it off.

I have a few ideas for Oscar's weapon.

A little more about Shade, I hope you liked it.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	101. 101: Capo Di Tuti Capi

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 101: Capo Di Tuti Capi**

Qrow was slumped in his seat in the dining room of the Desert Sun Hotel, the consequences of the previous nights' drinking making themselves known. He was still telling himself it was to look for leads, they may have located the Winter Maiden but the Atlesian traitors still needed to be found. In the days since the meeting with the Winter Maiden the Hunters had been effectively on stand-by with little more than light sparring with each other to keep them on form while he took Oscar out into more secluded parts of the Kingdom and put him through a somewhat excessive training regimen. Looking around the dining room he saw the hunters enjoying their own breakfast in their own little cliques, separated mostly along team lines while Fox helped his parents, Aunt and Uncle with their job. Neo was nowhere to be seen, she ate in her room most of the time and rarely interacted with anyone unless it was necessary; he toyed with the idea of talking to her, an unstable Maiden was more of a risk than a Maiden who was a crime-boss. The thought left his head when Oscar walked past carrying an empty plate, apparently seeking a second helping

"Hey Oz" Qrow muttered nudging him and looking around surreptitiously

"Yeah?"

"Remember back at your families farm in Mistral how you were growing strawberries in winter by warping time around them?"

"That I still have no idea how I did, yeah?" the freckled teen raised an eyebrow

"Think you could use that trick to get rid of this hangover?"

"Nah" the young Wizard laughed before walking off. Qrow's muttered vows to kick the boy's ass in their next training session were interrupted by his Scroll. Digging the device from his pocket he saw that it was a video call from Rae and answered

"Thank Oum you didn't leave your Scroll in a bar somewhere" Shade's headmistress greeted him

"And good morning to you too" came the growled response

"Look Qrow, I'll keep it brief. I need a favour"

"Well you've thoroughly scratched my back so it's only right I scratch yours" he gave an amused drawl; Rae merely smirked utterly unashamed

"There was a spike in Grimm activity at the south-west wall last night, near the Dust fields. Fortunately no casualties but there were a few wounded soldiers and one of my student teams is going to need some time off"

"We want me to spare some people?" Qrow surmised before turning to the younger Hunters around him, Ren and Nora had just left the dining room

"Who wants a change of pace? They need some people on the wall tonight, you'll get paid"

"Dibs" Artemis called out

"Yeah man definitely" Rover confirmed "We really do need to start saving for our wedding"

"I can't" Gangrel shrugged "Orchid called, the sit down is tonight and she wants me there for some reason"

"Sorry, date night" Coco shrugged as she wrapped an arm around Velvet's shoulders

"We'll take it" Yang piped up before turning to Blake "I mean if you want"

"Sure we're Hunters, it'll be nice to take a relatively normal job for once"

"There's your four Hunters" Qrow informed Rae

"I don't recall saying I'd be paying anyone from Atlesian Hunter Corps-"

"They're not" Qrow corrected her "They were given their Hunting licences under special circumstances by Atlas, but they're all Beacon students, which makes them Vale hunters. They work at the same rate as locals do. You came to us Rae" he added

"Fine" Shade's headmistress sighed "I'll send the council the bill, it's not coming out of my budget. You owe me a drink for this Branwen"

"Leave a window open tonight" he gave a her wink. Rae merely laughed as she ended the call

"Arguing over pay when she needs people to guard the Kingdom? Seems a little cold hearted" Ruby noted with a slight pout as she made to leave the dining room

"Kiddo, never change" Qrow sighed as he ruffled her hair "But at the same time, being a Hunter is a job. You're risking your life for other people, the least they could do is pay you enough to keep a roof over your head" Qrow sighed as his niece left. The one good thing about working for Ozpin for so long was that it was a constant and reliable source of income, meaning he never had to deal with the two evils greater than the Grimm; haggling and taxes.

* * *

The air warped and tore itself asunder with the sound of tortured screaming as a swirling crimson portal opened itself within the bowels of the warship that Cadmus Ferrus had christened the Reinigungsfeuer. Raven stepped through to see a number of dark armoured soldiers pointing weapons at her. In times gone by she would given a bemused and dismissive smirk, as it were her eyes, light that shifted between magenta and gold blazing from them, focused on the man the soldiers answered to.

"As you were" Cadmus ground out as he replaced his own weapon in its' holster and returned to his seat; The Absolution following suit. Raven remained standing

"Mistress wishes to know how you're progressing in the task assigned to you" her voice sounded odd, besides the distortion caused by the mask she wore it seemed strangled somehow, as if she were forcing herself to both speak and remain silent at the same time.

"Men, this is Raven. Our benefactors'….associate" Cadmus searched for the right word; Raven had approached him unannounced demanding updates a handful of times since he'd joined Salem's ranks but never in front of his soldiers like this, he noticed that they looked distinctly unnerved by her arrival

"As I was" the speaker cleared their throat and forced their expression into one of neutrality "As I was saying, with the laptop Mister Watts left with in our possession we have made some progress in tapping into communications within Vaccuo"

"Some progress?" Cadmus raised an eyebrow "Watts would have had this dusty shit-hole under total surveillance and be selling their secrets by now" the soldier was younger than most of those that were admitted into his briefings and visibly flinched under the rebuke

"With respect sir, I'm a communications officer. I know a little about espionage but I'm no Arthur Watts"

"Have your efforts yielded results?" Cadmus demanded, clearly irritated

"Yes sir" the communications office turned hacker answered eagerly "I managed to get access to the Vaccuan polices' private records; using discrepancies in the records I managed to put together a list of criminals who seem to be untouchable in the area. By monitoring them I've managed to learn about a meeting taking place tonight that involves the heads of the five largest criminal factions"

"The White Fang will clearly be among them" Cadmus snarled "Salem wants chaos in Vaccuo, taking them all out and letting them blame each other will achieve that"

"The White Fang have the Winter Maiden" Raven rasped out the pointed reminder

"I'm aware of the Faunus animals having a competent killer in their ranks" he turned to another of his men, an older soldier whose buzz-cut hair was beginning to grey "Do we have any proxies we can use as boots on the ground?"

"One or two" the man grunted out "There are people here that are willing to help, they're not Atlesian but they'll do the job" among the ranks of The Absolution 'not Atlesian' was synonymous with being expendable

"Good, get them in the building" Cadmus turned to another of his soldiers "Take a team, no snipers. This needs to look messy. Capture the animal from the bank. Kill the rest"

"Only one team?" Raven demanded

"We have limited manpower" Cadmus admitted, knuckles of his cybernetic arm whining as they clenched "The Absolution doesn't have the resources of the Atlasian military, even though we have soldiers from almost every branch within it"

"I'll tell Mistress that you're plans are progressing" Raven turned to leave, opening a portal behind her "But I will be the one to deal with the Winter Maiden"

"You're planning on joining my troops?" Cadmus asked, unsure if that thought should fill him with hope or dread

"No" her voice seemed choked for a moment before she continued in a tone that sounded distinctly normal "You're not even enough of a Hunter to lead the attack personally. You will fail to capture the Winter Maiden, this won't be like murdering children" with that she stepped through the portal leaving the Atlesian traitors behind her furious.

* * *

"Hey, want one?" Yang and Blake turned at the question to see Nebula Violette holding a crate of beer bottles. It had miraculously stopped raining though the humidity remained and Team NDGO whom the pair had been stationed with had decided that it was cause to break out a barbecue

"I'm good thanks" Yang grinned as she withdrew the old hip-flask she'd inherited from Qrow

"No thanks" Blake nodded towards the barbecue which Octavia Ember was currently flipping burgers on "I thought we were meant to be working tonight?" she added

"We are, nobody said we can't eat and they won't deliver pizza here" Nebula shrugged

"It's just that your headmistress made it seem like it was desperate, she said there was a spike in Grimm activity" Blake continued, seemingly concerned by their blasé attitude

"Look" Dew Gayl who'd been quietly sipping her own beer interjected, placing the bottle on the edge of the wall "We're from Vaccuo, you're not. Some part of the wall is always getting hit by Grimm and we almost never have enough people to cover all of it. Technically Vaccuo has been under siege by the Grimm for decades, all getting scared about it does is attract more of 'em; so have a beer and calm down"

"Dew's right" Nebula shrugged "I mean she's mainly pissed off because she just started dating the leader of Team REDD and they got taken off active duty last night. But look around, we're covered" Blake and Yang cast their eyes around. They were stationed at one of the many watch towers along the Kingdom's perimeter wall, gargantuan artillery pieces manned by soldiers flanking them on both sides, similar watch towers could be seen as the wall stretched out into the distance, Rover and Artemis being stationed in one of them. Beyond the walls enormous drills could be seen boring into Dust fields, the Vaccuan Dust mines being distinctly different to those operated by the SDC

"I suppose that makes sense" Blake admitted before thinking back to the Vytal Tournament, which seemed a lifetime ago "Wait, isn't the leader of Team REDD the Spider Faunus with….feelers?"

"Don't kink shame me" Dew answered bluntly taking another swig of beer before turning to Yang with a smirk on her face

"So; Nolan from Team BRNZ is telling anyone who'll listen that he brought you in a few days ago. Since you made a mess of your opponent in the tournament he's using it for bragging rights; any truth to that story?"

"Well he was there" Yang gave an indignant snort "The sniper on his team did all the work"

"Sounds about right" Gwen Darcy who'd remained silent up until that point chuckled "Nolan's a dick I don't know how May puts up with him she's awesome, seriously she's too good for that team full of-" she trailed off when she saw the amused looks her team were giving her

"Okay seriously, your crush on her is super obvious" Nebula laughed "Just ask her out, you know she's too shy to make the first move" Gwen shuffled uncomfortably, Octavia seeing this chose to change the subject for her partners' sake

"So what's the deal with you two?" she nodded towards Blake and Yang as she began handing out the burgers she'd been cooking "You were first year students like us, now you've got licences and are getting paid for this. You clearly got some experience, what gives?" she couldn't help the way her eyes lingered on Yang's gleaming gold prosthetic for a moment

"Things got tough in Vale after the battle. I saw kids that were too young for Combat schools lying their way into the army" Blake let the implication hang in the air. Nothing she'd told them was a lie but it left out the truth of why they were being treated as qualified Hunters and what they'd actually been doing

"I mean it wasn't all bad, we've done some travelling….mainly helping relocate refugees" Yang added the last part as she caught up with the story Blake was trying to weave "Now I think about it I've actually been to all four Kingdoms now"

"Awesome" Octavia beamed "What's Mistral like? I used to go to Mirage with a guy named Sun who moved there, I here you can actually see Menagerie from the south coast-"

"Really, I'll have to ask if it still glows in the dark when I next see him then" Yang was unprepared for the pure venom in Blake's voice

"Oh my Oum" Octavia gasped, eyes darting to the feline ears atop Blake's head "I didn't even realise"

"What's going on?" Yang asked slowly, wrapping an arm around her partners' waist while at the same time positioning herself between the two of them

"Sorry, I shouldn't have snapped. That's something Gang would do" Blake apologised taking a deep breath, muttering the last part under her breath before turning her attention to Yang

"You know Menagerie was the Faunus homeland?"

"Yeah"

"Do you know why nobody lives there any more?

"Not exactly" Yang admitted "I know there was a Faunus exodus after the Great War"

"Mantle bombed it out of existence" Blake told her bluntly "After Menagerie allied with Vale and Vaccuo in the war and seized control of the Dust mines Mantle had set up on our land; they used the first ever Dust based weapons of mass destruction on our cities in a three day continuous bombardment until there was nothing left. Millions died almost all of them civilians, the history books in Atlesian schools only mention it in a footnote"

"Oh my Oum" the stunned whisper came from more than one person. Awkward silence reigned for a few minutes until Yang turned to Octavia who'd returned to the barbecue

"Wait, you used to go to school with Sun Wukong?"

"Yeah" she chirped happily "You know him?"

"He's living on Patch with his girlfriend now, got a job and my Dad's taken him on as an apprentice Hunter"

"Aww good for him" Octavia smiled "Has he learned to button a shirt up yet?" Yang sprayed out the contents of the hip-flask she was drinking from at the sly comment, only for Blake to pat her back

"We've got movement down there" Gwen called over, with those words the conversations stopped and six sets of weapons deployed

"I see it, it's just one Grimm" Blake murmured, her superior vision picking out the target with ease. She pointed it out to Yang

"That thing looks pretty dopey to be honest" she chuckled, the monster in question was roughly two thirds the size of a Beowolf with very little of the bone armour common to the creatures of Grimm. What armour it did have completely covered its' skull leaving its' large floppy ears drooping as its' prominent snout sniffed the ground

"Fuck" Nebula muttered as she loaded Gravity Dust into her crossbow "Octavia get on the comm and tell 'em we're gonna need those guns ready"

"On it"

"Okay it's one Grimm, one really dumb looking Grimm" Dew turned to face her sensing her confusion

"It's a Bloodhound. Tracker Grimm that as far as anyone can tell are bred specifically to look for weak points or anyone caught too far from the defences and call other Grimm"

"And now its' dead" Nebula snarled as she fired, the bolt aimed for the base of the creatures' spine when the Grimm threw its' head back without warning and howled; the bolt ricocheting off of its' armoured skull

"Fuck sake" as Nebula made to load another round a streak of golden lightening could be seen approaching. Barely a second later the Bloodhound began to fade away, torn in half by Rover Tan, the pale green glow of his Aura regulator making him clearly visible from the wall

"I would have hit it with the next one" Nebula muttered before scanning the skyline "Ah for Oum's sake, looks like the rest of 'em heard it" Yang searched for what Nebula was looking at before spotting the distinctive shape of a flock of Nevermore heading towards them

"Hold my beer and watch this" Yang took the bottle Dew Gayl had thrust into her hands with a somewhat baffled expression. Stepping back as air seemed to whirl around her, rapidly morphing from a gust into a raging vortex that shook the watchtower before the Huntress seemingly flung the air itself forwards; several Nevermore being sucked into the vortex and torn apart as it passed between them

"We've got more coming from the ground!" Nebula called out before letting loose with her crossbow, the artillery mounted on the wall groaned under its' own weight as it moved into firing position. Yang readied her gauntlets with Blake beside her. It was going to be a long night.

* * *

Gangrel took a seat in the a familiar café next to Orchid. Noctis on her opposite side in his place as her right hand, tail drumming against the surface of the table. Qrow and Weiss had both asked him if he needed back up before he left, he'd decided against it reasoning that despite the fact it was a meeting of hardened criminals, dealing in good faith here was probably the best course of action

"This is Felix and Luna's old place" he pointed out

"It was" Orchid shrugged "Fagin bought it for about five times what it was worth to help set her up when she relocated. Even I don't know where she went, Fagin handled it personally so Adam would never find her"

"Leave your personal problems at home Slate, this is a commission meeting" Noctis rasped out from behind his mask, referring to the colloquialism for a sit down between the largest criminal empires within the Kingdom

"And I've got no idea what you brought me in on this for" the Bear-Faunus growled "I'm out of the Fang"

"You're never out unless you're dead" Noctis countered "You just fucked up badly"

"Enough" Orchid silenced her second in command before turning to Gangrel "If we're going to be working together I want proof that you're capable. Besides, you're a big son of a bitch it can't hurt to have you sat here" the Rabbit-Faunus added the last part with a shrug. There were a few moments of silence before the sounds of cars pulling up outside alerted them to the arrival of the heads of the other crime families; the South-side Borgata, the Hung Gates Triad, the Arif Family and the Bratva Brigadiers. Each crime-boss brought with them two accomplices, there were a few moments of greetings and introductions where the tension in the room was almost palpable before Orchid rose to her feet

"It's time to get this meeting under way. Some of you me recognise me from previous commission meetings prior to the death of Mister Grey, let me make this clear. I don't take part in any of the showmanship he enjoyed and as whoever paid those Atlesians to try whack me has found out, as ruthless as Mister Grey was. I'm worse" she drummed her fingers on the table, leaving frost with the contact as she gazed intently at each of the criminals to see who squirmed under the scrutiny

"Surely you're smarter than to arrange this meeting just to threaten and insult us little girl?" Zang Qian, head of the Hung Gates Triad snapped from her right. Ignoring the jibe Orchid reached into her jacket and produced a rolled up map, spreading it out on the table it was revealed that the map of Vaccuo had been divided into five clear sections

"I arranged this meeting because things are getting out of hand and we all know it. The police are calling in Hunters now and we've all lost enough people, the situation needs to be brought under control"

"Whose control?" Zang demanded hotly

"As you can see from the map the territories have been divided fairly" Orchid forced out through clenched teeth, willing herself not to kill the man where he sat "What I'm proposing is that each of us takes control of the turf allotted to them in its' entirety; anyone who wishes to operate in another crews turf pays for the privilege. For example I'm willing to discuss terms with Mister Nero regarding the casino the White Fang own here" as Gangrel watched her point to a location on the map within the South-side Borgata's proposed domain he realised Orchid might be able to pull this off. Showing a concrete example of the White Fang making concessions proved that it wasn't just a land grab on their behalf, hopefully making the argument seem more reasonable

"This is an interesting prospect" Altin Arif drawled, leaning back in his seat "But I'm still not sure why you think any of us are willing to do this at your request?"

"Because I'm reasonable enough to make the request" Orchid answered bluntly "Were you still dealing with Fagin Grey you would be having this conversation at gunpoint while your four year old daughter is kept in an undisclosed location" Altins' mouth worked silently for a moment before Orchid addressed the entire room

"Make no mistake, I am willing to listen to disputes and settle them fairly. But the White Fang have held out against a combined effort on all of your parts to remove us; Vaccuo belongs to us now and you should be grateful for the kindness I'm showing you-"

"This is preposterous!" Zang spat "I think you called the Atlesian soldiers yourself! I think you staged the attack and had your own people killed so that you could involve the Hunters and call this meeting!" Orchid said nothing, merely turning to Noctis. Faster than anyone could see the Scorpion Faunus had buried his tail in the mans' chest, blood blossomed from the wound as the stinger was retracted and the dying crime boss suffered violent spasms due to the venom pumping through his body. Several criminals rose to their feet, clearly intending to draw weapons; they froze in fear when Orchids' eyes began to glow, turning to Zangs' second in command she gave a mocking smile

"Congratulations on your promotion. Be smarter than he was" Gangrel's eyes suddenly focused on something. One of the men flanking Krovavyy Nozh, head of the Bratva Brigadiers had a tattoo that he recognised, it was the emblem of 'Sapient Prime' the human supremacist group that had staged a protest in Vale what seemed like a lifetime ago; the tattoo was on the mans' neck, woven into the tapestry of ink on his body. Below it he saw something that made his eyes widen and instinctively trigger his Semblance, reappearing before the man with a crack he pinned him to the wall

"What are you doing?" Orchid demanded

"He's wearing a fucking wire!" Gang snarled ripping the offending device free and holding it up for everyone to see "Who sent you?"

"I-I-" Gangrel delivered a brutal punch to the mans' stomach before slamming him into the wall again

"WHO SENT YOU?"

 _BANG!_

The informants' head exploded in a shower of blood and bone fragments, and then the chaos began. Windows shattered and bullets began flying; it soon became apparent who had an unlocked Aura and who didn't as bodies began dropping to the ground riddled with holes. Black armoured soldiers began leaping through the windows. At the sight of them Gangrel let loose a furious roar and didn't bother with his weapons as he teleported directly in front of the nearest member of The Absolution. The claws fitted into the digits of his Cybernetic left arm extended and were swiftly plunged through the mans' armoured visor and into his face, repeatedly.

"ENOUGH!" Gangrel struggled to breathe, chest tightening as everything around him froze. Turning he saw Orchid, hovering several feet above the ground, entire body glowing with the power of the Winter Maiden. Ice had spread out across the entirety of the floor and the moisture in the humid air had been coalesced into frozen spears which were now embedded in the skulls, chests and guts of Absolution Fighters. Landing on a bullet ridden table, light fading from her body Orchid looked around, pale pink eyes narrowing as she spoke to those that remained alive

"I want you all to look around and I want you all to realise that you are only alive because I saved you. I also want you to remember that it was one of you who brought soldiers to this meeting; Now I'm going to ask you all a question" he paused, seemingly for effect "Who runs Vaccuo and who is the boss of all bosses?" the answer was unanimous.

 **Authors Notes:**

Capo Di Tuti Capi, or Boss of all bosses.

Let's summarise:  
Oscar could probably use his Semblance to cure hangovers, it's an interesting ability to explore. If he can warp time to make things grow he can probably warp time in a way that accelerates someone's healing.  
The flirting between Qrow and Rae. As much as I like Qrow x Winter I honestly think they'd be an open relationship/friends with benefits situation just because of how rarely they see each other. So for the sake of this story, they're friends with benefits (Winter also has a thing with Matte Skye) and Qrow is a horrific flirt.  
In canon Atlas is the only Academy who's run by the Kingdoms' government. So in this story they're the only Kingdom with a 'Hunter Corps' as part of their military, Hunters from the other Kingdoms are effectively self employed (Atlesian self employed Hunters are called Freelancers).  
Imagine Ruby's face the first time she has to deal with the financial side of being Huntress.  
Cadmus named the ship Watts acquired for him the 'Reinigungsfeuer' or 'Cleansing Fire'.  
The Absolution have Watts' equipment, but not his expertise but between what they do have and people on the ground gathering intel (In much the same way as Qrow) they have a rough idea of what's going on.  
Also, as The Absolution is made up of traitors they don't have entire units and a large supply of resources. What they do have is access to a wide variety of skills due to many of their members being from specialised units (Like the drop troops that attacked Schnee Manor),  
Team NDGO get some screen time.  
Qrow did say people from Vaccuo have a unique way of looking at the world "Yeah we're completely surrounded by Grimm, but if they feed on fear we'll have a party and watch 'em starve" pretty much sums it up.  
Team REDD (Or Red-shirt) have never actually been seen on screen but they're a running joke team, basically if I need a team to take a loss they get mentioned.  
The Dust Fields are Chekhov's gun.  
Someone from Shade has to have a crush on May Zedong, I refuse to entertain the notion of a world where that isn't the case.  
Mirage is the prep school for Shade. Like Signal is for Beacon and Sanctum is for Haven (I actually mentioned that Atlas just has cadets, Atlesians are expected to train to be Hunters in addition to normal schooling)  
And that's why there's no Menagerie in this story, it was destroyed as a retaliation for Vaccuo and Menagerie attacking the predecessor to Atlas Academy (Where Adam's base was) I told you it would be revealed later and it will be relevant.  
Bloodhounds are well Blood Hound Grimm, or sniffer dogs. All Grimm can smell fear but I like the idea of one that is specifically bred for that job, it's not much use in a fight but the others' home in on it.  
Dew "Don't kink shame me/Hold my beer and watch this" Gayl. In canon she created the dust devils that took Sage out of the arena and its' never explained how. So now she has a Semblance that allows her to manipulate air currents.  
Tied up a little loose end from the last time Gang was in Vaccuo. Felix's wife Luna (Who Gang, Blake and Adam also grew up with) is no longer there, Fagin set her up with a new name and money after Adam killed Felix.  
The other crime families in Vaccuo are based on different real life organisations: The south-side Borgata are based on the Mafia, the Hung Gates Triad are based on the Triads, the Arif Family is named after a south east London based Turkish Cypriot gang and the Bratva Brigadiers are based on the Russian Bratva.  
Sapient Prime were mentioned in Vol.2 (Chapter 16) they were the guys Flax threw a Molotov at during Velvet's first mission as a White Fang captain.  
Yeah, Gang's robot arm had claws in the fingers just to punch holes in faces.  
The Absolution fucked up in the worst way possible, Salem told Cadmus she wanted fear and discord in Vaccuo; they just united every single crime family against them in a Kingdom where the criminals are at least as strong as the police.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 and Antonio+Beltran for their reviews on the last chapter:  
Does the fact Blake and Adam grew up in care together make it more or less creepy? (Adam was placed in care at age four, he's three years older than Blake who was placed in care at birth. She's known him literally her whole life in this story)  
Even more Vaccuo.  
We actually do know where the Fall and Summer Maiden powers went, I made it pretty clear Raven has them at the end of the Vol.5 arc. Something to remember is that Cinder _never_ had the powers and neither does Raven. The parasitic Grimm living in them have the powers.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	102. 102: Intelligence

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 102: Intelligence**

Ruby sat bolt upright as she was jolted awake by the thunderous pounding against her hotel room door. Beside her Penny who had been dormant, as close to sleep as the mechanical girl ever got was instinctively reaching around in the dark for one of her weapons; interpreting the bludgeoning of the wooden door as an attack on them

"Who is it?" Ruby called out groggily as her sleep addled brain made sense of what was happening

"Gang" the familiar gravelly voice of the Bear-Faunus replied. Grumbling unintelligibly the young Huntress climbed out of bed, readjusting her pyjamas and glaring at the clock on the bedside table as if it were somehow the devices' fault she were awake at this obscene hour; switching on the lights as she went she made her way to the door and opened it before almost leaping back in shock at the sight that greeted her

"Oh my-"

"Where's Penny?" Gangrel demanded cutting across her stunned gasp, Ruby remained dumbstruck by his appearance; his cybernetic left arm was covered in blood up to the forearm and seemed to be dripping onto the carpeted floor of the hallway, more blood stained his clothes and face as if it had spattered. In his right hand he carried something that Ruby in her half awake state had first taken for a mangled body. Upon further inspection it seemed to be the helmet and chest of a suit of glossy black painted Atlesian armour, thoroughly mangled and bloodstained

"Penny, come and take a look at this" Ruby requested before turning back to Gangrel "What happened?"

"The Absolution?" Penny surmised, nodding towards the shredded helmet as she appeared next to Ruby; hand sliding into the scythe wielders' and giving it a reassuring squeeze

"They had a mole in the sit down" Gangrel confirmed "They tried a hit on everyone there, killed their own mole. I took this from one of 'em"

"It's pretty trashed" Ruby noted, still disturbed by the seemingly excessive amount of blood and damage. Tearing Grimm apart was one thing but she couldn't help but remember there was a living person wearing that armour at the time of its' destruction

"Well they didn't exactly hand it over willingly" the hulking Faunus growled, amber eyes narrowing as she spoke. He held the helmet out to the copper haired girl, the visor cracked and punctured in multiple places, Ruby fought to keep her bile from rising as she made the connection between the punctures and Gangrel's bloody metal claws

"What do you want me to do with this?" Penny asked as she took the armour

"Your Bull-head is the only piece of Atlas military hardware we have here right now" Gangrel growled "I already pulled the tracker out of the chest plate so they can't follow us here. I need you to take this and see if you can pull anything from the helmet, footage, co-ordinates, anything we can use"

"You think we can use it to find the rest of them?" Ruby asked, eyes widening at the prospect

"I think it's the best chance we've got unless you're uncle randomly runs into one of them in a bar"

"Sensational, I'll make a start on it right away" Penny nodded

"I'll come with you" Ruby added before being cut off by a yawn, Penny gave her a bright smile before kissing the end of her nose, then her forehead

"Go back to sleep. I'll contact everyone if I manage to salvage anything"

"Okay, fine" the silver eyes girl mumbled before kissing Penny's cheek

"Right" Gangrel let out a long sigh "Stay in touch. In the meantime I'm going to take a shower, a very long shower"

* * *

Winter strode purposefully through the spotless and utilitarian halls of Atlas Academy, despite the severity of the current situation in Atlas and Remnant as a whole she couldn't help but feel a sense of calm at the familiarity of the place. In Winter's mind Atlas Academy was the place that had made her, Schnee Manor was home to her Fathers' influence and her Mothers' memory, these halls were where she had found herself. The Academy had reopened recently, cadets due to start their first year whose training had been disrupted by the siege Lower Atlas hive cities were taking extra lessons and drills to catch up

"At ease" she instructed a group of four students, most likely a Team on their lunch break who had snapped to attention and saluted at the sight of a specialist roaming the halls. Making her way through the building she found her destination and rapped against the white painted steel door

"Enter" doing so she entered General Ironwoods' office saluting the moment she saw the man seated at his desk, the General had returned to active duty in his capacity as Headmaster while his most trusted underlings handled the situation on the ground; having a steady stream of new Hunters was always a top priority

"At ease Specialist Schnee" he gave her a warm smile as Winter took in his appearance. Between his uniform and gloves it was impossible to see any trace of the new cybernetics that had been implanted after the attack against the council, the only difference was that he had allowed his beard to grow somewhat

"You requested to see me General?"

"Indeed, this discussion has to be had in person" he nodded, his tone grave "But before that, I received word from Mistral, one of the villages taking Atlesian refugees. Black and Sustrai have been sighted there, apparently civilian life agrees with them"

"I'm glad to hear" Winter gave a genuine smile "Also I have a report from the rest of my Black-Ops team"

"Go on"

"Both the Spring and Winter Maiden's have been located, the Spring Maiden has rejoined the unit. The powers passed to Neo following the events at Schnee Manor. The Winter Maiden is the current head of the White Fang-"

"Oum have Mercy" Ironwood rubbed his temples

"She has agreed to work alongside our assets and reportedly killed one of Salem's proxies in addition to her….handling, of members of The Absolution. The Vaccuan White Fang are noticeably less extreme in their views and function more as a criminal enterprise, apparently she believes in The Coalitions' cause. As long as we honour the terms of our agreements with them she poses no immediate threat."

"I see" Ironwood seemed enthusiastic at the news "Our forces are still rooting out hostiles in the hive cities but this could realistically be the end of the White Fang as an enemy. Anything else to report?"

"Qrow Branwen has contacted Professor Rae Straw of Shade Academy and alerted her to the nature of the threat The Absolution pose. In direct response to the enemies' preferred tactic of causing panic and confusion prior to an attack agent Slate and the Winter Maiden called a meeting between the largest criminal organisations in the Kingdom to discuss terms of a cease fire. The traitors launched an attack on the meeting"

"Casualties?" Ironwood asked, bracing himself for the worst

"None of ours, agent Slate also recovered part of one there armour which Operative Polendina has been trying to decode encrypted data from. Permission to grant her access to our databases to cross reference information?"

"Granted" Ironwood answered instantly "Now as for what I summoned you here to discuss, what information have you managed to gather regarding Cadmus Ferrus?"

"Very little that wasn't a matter of public record" Winter admitted "Numerous successful missions including ground based attacks on Grimm spawning pools, riot suppression in the lower Hive Cities and elimination of high priority targets. Worked his way through the ranks quickly but was disqualified from entering the specialists due to being court marshalled for fights with Faunus enlisted on numerous occasions. Some speculation of ties to illegal groups both in and outside of the Kingdom but nothing has ever been proven"

"Well I'd say that last part is a moot point now" the General noted "One of those unproven connections was a man named Arthur Watts, they went through basic training together after Ferrus had graduated the Academy. Watts was an abject failure of a soldier but there is evidence to suggest he is the cyber terrorist known as _'W'_. All efforts to find the man have proven unsuccessful. Access to his skills combined with Cadmus's Semblance may explain how these traitors went so long without being detected"

"His Semblance sir?" Winter asked, eyebrow arching in confusion. None of her research into the man had given any indication that Cadmus Ferrus had a Semblance, or in any case that he never used it for some reason.

"Yes. I've spoken with the council and they're in agreement that Ferrus's actions if allowed to continue will eventually lead to war with Vaccuo, which we cannot afford to happen, as such they are granting you limited access to the black files" Winter couldn't prevent the stunned gasp that escaped her at those words. Nobody below the rank of specialist even knew of the existence of the files and even then most had never seen them in person, much less read them. Atlas Academy was based in a secret location away from the hive cities for two reasons, firstly it was intended to form a last bastion should the Kingdom ever fall and secondly it housed the black files; dossiers on every Hunter to graduate the academy detailing their weapons, preferred tactics, the amount of Aura at their disposal, Semblances as well as strategies and contingencies should it ever be deemed necessary to send their fellow Hunters after them

"I see you understand the gravity of the situation" Ironwood said placing a black covered binder on the desk with the words Ferrus. C, followed by his serial number "I want you to memorise the important details, naturally the file cannot be permitted to leave this room"

"Understood sir" Winter took the folder, fingers' trembling somewhat as she sat and began to read. The idea of records this extensive being kept on Atlesian Hunters made her glad that the files weren't stored digitally; if Ferrus had access to a hacker he could have had countermeasures in place for the entire Atlesian Hunter Corps

"My Oum" she struggled not curse as a particularly frightening detail leapt out at her "His Semblance, he's telepathic?"

"Low level, but yes" Ironwood admitted with a nod "As far as we can tell he can only skim surface thoughts of those nearby, he uses it to detect hidden opponents and gain the upper hand in close combat"

"Sir, I believe that's how he's been recruiting" Ironwood looked confused by her leap in logic but remained silent, waiting for her to continue "His history of extremely vocal anti Faunus sentiments. He's been doing it on purpose, he says something offensive and then skims the thoughts of those nearby to see who shares his views. It would explain how he managed to recruit without drawing unwanted attention to himself"

"Because he already knew that the people he approached would say yes" Ironwood realised "I'll have the names of everyone he's served with prior to taking command of his own ship cross-checked against the names of those who've died and their bodies were never recovered, it may give us an idea of just how well equipped these traitors are"

"Yes sir" Winter said almost absent-mindedly as she continued reading. One thought clear in her mind, she had to alert her Black-Ops team to this.

* * *

Salem observed her underling, tall and broad shouldered; fingers of his mechanical arm flexing. The alabaster skinned abomination supposed he was intimidating to those of his species. A cruel smile formed on her face as she felt a presence brushing against her mind like tendrils, he was testing how far her leniency extended it seemed

"My child" she hissed from her position at the head of her table "Raven tells me you made an attempt to capture the Winter Maiden, yet you arrived here without her. Am I to understand you were unsuccessful?"

"Unfortunately so….Mistress" Cadmus forced out through clenched teeth, eyes scanning the dimly lit room for Raven, he had no intention of dying without a fight the way Watts had "My soldiers can cut down criminals and Faunus animals with ease, but we may need to resort to more drastic measures to capture the target"

"The time will come" Salem cooed, smirking as she felt his attempt to pry at her thoughts once again "You wish to know if I intend to punish you?"

"I wish to know what you're planning" Ferrus growled, utterly defiant and unashamed. Salem rose from her throne and made her way towards him, seemingly gliding across the crystalline floor until she stood face to face with the man

"As you wish, try again" a moment later she felt his intrusion into her mind and this time she allowed it, mere seconds later Cadmus Ferrus fell the floor screaming in agony bleeding from the nose, eyes and ears as his psyche was subjected to the primal hunger of the entirety of the Grimm hive mind. She allowed his suffering to continue a little longer before breaking the connection, his telepathy was never intended to be used against such an adversary. Hauling him to his feet single handed she relished the look of terror on his face

"You, you're-" he stammered, a hysterical edge to his voice

"Yes my child" Salem beamed "I do not control the Grimm. I _AM_ the Grimm, I am the embodiment of their consciousness"

"You're going to take over the world" Cadmus managed to say, wiping blood from his face with the back of his hand

"But of course" Salem cooed "All sentient creatures do, do they not?….Ah you think I will renege on the terms of our agreement, foolish child. You will return to your Kingdom as a ruler, after all I can't kill the humans without starving my children. I need someone to tend to my crops" The soldier remained in stunned and terrified silence until he felt Raven's hand on his shoulder

"Take him home Raven" Salem cooed "His education has been punishment enough for him"

* * *

It was late afternoon when Coco and Velvet returned from their date the previous night, reaching the Desert Sun Hotel with an arm wrapped around each others' waist Cocos' free hand carrying a stuffed toy shaped like an Ursa that Velvet had won for her. As they approached the entrance, they saw Fox and Yatsuhashi sparring without their weapons for the amusement of a pair of children that judging by their appearances Velvet assumed were Fox's cousins as she knew he had no siblings. Her partner may have been far larger than the scarred fighter but the rain had begun again, it's constant patter giving Fox the advantage due to his Semblance as Yatsuhashi couldn't land a single hit on him

"Don't take it easy on him just because his cousins are here!" Velvet called out as Yatsuhashi was forced back by a series of spinning kicks, knees and elbows. Fox's fighting style could best be described as 'artfully berserk'

"I take it you two had a good date?" Fox noted with a smirk as he and Yatsuhashi decided to call it a day "Where the hell were you?"

"We spent the night at another hotel" Coco shrugged

"Needn't have bothered, we still got noise complaints anyway" Fox snorted, Velvet couldn't help but laugh at Coco's reaction. Getting the fashionista flustered was much easier than one would have expected

"So what did you do all night….and most of today?" Yatsuhashi asked

"Each other….You're glaring at me aren't you?" Fox asked with a wicked smile, his partner and team leader was indeed glaring at him over her sunglasses

"We went for a dinner date then to the Colosseum, they were putting on some exhibition matches and Coco wanted to see….we ended up getting roped into a two on two with a couple of shade students"

"Wiped the floor with 'em" Coco snorted "Got invited to an after party, by the time we left it was early morning so we found somewhere else to stay. We went to the beach this morning and Velvet won me this at an arcade….Totally cheated somehow"

"You're just saying that because you spent fifteen lien in coins and still couldn't get it" the Rabbit Faunus teased before kissing her cheek

"Are you sure your Semblance had nothing to do with it?" Yatsuhashi asked with a knowing smile, seeing Coco's cocked eyebrow he continued "Her Semblance is Mimicry, she can learn any skill as long as she's seen someone do it; that's how she can fight with other peoples' weapons so well"

"And how I learned to ride Yangs' bike….and beat my little brother at most video games" Velvet admitted sheepishly

"Oh you little…." Coco trailed off

"I think we're distracting from what's important, I won you the stuffed Ursa" Velvet smirked before changing the subject "By the way, what's your Semblance? I've never seen you use it?"

"You've actually seen me use it a lot" Coco answered "It's called Poise, as long as one of my limbs is touching the floor I can't be knocked off balance, which really helps when I'm carrying a mini-gun around in my bag" Velvet realised now she thought about it that that actually made a lot of sense

"Finally decided to grace us with your presence then?" Team CFVY turned to see Qrow in the doorway of the Hotel

"Oh please, I'm pretty sure if we asked around we'd find out you weren't here last night either" Coco snorted

"I'm a responsible adult

"Well he's half right" Fox muttered under his breath

"Come on, we're having a meeting in my room"

"A 'meeting' I'm sure that's what you always call it when you have young women in your room" Velvet's team mates were left choking and laughing until they gasped for breath by her retort as the five of them made their way into the hotel and through its' hallways until they reached the older Hunters' room where everyone else was already gathered

"So what's this about?" Coco asked "Everyone looks tense"

"The sit-down last night was hit by the White Fang" Gangrel explained, Velvet looked at him and saw that he had dark rings around his eyes and the gun metal grey of cybernetic limb looked as though it had been thoroughly cleaned recently

"Obviously they failed though right?" the Rabbit-Faunus asked

"Yeah and they effectively united the entire criminal underworld against them in the process. Orchid and the other heads have put bounties out on anyone in black armour"

"So that's good right?" Coco asked

"It is until it pushes them to more desperate measures" Blake pointed out from her position on Yangs' lap "We got word from Winter following a report we sent her"

"The guy who leads The Absolution is a literal mind reader" Yang growled

"And that's not the worse part" Qrow sighed, running his hand through his hair "Penny spent all day digging through files stored on a piece on their armour that Gang managed to rip off; they have a warship" he let that sink in for a moment

"Do we know where?" Coco asked

"Cloaked somewhere in Vaccuan airspace. Even worse from what Winter told us it's likely they have a lot of specialised soldiers. These aren't a bunch of kids with a dream like the White Fang, we're fighting highly skilled and experienced fighters with access to better equipment that we have right now, we can't just light up the whole sky to hit their ship without causing a mass panic and having the Grimm swarm the walls and if we do find them we can't send Neo or myself to assassinate their leader because he'd know we were there the second we got close"

"I've tried using my Semblance, Atlesian shielding is blocking it" Artemis lamented "If they're up there I can't see their Auras" Team CFVY were left speechless by the developments, they had expected tracking down The Absolution to be hard but they hadn't been expecting to run seemingly into the jaws of a well oiled war machine.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay I know this chapter was mostly exposition, but bare with me.

Let's summarise:  
Penny doesn't sleep as such but she does have a recharge mode to help recuperate her Aura.  
Okay not all of that blood Gang was caked in came from the guy he stabbed to death with his claws, the mole got whacked while Gang had him pinned to a wall remember, some of it was brains.  
Atlesian tech is compatible with Atlesian tech, so Penny would definitely be able to pull information out of a helmet (Watts has been shown to hack into the cameras on their visors)  
Winter 100% sees Atlas Academy as home.  
Ironwood. Just to prove Winter hasn't totally usurped him.  
Merc & Em reference, just to prove they're still alive.  
Cadmus Ferrus was only kept out of the Specialists because of court marshals on his record. Think about that, this is a different kind of enemy; he's just as skilled as Winter.  
He's also telepathic.  
The Black Files, they're basically the Remnant equivalent of Batman having contingencies to take out members of the Justice League. Atlas has them for every single one of their own Hunters and you can bet they use the Vytal Tournament as a chance to gain intel on other Kingdoms. They're very rarely used because their discovery would probably cause riots/mass defections.  
And there's Salem's endgame. Grimm feed on fear; she can't wipe out humans and Faunus without starving the Grimm in the long run. She really was going to give her generals a Kingdom each because she's going to effectively farm people like the machines in the matrix.  
Also, Salem IS the Grimm, she is the embodiment of the Hive minds' super-ego.  
Fox gives no fucks.  
Because of course Velvet would use her Semblance of Mimicry to be perfect at the arcade claw machine.  
Coco's Semblance just makes sense to me.  
I think Qrow pretty accurately summed up the problem that fighting the Absolution presents.

Thank you to Antonio+Beltran and MariamTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
I think Qrow had a point.  
I will promise you now with utmost sincerity that Dew Gayl will not be a hapless red shirt in this story.  
Orchid and Raven are both brutal but are we all forgetting Neo? Seriously all of the Maiden powers are actually in the hands of ruthless killers right now….whatever Ozpin was planning, it wasn't this.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	103. 103: Stress Relief

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 103: Stress Relief  
**

The revelation of just how well armed and prepared their enemies were the night before had left everyone visibly shaken to varying degrees and they had all dealt with it in their own way. Penny had spent the night continuing to work on the helmet of the dead Absolution fighter, seeing if it could serve any further use. This had left Ruby throwing herself into her what was potentially her greatest passion, weapons. She'd managed to acquire enough materials to work on a prototype weapon for Oscar, which brought her to her current situation; watching the former farmhand utterly fail at firing a gun.

"Well at least you didn't blow another hole in the wall. You are aware Winter is going to have to pay to have that repaired?" Weiss noted dryly, she and Penny watched with expressions that varied between amused, bored and somewhat concerned as Oscar failed to hit any of the empty bottles positioned on the wall with the ludicrously oversized hand cannon Ruby had crafted for him

"The recoil on this thing is crazy" the young Wizard protested, gesturing to the gun in question. The as yet unnamed weapon featured two large calibre barrels mounted one atop the other and jerked in his grasp every time he fired it

"Your form is totally off" Penny pointed out in the kindest tone she could manage

"What do you mean?"

"Are you serious?" Ruby demanded incredulously "You were firing it one handed and holding it sideways! I thought you knew the basics and were just trying to be cool!"

"This is how they do it in the movies" Oscar shrugged. Ruby was left in open mouthed shock for a moment while Weiss pinched the bridge of her nose, seemingly struggling to remain civil. Ruby stomped over to Oscar positioning herself behind him and physically showing him how to hold the weapon, hands covering his as she helped him aim

"Okay try now"

 _BOOM_

Glass exploded outwards as the shot hit its' target, Oscar still jerked back a little pressing into the scythe wielder

"See you've got it" Ruby beamed "Now try again"

"Yeah no problem" Oscar shot her a smirk "Y'know if either of us were straight this would probably be some sort of cliché romantic scene" Ruby sputtered at the comment, sure she was blushing. Discreetly activating her Semblance as Oscars' finger tightened around the trigger she moved from behind him without warning. With no-one to catch him the boy tripped over his own feet as he staggered back and ended up sprawled out on the dusty ground of the clearing behind the Desert Sun Hotel

"Not funny" Oscar grumbled, Ruby clearly disagreed as she was bent double with laughter, leaning against Penny for support. Weiss allowed herself a small smile at her partners' antics

"Not that I'm not enjoying this but is there any particular reason you asked me to join you?" she asked Ruby, the younger Huntress merely shrugged

"I miss hanging out with you" she mumbled "You're my partner and it's like we never really spend any time together any more….it kinda sucks"

"Dolt" Weiss murmured, taken aback by the admission before pulling her Team Leader into a hug "You're my best friend Ruby"

"I know but Team RWBY never really do anything together any more" Ruby sighed "You're always with Gang, I'm always with Penny Blake and Yang are off doing their own thing"

"We'll do something tonight" Weiss assured her "Let Blake and Yang know….Actually where are they?"

"Off doing their own thing" Ruby shrugged "The news about the Absolution got under Yangs' skin a little, she said she was taking her bike out for a ride to get some air. Blake went with her. How's Gang taking that by the way? I mean he was at the meeting they attacked and he came back pretty much drenched in blood-"

"He what?" Weiss gave her a confused look

"His clothes, face and prosthetic were stained with blood" Penny clarified "You didn't notice?"

"He didn't wake me when he came back, I woke up and he was just getting out of the shower" Ruby's brow creased at that, she was well aware of what time Weiss woke up normally

"He would have been in the shower for hours then" she murmured "I mean it probably took a while to clean all that blood off, you didn't see that armour"

"He hasn't mentioned anything" Weiss thought to herself for a moment before making a decision "Something is clearly bothering him, I'm going to find. We'll still hang out together tonight though"

"Okay" Ruby sighed as she watched her best friend turn and leave, looking around the clearing she saw that a bird had landed on the wall that marked Fox's families' property "How long have you been there Uncle Qrow?"

"Long enough to watch Oz land on his ass" the older Hunter smirked as he returned to his true form

"Let me guess, you've got a whole new wringer to put me through" the teen grumbled

"No, you get today off" Qrow turned his attention to Ruby and Penny, drawing his weapon "I want to see exactly how good you two are"

"I'm combat ready" Penny assured him as she drew her swords. Ruby deployed Crescent Rose beside her. The pair rushed forwards and Oscar was left with staring in amazement as he realised just how far he had to go.

* * *

Blake tightened her grip around Yangs' waist as the Bumblebee turned a corner. The blonde was sticking firmly to the speed limits, not wanting her beloved bike to be impounded again. In truth they had no real destination in mind, Yang had simply wanted to clear her head and Blake had offered to accompany her. Breathing in the faint smell of sea air and fish made itself known and her eyes widened as looked around and realised that her surroundings were vaguely familiar

"Yang, do you know where we are?" she called over the sound of the bike's engine

"Not exactly" Yang admitted"

"I think we're in Nusar-Khalij, White Fang turf. We might need to turn around"

"Okay, no problem" Yang looked for somewhere she would be able to do so, not wishing to perform an illegal U-turn on what seemed to be a main road. Before she could she was forced to halt by a red light, a car pulled up beside them its' passenger side window lowering revealing a Faunus teen with clacking insect like pincers sprouting from his cheeks

"Take the next left and pull up at the end of the street!" it was clearly not meant as a polite suggestion. When the light turned green Yang complied, the car following behind them until they pulled up. A familiar Faunus was waiting for them. His his hand firmly on the leash of a particularly mean looking dog. Blake eyed the canine warily as she and Yang climbed off the bike, choosing to keep some distance. Yang on the other hand approached eagerly

"He isn't friendly" Noctis warned her, only to be proven wrong within seconds as the blonde crouched down and scratched behind its' ears while asking _'Who's a good boy'_ Noctis merely sighed and turned his attention to Blake

"Now I was led to believe that Blake 'The Shadow Cat' Belladonna' could sneak into pretty much anywhere. Considering our lookouts spotted you a while ago and let me know you were coming I'm not convinced"

"We weren't sneaking" Blake shrugged "Honestly we weren't even planning on being in this part of town. But since we've seen you, we've got a message to pass on to Orchid"

"I'm listening" the Scorpion Faunus' stinger quivered a little as he spoke

"Cadmus Ferrus has an Atlesian warship hidden somewhere over Vaccuo. That's how The Absolution are staying hidden"

"Yep" was his only reply

"You knew?" Yang demanded looking up from the allegedly unfriendly dog she was petting

"We suspected which is basically the same thing sometimes" Noctis shrugged "They're from Atlas, they didn't walk here so they either came by sea or by air" Blake thought about that for a moment and realised that honestly the news shouldn't have taken them by surprise as much as it had

"So what are you planning on doing about it?" she asked

"There's not much we can do to a cloaked warship directly, unfortunately" he shrugged "Orchid traded that information with the heads of the other families for any of Hazels' known locations. We didn't find anything useful, but we did find Charlie" he indicated to the dog

"So what're you planning when they make their move?" Yang asked, looking up "You gonna E-Vaccuo-ate" Noctis gave her a truly unpleasant stare

"Okay not my best" she admitted "But-"

"We've got our own asses covered" Noctis cut across her "And by we I mean everyone in our turf"

"Good. A lot of people died in when Vale and Atlas were attacked, hopefully we can prevent that here" Blake sounded as though she were trying to convince herself

"So if you weren't planning on being here how about you both do me a favour and fuck off" the Scorpion Faunus grumbled "You Hunters really don't realise just how much you stand out, in the time you've been here you've probably cost me over a hundred Lien"

"What?" Yang eyebrows vanished into her hair as she struggled to comprehend that information. Blake merely looked around and took note of the shifty looking younger Faunus scattered around the street, coming from where she did the feline knew drug dealers when she saw them

"Fine" with that the pair of them climbed back onto the bumblebee

"Actually, can I ask you a question?" Noctis asked Blake "You were a legend in the Fang. For a while you were Adam Taurus's right hand, everyone said there was nowhere you couldn't break into and you took down twenty riot police at once. Why did you leave?" Blake gave him a piercing stare and answered

"I left because I wasn't willing to become the kind of savage that people like Cadmus Ferrus paint all Faunus as, I think the important question is why didn't you leave"

* * *

Weiss had found Gangrel as well as the rest of Team GRAP in the small gym within the hotel. Upon asking Fox she had learned that his families' establishment was actually frequently used by Hunters visiting the Kingdom and as such had some equipment with which to train, though in comparison to Beacon it left a lot to be desired.

"'Sup?" Rover asked as he caught sight of Weiss entering, the canine seemed to be referring a sparring match between Gangrel and Artemis from a safe distance. The two were fighting hand to hand but Semblances seemed to be allowed if the faint glow from Artemis's eyes was anything to go by

"I was looking for Gangrel" she answered, giving a sympathetic wince as her boyfriends' attempt to teleport behind his opponent was anticipated and countered ruthlessly. Artemis spun and ducked under his right hook, her own right fist buckling his knee followed by the feline ploughing her left into his stomach as he staggered forwards, the combo was finished by her vaulting over his back and delivering a knee to the unguarded part of his face

"He asked for this" Rover smirked seeing Weiss's expression "He figured since we don't have anyone who can use telepathy to train against Artemis's Semblance would be the next best thing to prepare for Ferrus"

"Has he ever beaten her in a Sparring match before?" Weiss asked, somewhat concerned as she watched the Bear-Faunus be hip-tossed to the ground and only narrowly manage to block an axe kick to the face

"A couple of times in first year, then she figured out the tells for his Semblance and he's been taking beat downs ever since. If they'd agreed to no Semblances he'd have won by now" the sound of screeching metal demanded their attention, Weiss and Rover both turned to see that Artemis currently had Gangrel pinned face down with her legs wrapped around his neck ad she slowly forced the elbow joint of his cybernetic arm backwards

"Okay this is over" Rover sighed shaking his head "Gang it's pretty safe to say Artemis won that one"

"He's being diplomatic, you got your ass kicked" Artemis huffed as she pulled her Team Leader to his feet "If me being able to track your Aura is this much of a problem for you then someone who can predict your moves is going to kill you"

"Hey Artemis, can Gangrel and I have a moment" Weiss asked as she made her way over to them

"Yeah no problem, babe come on we're heading out" she called to Rover as she made to leave. Once the pair had left, leaving Weiss and Gangrel alone in the gym

"Well that was thoroughly unpleasant to watch" the pale huntress noted with a raised eyebrow, the Bear-Faunus made his way from the sparring mats and sat on one of of the weight benches and began examining his prosthetic for any lasting damage

"Well I haven't had the shit kicked out of me recently, I thought I was getting out of practice" Weiss couldn't help but chuckle a little at the comment, he continued "I'm fine though, what's up?"

"Are you really fine?" she asked cautiously as she sat down next to him "We didn't really speak at all yesterday, I know you were drinking with Qrow last night. Ruby told me about showing up soaked in blood"

"Ruby's exaggerating" he grumbled "Honestly it's nothing Weiss" Weiss's eyes narrowed when Gangrel refused to meet them

"If she's exaggerating then why did you need a shower that lasted for hours"

"Someone got their head blown off right next to me, ever tried getting dried blood out of your hair" Weiss motioned to the scar marring the left side of her face

"As it happens yes I have, so why don't you tell me what's really bothering you"

"Babe seriously-"  
"For Oum's sake Gangrel!" She snapped, beginning to get seriously frustrated "I love you so will you please stop trying to spare me from whatever it is and just talk to me!" Gangrel stared at her in silence for a moment before taking a deep shuddering breath

"I lost control" he admitted, voice barely above a whisper "The Absolution fighter whose helmet and armour I brought back didn't have an unlocked Aura; I put my claws through his face and killed him with my bare hands. I felt sick afterwards" Weiss was momentarily taken aback, having only seen Gangrel truly lose control once

"They attacked you and were trying to kill you" She reminded it him

"Yeah but I'd have done it even if they weren't" that admission silenced her, Gangrel continued "I saw them and all I could think about was what they did to Jade. The worst part is that as much as I wish I could say it helps, it doesn't" he gave a bitter laugh that threatened to devolve into sobs. Weiss instinctively climbed onto his lap and wrapped her arms around him, forcing him to meet her gaze

"I miss her too" Weiss forced herself to ignore the lump in her throat "I know we never sat down and really discussed it, but we both felt like we'd adopted her. Jade was going to be our first child" Weiss buried her face in his shirt willing the tears welling up in her eyes not to fall so she could continue

"They took that away from both of us and I hate them like I have never hated anyone before because of it. I know what you're thinking Gangrel and you need to stop. You are not Adam"

"Not yet but I'm getting there" he murmured quietly "I need help, I need someone to keep me from doing something that I can't make right"

"You dolt" Weiss held him tighter "You have me and you will always have me"

* * *

Cadmus Ferrus sat alone in the briefing room of the Reinigungsfeuer, mechanical fingers clanging as they drummed against the surface of the table. In less than forty eight hours following the failed attack on the Winter Maiden the soldiers he had sent into the desert Kingdom below had reported that almost all of their remaining proxies and informants had either simply vanished or no longer wished to do business, those in the latter group had been efficiently dealt with. The fact remained though that the reason for this was unsettling, the entirety of the Vaccuan criminal underworld had taken his attack as a personal affront and seemingly rallied behind the Winter Maiden

"Only in this backwoods hell-hole full of savages do humans answer to Faunus" Cadmus muttered to himself as he pondered his next move. He had failed Salem, that much was apparent and the thought terrified him regardless of how much bravado he tried to show in front of the monster. Thinking about Salem turned his thoughts to her master plan and his place within it, she intended to reduce the Kingdoms to nothing more than battery farms to supply the creatures of Grimm a constant source of fear to feed upon, revolting as the idea was to him it seemed the best chance either he or his homeland had for survival

"Atlas used to be strong, now the Faunus can take over our cities and we have to beg Mistral to take our refugees while these sand eating primitives openly mock us" Cadmus's eyes widened as a notion struck him, upon his return to Atlas the SDC would be one of the first problems that would have to be dealt with, their new Faunus loving head having a near monopoly on the market meant Dust would have to be found from elsewhere, Vaccuo had it's own entirely nationalised Dust industry

"The three pillars of Vaccuo" the Atlesian traitor muttered venomously to himself "The Dust Mines, the perimeter wall and Shade Academy" an evil smile worked its' way across his face as he began working out specifics in his mind, it was time for bold action. He reached for his comm and spoke to those amongst his crew who were permitted to attend his briefings

"I want our heavy assets moved into strategic positions within the city, all Bull-Heads should be armed, fuelled and ready for take off. I will be leaving the ship to speak with our benefactor, I will be holding a briefing with all of you when I return to discuss our plans moving forwards. We're going to win this war men"

 **Authors notes:**

Okay so the next chapter will begin the climax of Vol.6, this is a shorter volume (But Vol.5 was the longest so far)

Let's summarise:  
Penny still having that helmet, just watch.  
Ruby making a new weapon for Oscar to de-stress, it's basically an insanely oversized double barrel pistol that turns into a staff (A combination of the broom handle he was using and Ozpins cane).  
"Y'know if either of us were straight this would probably be some sort of cliché romantic scene" as close to a direct fourth wall break as I'm willing to get in this story.  
Ruby complaining that her and Weiss never hang out any more, she's come so far from just wanting to have Yang and Crescent Rose around her in Vol.1.  
Yang randomly driving around a city will always lead to trouble, she has a gift for it.  
Noctis has Charlie, Cinder's dog that Hazel was looking after.  
Noctis is also from Atlas remember? He's not stupid. If people wearing Atlesian Armour and training are showing up it's honestly a pretty safe bet that there's an Atlesian ship somewhere.  
Training with someone who can see Aura as a substitute for someone who uses telepathy makes sense when you're fighting style involves using teleportation for surprise attacks.  
Also a reminder that Artemis fights dirty, she choked Blake out in their sparring match back in Chapter 08.  
Gangrel, much like Blake doesn't like talking about his problems. What were Sienna and Tukson teaching those kids.  
Also compare Gangrel putting his claws through someone's face to Adam using his Semblance to punch a hole through someone's chest. Gangrel wants to kill the absolution because of Jade, Adam killed Jacques Schnee because he blamed him for his parents deaths. They do have some similarities.  
Cadmus has a plan.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22, Antonio+Beltran and fluffyfirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Yeah, the queen of blades voice works for Salem quite well actually.  
Let's be honest anyone who works for Salem is probably not the smartest.  
Yep, Salem's plan is basically "Recruit people who will be the prison wardens of human battery farms, then kill everything else".  
Coco and Velvet probably didn't know each others' Semblances because they weren't exactly on good terms at the start of the story and neither of them actually have flashy Semblances with visible side effects (Like Ruby's rose petals).  
There will be no phoenix Yang in this story.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	104. 104: Operation Sandstorm

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 104: Operation Sandstorm**

Salem sat upon her throne made of Grimm bone and waited. It had been days since Cadmus Ferrus had last contacted her and she had granted the hateful man permission to proceed with his plan, now she wore an expression that on any other face could have been described as eager or excited on Salem herself it was simply terrifying.

"Mistress" the voice came from behind her, its' owner making her to the front of the throne and dropping to one knee

"My child" Salem cooed to the most rebellious of her children, In terms of capabilities Cinder Fall would always cower in the shadow of Raven Branwen, were it not for monumental amount of willpower it required to keep her under control Salem would have sent her Maiden to collect the heads of all who opposed her. As it was Salem had chosen to keep Raven held back, only allowing her out of the sphere of total control that being within Salem's domain afforded her to communicate with Cadmus until the time to land a killing blow came

"It's time" Salem smiled "Go to Cadmus and wait aboard his ship. His role is both to breach the Kingdoms' defences and flush the Winter Maiden out into the open, do not reveal yourself until he has"

"Yes Mistress" Raven answered tonelessly before rising to her feet and opening a portal behind her which she promptly turned and walked through, finding herself amidst the pristine and sterile décor and bustle of activity that was the bridge of an Atlesian Warship. Word of her previous arrival on the vessel must have spread as she was only greeted with a momentary surprise and concern from the crew

"Raven" the gruff voice of Cadmus Ferrus caught her attention, she turned to face the man who was stroking his beard nervously

"Are you afraid?" even with the distortion of her respirator mask and the influence of the Grimm corrupting her body she still managed a mocking and condescending tone

"No more than it's healthy to be before an operation" the Atlesian traitor huffed in response "I trust you know your role in this mission?"

"Surgical strike against a high priority target" the terminology sounded strange coming from her mouth. Cadmus nodded silently before taking his position in the Captains' seat and opening the ship-wide comm

"All hands to battle stations! Commencing Operation Sandstorm!"

* * *

"I'm gonna head up into that watchtower and check for incoming" May Zedong informed the rest of her team before taking off, the slight blush creeping across her cheeks gave her true intentions away

"Yeah incoming text messages" Nolan called after "Or maybe she sent pic-" he found himself silenced by an elbow to the ribs from Roy who merely shook his head, Brawnz seemingly agreed with the sentiment

"Nolan do us all a favour and pipe down" he sighed "Let May have this will ya, those two were both giving each other the googly eyes when the other one wasn't looking for ages. It's good to see May actually smiling for once"

"And hey, I doubt we'll have to worry about Gwen being an ass-hole like that Flynt guy was" Roy added with a shrug. Team NDGO had caught up with Team BRNZ at Shade's landing pads before they set off for their first mission as second year students. Gwen Darcy had seemingly managed to pluck up the courage to ask May out on a date and the prospect had given the normally shy sniper a seemingly endless supply of cheer and enthusiasm. The assignment had proven to be a simple one, the team had been stationed at one of the Dust mining fields beyond the perimeter wall and tasked with performing regular sweeps to prevent Grimm encroachment. They were expected to do this without the assistance of their Professor as it was a test of the teams' ability to function in real world circumstances and work on their own initiative. So far the week had proven uneventful with only a few small packs of Beowolves needing to be put down.

"So what are we doing until our next sweep?" Nolan asked as he pulled his hood up, the fine misty drizzle combined with the humidity thoroughly ruining his immaculately styled hair

"I'm gonna wait until May gets down from their and we'll probably make a start on that history assignment" Roy shrugged

"Nerd"

"No it's a good idea" Brawnz admitted "We may as well get it done, you don't have tournament training to use as an excuse for leaving everything to the last minute this time" Nolan grumbled and muttered under his breath but Brwanz's attention was captured by the sound of his Scroll ringing, withdrawing the device he saw that it was their Professor

"Professor Chestnut" Brawnz instinctively straightened out and adopted a businesslike tone that never failed to make his team-mates snicker

"Brawnz are your team back inside the facility?"

"Yes professor, near the south watchtower"

"Good I'm in the main office, three Bull-Heads were detected approaching from the south and don't seem to be answering any attempts to communicate with them. Be prepared. Your assignment is to secure our location from all threats, not just Grimm"

"Understood professor" closing the scroll he shouted up to May

"We've got incoming from the south! Get ready to fire!"

"We just scanned the south!" Nolan spat readying his baton

"It's not Grimm, we've got some stray Bull-Heads" Brawnz clarified

"Are there even any settlements with a terminal to the south?" Roy asked. Brawnz didn't answer, his eyes focused on a trio of shapes rapidly drawing near

"I see 'em" he murmured, eyes narrowing as he took in the profiles of the craft and noticed that they were flying lower than they should be and moved almost silently "Those are Atlesian Bull-heads. They're like the ones they had in Vale"

"So they're probably with those Atlesian soldiers who attacked the bank" Nolan growled. Brawnz nodded and bellowed up to May

"Take 'em down!" his unwavering confidence in his team-mates' abilities was rewarded when mere seconds later the muted crack of her rifle could heard and one of the trio of Bull-Heads began to plummet to the ground, the pilot having been killed by an armour piercing round blasting through the cockpit

"Okay let's go pull any survivors out and hold 'em until the professor gets here!" Brawnz ordered sprinting towards the gate built into the reinforced fence that marked the boundary of the Dust field. Another gunshot could be heard and he turned his eyes skyward to see a second Bull-Head falling from the sky, flames issuing from a ruined wing mounted engine. The craft seemed to be trying to correct its' course as it fell and his blood felt as though it had turned to ice in his veins as he realised what was about to happen  
"MAY!" it was too late, the Bull-Head collided with the watchtower the sniper had been positioned in before exploding on impact. Brawnz sank to his knees, unable to stand as the reality of the situation washed over him. The final remaining Bull-Head soared overhead, nose mounted machine guns tearing through the security teams who had rushed to respond. As it reached the gargantuan drills that bored into the ground for Dust it delivered its' payload; an incendiary Dust missile. The detonation caused a chain reaction, igniting the Dust being extracted and Brawnz felt himself be tackled to the ground by Roy who attempted to shield him.

"Brawnz! Brawnz!" he was dragged to his feet, ears ringing from the blast "We need to go!" the sound of Roy screaming at him finally cut through his daze and he realised that Roy was holding Nolan up, blood stained his partners' jacket where a large jagged chunk of shrapnel had embedded itself in his shoulder

"We need to get May" Brawnz voice wavered

"She's gone Brawnz" tears began falling freely from Roy's face "We need to get the survivors to the wall!" Brawnz took several shaky breaths and mastered himself before nodding and calling out

"Everyone with me! We head to the walls!" the trio made their way around the edges of the flames that consumed everything around them, civilians flocking to the sound of Hunters taking control of the situation

"What about people who're trapped?" Nolan forced out through clenched teeth

"We don't have time, this is going to attract Grimm" Brawnz hated himself for putting it in such callous terms "We need to get the people that we know for a fact are still alive to safety before we come back for anyone else" he pulled out his Scroll as they limped forwards, contacting the emergency number that all Vaccuan Hunters had

"This is Brawnz Ni, Team Brawnz. Khanufasa Dust fields were just hit by an air strike, we have wounded civilians, no word from Professor Chestnut" a few moments later he closed the Scroll and bellowed out to those accompanying him

"They're opening access gate twelve! Straight ahead!" the survivors spurred on by the information hurried as best they could, those that could run carrying those that couldn't. Then the remaining Bull-Head screeched overhead once more, it's machine guns ripping through civilians, reducing bodies to bloody mist before it raced towards the perimeter wall; artillery pieces turning to meet it

"Let's see the bastard get past those!" Roy snarled savagely, a bleak thought occurred to Brawnz

"I don't think they're trying to" sure enough the booming report of the walls defences sounded out and fire blossomed from the craft which plummeted downwards, directly into the wall itself

"That was gate twelve" Roy gasped, sagging in utter defeat as the realisation hit him. No sooner had he spoken than a haunting howl could be heard, a sound every Vaccuan Hunter learned early in their training

"Bloodhounds!" Brawnz bellowed "Everyone run! Get to the gate now!"

"The gate's gone!" Roy snapped as he hauled Nolan over his shoulder and sprinted alongside his team-leader

"It's the nearest way into the Kingdom, we have to take it! Climb over rubble if you have to!" Brawnz countered. His stomach plummeted as he realised that he was playing directly into his attackers hands; somehow the pilots of the Bull-heads had known there were Bloodhounds in the area that would summon more Grimm. The attack on the Dust field had been to force them to run towards a damaged part of the wall and lure Grimm through it. They were being used as bait.

* * *

Neo strolled absent mindedly through the streets of Vaccuo, twirling Roman's old hat between her fingers as she did so with Ren and Nora beside her. The energetic gingers' boundless enthusiasm reminded her enough of the previous Spring Maiden for Neo to tolerate them tagging along. That enthusiasm had taken a hit early on in their impromptu shopping trip when they'd stopped into a store near the Colosseum that purported to carry everything an up and coming Hunter might need. The sight of Pyrrha Nikos merchandise in a clearance sale had left her struggling to contain strangled sobs. Ren had caught Neo making to steal as much of the merchandise as she could carry and stopped her, promptly explaining who he and Nora were to the shopkeeper who simply gave them a great deal of the hoodies, T-shirts, wrist bands and posters bearing their old friends face emblem and memorable quotes from interviews free of charge. The next stop had been a florist, Ren had been somewhat surprised when Neo had entered the business and surreptitiously began filling her pockets with as many packs of seeds as she could manage. Once again the Huntsman had stopped her and offered to pay for them.

"So where are we going now?" Nora asked as she skipped alongside Ren, her hand in his when she accidentally bumped into a small child heading the other way; a balloon flying from the child's grasp. Nora and Ren's eyes widened as Neo created a semi-solid illusion in front of herself, seemingly leaping onto her own shoulders and using herself as a springboard to snatch the balloon before it could float away and return it to the child

"Whoa, Huntresses are so awesome!" the little girl exclaimed, earning a small smile from Neo. As the child and her parents carried on Neo turned to Nora and withdrew her Scroll intending to give her a silent berating. Before she could do so the sound of wailing sirens filled the air

"What's going on?" Nora demanded

"It sounds like there's been an attack" Ren surmised "We're near Shade, we should make our way there and see if we can help. The others will most likely be on the way to….where ever it is" with the decision made the three of them sprinted through the streets drawing the weapons, the towering domed roof of Shade Academy visible above the buildings around it. As they neared the first Bull-Head carrying students could be seen taking off from the academies' private landing pads, only to be sent spiralling to the ground as a rocket connected with its' tail-fin

"The Absolution are here!" Ren bellowed, the Storm-Flowers tearing into a black armoured shape as it became visible. The death ray of the Silent Garfunkel punched smoking holes into the bodies of those it hit. Nora spied the soldier who had fired the rocket at the Bull-Head and shifted Magnhild to its' grenade launcher form, one explosion later the threat was dealt with.

 _SCREECH_

The sound of tearing metal caused them all to pause. A number of trucks that they hadn't paid any attention to in their rush to reach Shade were ripped apart as Paladin Battle-suits painted in the colours of the Absolution unfolded and stepped out of them, six in total.

"Smash!" Nora cackled as she fired a grenade at the nearest one, only to be stunned as the mechanical construct leaped aside and rolled to a stop before returning fire; forcing her into cover. A resounding explosion caused the energetic Huntress to risk looking around the corner she'd ducked behind. The first of the Paladins' lay smoking and burning on the ground, it's back mounted power supply blown apart courtesy of Neo. The sound of machine gun fire caused her to turn her attention to Ren who was weaving around the attacks of the Paladin he was facing while trying to pierce the cockpit, unfortunately the Atlesian steel was far more resilient than Grimm flesh. With a roar of sheer rage she shifted her weapon to its hammer form and charged the battle suit, buckling it's knee with her first strike only sent to be skidding across the ground by an almost casual backhand. The difference between White Fang using stolen military equipment and specialised soldiers trained to use Battle-suits was becoming readily apparent

"Nora!" Ren rushed to her side pulling her out of the path of gunfire that pockmarked the ground where she had been. Neo could be seen flipping from suit to suit, her thin blade working its' way into the joints of her targets leaving showers of sparks in her wake. Nora rose to her feet and readied her weapon and the partially crippled suit lumbered towards them. Ren and Nora were left gob smacked when the machine was engulfed by swirling winds that rapidly increased in speed and ferocity, lifting the machine from the ground.

"TAKE IT DOWN!" Ren and Nora looked past the now suspended Battle-suits, stunned to see Dew Gayl and Nebula Violette of Team NDGO, Dew being the one who had spoken as she struggled to hold the Paladin in place with her Semblance. Nebula loaded an Ice Dust tipped bolt into her crossbow and fired into the back of the machine, freezing it's engine and vital inner workings; as Dew released her Semblance Nora fired Magnhild into the cockpit before the pilot could escape

"Fall back and regroup!" Nebula called to Ren and Nora, the rest of her own team followed the instruction as well; the six of them readying their weapons and preparing to face down the four remaining Battle-suits.

"Where's Neo?" Nora demanded. Ren scanned the surrounding area, finally spotting the mute sitting atop a lamp post behind the advancing battle-suits cackling silently as she opened what appeared to be a large pack of seeds. He was left dumbstruck as she leapt onto the back of the nearest machine and began pouring seeds into its' air intakes before leaping onto the next Paladin, repeating the process on each of them before leaping to the ground in front of him

"What are you-" Nora's anxious question was silenced with a dismissive wave of the hand. Green light enveloped the minute girls' hands and light shone from her eyes as she tapped into the power of the Spring Maiden and turned her attention to the Paladins which were immediately torn to shreds. Bamboo, vines and thorns bursting forth from the cockpits and engines as she controlled the growth of the seeds she had poured, morphing the plants into something far more deadly than they would have sprouted into naturally.

"Oh my Oum" Nebula whispered covering her mouth, Octavia could be heard vomiting at the sight of the eviscerated corpses suspended by the branches and vines sprouting through and wrapped around them amid the devastated machines while Gwen rubbed her back

"Professor" Nebula snapped to attention at the sight of a furious Rae Straw approaching them, bloodstained scythe in one hand, severed head clad in black armour in the other

"Team NDGO" she gave them a nod of acknowledgement "Khanufasa Dust fields have been attacked, Team BRNZ were attempting to lead survivors to the wall when the Absolution attacked access gate twelve. It's clear their objective here was to slow down reinforcements as much as possible"

"Team BRNZ?" Gwen repeated "We have to go"

"We have to ensure there are no other insurgents already within our Kingdom" the headmistress countered. Neo typed a message on her scroll and handed it to her

 _'I'm the Spring Maiden. I can deal with them. You go'_

"Are you sure?" Rae asked cautiously, seeing Neo nod she turned to her students

"Team NDGO, with me. There are still Bull-heads" Neo nudged Ren to get his attention, gesturing from him and Nora to the retreating Vaccuans

"You want us to go with them?" Ren asked

"No way!" Nora objected. Neo typed another message

 _'Easier to fight when I don't have to worry about who's behind me'_ with that she repositioned Romans' hat atop her head and watched the pair leave to join the fight at the wall.

* * *

Qrow ended the call and gave the assembled Hunters a grave look. Everyone at the Desert Sun Hotel had met in the dining room the moment the sirens had started blaring

"That was the head of Shade" he explained "The Absolution just hit the wall and lured Grimm in, she's in the air now but they need everyone they can spare"

"Mum, Dad" Fox addressed his parents "Take Auntie heather and the others and get in the bunker"

"Fox-"

"Mum I'm a Hunter, we're not having this discussion again. This is what I do" he interrupted "I can't promise I'll come back without a few new scars, but I'm coming back" Gangrel's scroll vibrated in his pocket, he rapidly withdrew it and answered

"It's Orchid" the voice of the Winter Maiden greeted him

"How did you get-"  
"Gut Wukong asked his son, he asked around. Not important right now" she cut him off "I take it you've heard the sirens. I'm leading an evacuation, I'm taking everyone from my turf into the storm drains. There's a reservoir underground where they purify water for the summer droughts. Noctis will meet anyone you can spare near the café in twenty minutes" the call ended

"Orchid is setting up an evacuation point underground" he wrote the address quickly on the back of a napkin and handed it to Qrow "My Team are heading to the wall, between mine and Rovers' manoeuvrability and Artemis's Semblance we work better performing rapid attacks and search and rescue"

"Team RWBY are going to wall as well" Ruby spoke up "We'll hold the line"

"I need a team in the air" Penny murmured, when she saw people turning to her with quizzical expressions she continued "I may have a way to locate the Absolutions' ship. An Atlesian warship is more powerful than anything the Vaccuan air force has, if they choose to attack directly the damage would be catastrophic"

"You want to storm a warship" Coco surmised "Oh you're gutsy, I like you. Team CFVY can do that" Ruby instinctively leaned over and squeezed Penny's hand

"Stay safe" Penny pulled her into a hug and planted a brief kiss on her lips

"You too" Ruby smirked

"Don't worry, I'm combat Ready"

"Oz, that leaves me and you helping the Winter Maiden and her people protect civilians. You wanted to play a support role, you think you're ready?" Oscar loaded the double barrelled pistol he'd named Omega Genysis

"No but I'm gonna have to be"

"Yang, Ruby. Be careful out there, Tai will kill me if anything happens to you. At the same time, give 'em hell" confident smirks could be seen on the faces of the Hunters at those words

"You got it Uncle Qrow"

* * *

Cadmus watched the various displays on the main screen of the bridge. While nowhere near as capable as Arthur Watts, the hackers among his men had managed to gain access to a multitude of security cameras, in addition to the cameras mounted in his soldiers' helmets this gave him a considerable grasp of the situation below. Raven stood beside him, arms folded and silent as she scanned the feeds for any trace of the Winter Maiden.

"Sir, Vaccuan air force has deployed fighters. Shall we engage?"

"Negative" he answered, stroking his beard "Let the Grimm thin them down first, pull back to the edge of Vaccuan airspace. No need to leave ourselves exposed here"

"Understood sir" the pilot answered before moving the ship in the direction of the coast

"Ground units, any sight of the target?" he was promptly met with a chorus of squad leaders reporting that there had been no sign of her

"Well no animal wants to be hunted" he muttered under his breath before turning his attention to the breach in the perimeter wall. Several of his Bull-heads had been ripped from the sky by the artillery emplacements, he was forced to admit that the soldiers and Hunters that manned the defences were masters in their field. Grimm were pouring into the Kingdom but they were being thinned down as they did so. The individuals stationed on either side of the ruined access gate fighting tooth and nail to their last breaths to prevent the Grimm from widening the hole in their defences, even the local criminal element could be seen holding their ground with whatever stolen and improvised weapons they could find. It was admirable, but it couldn't be allowed to continue. He opened his comm

"Squad Zero-one. Suit up and prepare for immediate deployment to the wall. Meet me on the bridge" Squad Zero-one, his personal team of commandos. Each of whom had at least fifteen years of experience fighting human, Grimm and Faunus; before their defection they'd been held up as examples of what an Atlesian soldier should be. Now it was time for Vaccuo to learn just what that meant

"Raven, we need a portal" she gave him no response, staring at one of the feeds seemingly fixated at the image of a tiny Huntress ripping through anything that opposed her

"Raven!" she turned to face him, twin Auras crackling menacingly as she did so. The entrance to the bridge opened revealing the squad

"Take us to the wall" Cadmus instructed, Raven nodded silently and opened a portal. With a war cry Cadmus Ferrus led his men through, drawing his pistol he dispatched three Vaccuan soldiers with ruthless efficiency as he arrived on the battlefield, his unit taking firing positions around him and laying waste to the defenders

"Push forwards! Plant charges on their artillery!" he ordered "Raven!" no response came, daring to look over his shoulder he let out a curse as he saw that the masked woman was no longer there.

* * *

Neo had seen the squad of drop troops leap from a Bull-Head, instantly recognising the similarities between their armour and the man who had killed Jade. The Disturbed Garfunkel had sent the craft crashing through a nearby apartment building leaving Neo free to stalk the soldiers themselves. The streets she was currently fighting through had seemingly been gentrified, palm trees planted in the side walks where they would never naturally grow. She used that to her advantage. Rounding a corner she saw a squad of five soldiers moving to flank a car that it was obvious someone had taken cover behind. The soldiers first became aware of her presence when a root burst from the ground and erupted through one of their chests. The second died when his face was burned away by her death-ray. The remaining three opened fire, Neo wasn't there any more. As the illusion she left in her wake shattered her blade was plunged through the back off the thirds' neck. Flipping onto the handle of the weapons still embedded in its' last victim and using it as a platform she leapt over the fourth, legs wrapping around his throat as she pulled him to the ground and twisted his neck until she heard a satisfying snap. Stealing his rifle she riddled the legs of the last soldier with holes. In the time it took Neo to retrieve her weapon he'd tried to crawl as far away from her as he could, it wasn't far enough. Taking several deep breaths and forcing the tremors of unadulterated hatred causing her hands to shake to stop she ripped her blade from the back of a mans' skull and turned her attention to whoever it was the soldiers had been fighting. Peering around the car revealed a lone teenager, clearly a hunter in training. A Faunus with arachnid like pedipalps positioned on either side of his mouth

"Thanks, pretty sure I was done for there" the Hunter panted "Morales Redback, Team REDD. My Team got split up when those soldiers landed, I'm going to find them" with that the Spider Faunus rose to his feet and sprinted off leaving Neo alone. She searched the sky for any incoming Bull-Heads until the sound of ethereal screaming forced her to return her attention to ground level. Stepping out of a portal that was rapidly closing behind her, hand on the hilt of her weapon; was Raven Branwen.

 **Authors Notes:**

If you've got Darude – Sandstorm in you're head right now, good.  
Also, yeah this is going to be the shortest Volume yet. Thirteen chapters, still more episodes than we get in a volume though.

Let's summarise:  
That's why Salem keeps Raven close to her. Raven did say that Cinder was a willing servant but she'd fight every step of the way. Raven also said that the more Grimm there are in an area the more control Salem has over her; Salem has been keeping her in her lair as much as possible.  
Did I write all that about Gwen Darcy finally asking May Zedong out and her team being happy for her just to twist the knife a little when that Bull-Head crashed into the watchtower, you bet your sweet ass I did.  
The Absolutions' plan is simple but effective, the lawlessness in Vaccuo causes constant fear and negativity which brings Grimm. Blow up an installation outside of the walls and use the survivors as bait then take out the defences on the part of the wall those survivors will have to use. Use a few well placed unit outside Shade to slow down their reaction time enough for Grimm to get into the Kingdom then it's just a matter of waiting for your target to show themselves.  
Neo tolerating Nora because her hyper personality reminds her of Jade….a little heartbreaking.  
Pyrrha Nikos merchandise on clearance equally heartbreaking.  
Neo using her illusions as a springboard to save a child's balloon. Because she's crazy but she's not evil….well not entirely.  
The only other Battle-suits we've seen so far have been piloted by the White Fang. These ones were piloted by an elite Battle-suit unit. See the difference?  
Team NDGO (and I promise none of them are going to die) Dew Gayl is still hardcore as fuck.  
But not as hardcore as Neo, you read that right. Neo killed someone with a pack of seeds.  
 _'Easier to fight when I don't have to worry about who's behind me'_ You know exactly who Neo was thinking about when she said that.  
Team GRA_ and RWBY are heading to the wall where Ren and Nora already are, Penny and CFVY are going airborne. Qrow and Oscar are going to hold the line and save civilians.  
Ruby saying she' 'Combat Ready' "Awws" all round  
You've seen what the Winter Maiden's powers do in rain, imagine what they can do with an underground reservoir.  
'Omega Genysis' is exactly the sort of name a fourteen year old would give their weapon.  
Cadmus is now on the wall.  
Neo is pretty fucking ruthless, that was five dead bodies in the space of a few seconds.  
Also, after being mentioned a few time but never shown an actual member of Team REDD appears.  
Best cliffhanger ever.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 and Antonio+Beltran for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Was the ominous ending paid off enough? If not oh boy, strap yourself the fuck in.  
I love how much people love Gangrel and Weiss.  
Also thank you to Ferrous who left the 200th review on (I see you're catching up)

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	105. 105: Hold the Line

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 105: Hold The Line**

Qrow and Oscar waded through waist deep water alongside Noctis, the trio at the head of a small group of civilians escaping from the battle above. It wasn't the most unpleasant situation Qrow had found himself in over the course of his career, but it was certainly an honourable mention. Oscar was clearly nervous and Qrow was silently thankful that they were in front of the group, if the way the teen was scanning the water with his over-sized pistol he was liable to accidentally shoot an evacuee in the back if they moved too suddenly were he positioned anywhere else. As for the Scorpion Faunus;

"You wanna tell me why you keep looking at me like I owe you money?" Qrow's eyes narrowed at the question

"You were in Atlas weren't you? At the battle at the Bio-Domes" Noctis paused for a moment giving Qrow a curious look

"Oh shit, you're one of the Huntsman that managed hold their own against Adam" the criminal seemed more amused by the revelation than worried. Qrow's grip tightened around his weapon, he didn't think of himself as an arrogant man but he was used to getting a little more reaction than that when people realised who he was

"And you're the one who managed to get him out of there, you were on one of the tanks" Noctis gave a the older man a second glance as they continued through the sewers, the ferocity of his tone bringing the Faunus to a realisation

"Oh, it was personal with you two….Adam's the one who took your nieces arm"

"He tortured my other niece personally"

"Sucks for them" Noctis shrugged, seeing the disgusted looks he received from both Qrow and Oscar he merely snorted "If you don't wanna get tortured then just start talking. I've been drilling peoples' kneecaps for information since I was fifteen" a booming gunshot cut the conversation short, Qrow and Noctis both whipped round weapons at the ready only to see Oscar staggering backwards from the recoil

"I saw something move in the water!"

"Yeah it was a rat you fucking idiot, we're in a sewer" Noctis spat, every syllable laced with disdain

"Are you sure there aren't Grimm in the sewers?"

"That's an urban myth" Noctis sighed "I'm not gonna lie I believed for the first couple of days when I got here. I know the Arif family run their drugs through little rafts and dingies down here to avoid the police and they never seem to get eaten by Grimm"

"How far is it to this reservoir?" Qrow demanded

"About another ten to fifteen minutes walk" Noctis shrugged, the group continued on in silence. The sound of sloshing water being the only noise until Noctis raised a hand and brought everyone to a halt, tail twitching as he readied the shotgun he'd brought with him

"I hear something up ahead" Qrow strained his ears but heard nothing, deciding to trust the Faunus' senses he turned to Oscar

"Stay here and cover them" he motioned to the civilians. Oscar nodded silently and shifted Omega Genysis to its' close combat mode, the barrels unfolding and forming a staff that it was clear Ruby had based on Ozpins' cane when designing. Qrow kept his weapon in its' sword form as he and Noctis made their way towards the source of the noise, as they neared he could hear it was well; the scraping of a manhole cover being removed, moments later a rope was thrown down into the storm drain ahead of them and Absolution soldiers began descending

"Kill 'em" Noctis snarled. his first shot revealing that his weapon was loaded with Gravity Dust shells, ripping through the helmet of a soldier and sending them crashing into the murky water. Qrow swung his blade out to cover Noctis, gunfire that would have shredded the Faunus clanging harmlessly against the surface. Shot's that whizzed passed the two of them were easily plucked from the air by Oscar who tapped into the Wizards' powers, slowing time enough to grab them.

"Fall back behind Oscar, I can't fight and cover you at the same time!" Qrow growled

"Not a chance!" Noctis spat ducking and firing under Qrow's blade, tearing through the thigh of one of the soldiers. The argument was rendered moot as the water around the black armoured men began to freeze

"She's here! She's here!" the panicked shouts were cut short and replaced by pained screams and sickening wet gurgling as icicle spears burst from the frozen water and punctured their bodies. Qrow stood silent as Orchid strode into view, walking on a path made of ice rather than wade through the filth beneath it

"You took your time getting here so I decided to come and look for you"

"Is there any particular reason you're having people hide out down here?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow, Orchid merely motioned to the bodies of the Absolution soldiers

"I did that with waist deep sewer water, imagine what I can do with a reservoir" the thought honestly sent chills down his spine, it was interrupted by Noctis nudging him

"The kid's having a fit" turning around Qrow saw what he meant and rushed towards Oscar who was being held up by some of the evacuees, blood pouring from his nose while he trembled. Sprinting over he held onto the Wizard until he stopped shaking and regained consciousness

"You need to go" he gasped out without preamble

"What?"

"Qrow you need to go now, Raven is up there!" Qrow was stunned into silence for a moment, before nodding and turning to Orchid

"Keep him safe" with that he shifted into his bird form and flew through the opening the Absolution had made in search of his sister.

* * *

"I didn't even know you could drive" Gangrel noted the car screeched around a corner. Fox's aunt and uncle had given Artemis the keys to their car to get them to the site of the breach faster. Ruby and Rover had taken off under their own power, Weiss and Yang had drove, Blake riding on the back of her partners' bike.

"I took a few lessons after first year, failed my test" Artemis admitted with a tense smirk "I doubt we're going to get pulled over somehow" the sound of gunfire reached their ears, they streets they were speeding through showing more and more signs of battle as they neared their destination. Without warning a towering black shape rounded a corner and charged towards them

"Hope this is insured!" Artemis shouted as she sent the car ploughing into the roaring Ursa with enough force to hurl it into a wall. Gangrel teleporting her them both out at the last second

"A little warning next time" the Bear-Faunus grunted as he wiped his bloody nose, at almost six feet tall his team-mate was a little too large for him to teleport without discomfort and side effects. The Ursa roared in fury as attempted to dislodge itself from the wrecked car and wall it was pinned between. Artemis gave an annoyed huff before deploying Hakai Suru and firing a Fire Dust round into the engine block, the resulting explosion reduced the Grimm to dark mist

"Really hope it was insured" she winced

"Come on, let's go" Gangrel snarled as he drew his sword and oversized pistol, sprinting through the streets towards the sound of the ensuing battle. Vaccuan fighters could be seen overcoming the vastly superior Atlesian models through sheer weight of numbers overhead as the Absolution attempted bombing runs on the perimeter wall to widen the breach. A wall exploded to his left as a Beowolf was sent crashing through it by what appeared to be a bolt of golden lightening

"Hey Gang" Rover panted from behind his mask, pulling Artemis in a brief one armed hug the moment she was done shooting an approaching Nevermore out of the sky

"What's the situation?" Gangrel demanded

"Vaccuan Air Force are holding their own, no sign of the warship though. Absolution are on the wall itself, we're managing to keep the Grimm relatively contained"

"Artemis stay with Rover" Gangrel instructed "Find some of the locals who're fighting back and hold the line. Rover you're search and rescue. Stop anything that tries to slip through as well, Artemis I want you picking out priority targets" his team-mates both nodded in understanding

"Team RWBY are in the thick of it" Rover informed him, pointing in the direction of the battle. Gangrel nodded and took off. Hacking and shooting through Grimm he fought his way through the streets until he came to the breach itself where his allies could easily be seen fighting alongside the Vaccuan Hunters, each of them tearing through vast swathes of Grimm. Ren was firing a single Storm-Flower at a time, alternating as he reloaded to provide cover for Nora who was blasting airborne Grimm from the sky with each grenade she fired. Ruby and Blake flitted around the battlefield providing assistance wherever it was needed, neither of them visible for more than a second at a time. Yang was alternating between using her Aura-fuelled flames to incinerate swarms of smaller Grimm and lunging into combat with full grown Ursa, vivid red eyes and a cocky smirk on her face. Team NDGO could be seen covering Dew Gayl whose Semblance was contributing to the Vaccuan air superiority. Gangrel finally spotted Weiss and his jaw dropped, she was an engine of sheer destruction; Grimm died around her by the hundred. Each Grimm that fell was promptly summoned back to the battlefield in glowing white and set upon its' former pack mates while she wore the summoned Mantle Sentinel around her like a suit of armour, it's broadsword extending far further than Myrtenaster and tearing through snarling monsters with each slash. Teleporting to her side he began firing into one head of a King-Taijitu which had slithered behind her while Weiss stabbed through the other

"Sorry I took so long" he noted the faintest of smiles form on her face at his words. The two of them fought alongside each other, Gangrel's Semblance and heightened senses covering any openings in Weiss's defence until the floor began to rumble, the artillery pieces on the perimeter wall that remained turning from the aerial battle to something much lower to the ground. One of the soldiers atop the defences bellowed into a megaphone, giving up their own chance at escape to warn others

"GOLIATHS!" the warning may have been what saved many of their lives as the enormous Grimm stampeded through the breach, easily tripling its' size as they did so. Weiss's summons failed as Gangrel teleported her away, shrapnel and rubble landing in their previous position, looking over his shoulder Gangrel could see the twisted wreckage of Stardust.

"FOCUS YOUR FIRE ON THE GOLIATHS!" Rae Straw bellowed, several teams of Hunters behind her

"They're a distraction" Weiss gasped as she rose to her feet and sprinted back towards the breach, Gangrel beside her; eyes widening as he saw the second wave of Grimm rushing towards the hole

"RUBY!" Weiss called out as she began summoning Grimm as fast as possible and sending them out to meet the monsters head on

"What's wrong….Oh" Ruby dead-panned as she caught sight of the oncoming horde

"Ruby, we need your powers" Weiss told her in a panicked whisper

"Okay, okay I can do this, I have to do this" Ruby tried to assure herself as she positioned herself directly in the centre of the breach and began to focus eyes closing and trying to take deep breaths. Concentrating on the fact that thousands would die without her and that people she cared about would be among that number sparked something within her and Weiss and Gangrel were left awestruck as a pure white glow seemed to radiate out from the small Huntress

"Ruby! Do it now!" Gangrel roared as the Grimm drew close. With a scream of exertion Ruby opened her eyes, white light shining from them as a wave of power burst from her in all directions

"What's happening to her?" Yang demanded, her voice terrified as she and Blake arrived on the scene, helping Weiss and Gangrel back to their feet

"The Grimm, look!" Blake exclaimed "She's learned to control her powers" the Grimm screeched and snarled as waves of light crashed against them, dissolving their bodies on impact. Ruby sank Crescent Rose into the ground and used it to force herself forwards step by laborious step, Grimm dying by the thousand with each bit of ground the silver eyed warrior gained

"That's, that's amazing" Yang stammered at the mind blowing display of power from her sister

"Cover her!" Gangrel ordered the rest of Team RWBY "The Absolution are taking out artillery pieces on the wall" with that he looked up at the defences and triggered his Semblance. Appearing on the wall with an echoing crack his heart seemed to stop as the nearest Absolution soldier to him was in the process of dispatching a pair of Hunters he recognised, the Didymo twins. Mavros lay unmoving slumped against the wall while a mechanical fist closed around Aspro's throat before a high calibre pistol discharged into her stomach, the man casually hauled his victim over the defensive walls down to the ground below. The killer turned to face Gangrel and the Bear-Faunus gave a hate filled snarl as he took in the sight of the man before him, bald and bearded, tall and broad shouldered, right arm replaced by a cybernetic prosthetic with additional armour integrated. Cadmus Ferrus.

* * *

The Pearl prowled through the air, rendered totally invisible by its' advanced stealth capabilities. While P.E.A.R.L the AI piloted Penny typed furiously into a console, connected to which was the helmet of an Absolution soldier, it's exterior plating stripped away

"So how do we find a cloaked warship?" Coco asked, clearly trying to calm her nerves

"The headset within the helmet was dismantled so I can't directly listen into their communications" Penny murmured distractedly "But I'm pretty sure it can still receive any force-wide communications issued from the ship itself"

"How sure is pretty sure?" Coco demanded, her voice tense. Penny chose not to answer focusing her attention on the task at hand until P.E.A.R.L spoke

"New co-ordinates received" Penny looked at the information and realised that it was a location in the air

"Sensational, P.E.A.R.L bring us within weapons range of those co-ordinates and then switch to manual control, charge primary weapon"

"Confirmed" the synthetic voice answered

"We've found them" Penny explained to Coco "Those co-ordinates are a fall-back location for the Absolutions' own Bull-Heads"

"Where is it?" Coco asked, Penny looked at the co-ordinates for a moment

"Along the coastline, almost directly above the bay we arrived at"

"Shit" Coco spat bluntly "If we take it down now it's going to crash into a populated area….contact the Vaccuan air force and get as many fighters to help you take it down as they can spare. Team CFVY are going to take the bridge and try and redirect it"

"How do you plan on getting aboard before we've taken their shields down?" Penny asked, Coco gave her a confident smirk

"They've got to have their hangars open for returning fighters. We're going to do it with style" the fashionista gave the android a wink from behind her sunglasses before heading into the rear compartment of the Bull-Head were team waited, all equally tense

"Look alive people, we're going to be performing a boarding action"

"Coco, do you ever think that maybe, just maybe you've lost your fucking mind?" Fox grumbled

"Yeah but then I remember we're all still alive so it's okay" Coco shot back with a broad grin "Okay, normal landing strategies aren't go to work. We're jumping straight from the hatch into a hangar and fighting our way through the ship"

"I can get myself and Fox aboard" Yatsuhashi nodded before putting a hand of the blind fighters' shoulder "Climb on"

"Approaching target area, switching to manual controls" P.E.A.R.L announced as the rear hatch of the craft lowered. Coco's eyes widened in surprise at the sight of the interior of a hangar, seemingly suspended in the airborne

"Let's go!" Yatsuhashi sprinted forwards with Fox clinging onto his back, as the giant of a man leapt from the hatch he triggered his Semblance, a pulse of sheer concussive force hurling them through the air and onto the opposing ship

"Okay I'm ready" Coco turned to see Velvet sitting atop a hard-light copy of Yang's bike

"Now this is an entrance" Coco grinned as she deployed Satani Arbor, her Semblance allowing her to balance as the bike sped forwards and flying through the air before landing in the hangar on its' rear wheel while Coco's Mini-Gun tore through the craft already docked and the Absolution fighters attempting to halt them. Velvet's replica bike vanished as she created a copy of Neptune Vasilias' rifle, electricity arcing across the armour of the soldiers it hit. Yatsuhashi's Semblance caved armour in while Fox fought up close and personal with his blades. Coco was forced to collapse her weapon and weave out of the path of gunfire, using her Semblance to her advantage she back-flipped off of the wing of a docked craft realising her mistake a moment too late

"HELP!" She screamed as she fell through the still open hangar, grabbing on with one hand while the wind whipped around her and blew the beret from her head. She managed to swing herself and get her other hand onto the edge of the hangar but found herself unable to climb back into the vessel, the still active shielding of the ship sending painful shocks through her body every time she came into contact with it. Looking up when she heard the sound of footsteps she saw one of the Absolution standing over her, rifle pointed directly at her face. Her Aura may protect her from the blast, but it wouldn't stop her from being flung from the ship

"YOU DON'T TOUCH HER!" before the soldier could turn a translucent blue copy of Magnhild smashed against their helmet, sending a web of cracks through the visor; the soldiers limp body brushed against Coco slightly as it fell.

"We've got you" Yatsuhashi assured her as he and Fox pulled her back into the hangar. Coco pulled Velvet into a tight hug

"I just killed someone, on purpose" the Rabbit-Faunus trembled in her arms

"You had to do it Velvet, it was them or us" Coco kissed the top of her head gently

"And there's about to be a lot more of them. I'd rather deal with the rest away from the open window" Fox pointed out as he bounced on the balls of his feet, seemingly eager to get moving

"Are you gonna be okay?" Coco asked as she pulled away from Velvet, the Faunus nodded silently though her eyes still had a frantic expression

"Okay, they'll be running a skeleton crew right now. We need to get to the bridge before more Bull-Heads get back" the Fashionista took a deep breath "Team CFVY, let's go steal a warship"

* * *

Neo's eyes blazed with vivid green light as the roots of the trees lining the side-walks burst from the ground to skewer her opponent.

Raven's eyes blazed with golden and magenta light from behind her mask, the powers of the Summer Maiden burning the trees to charred husks as the roots neared her before drawing her sword and shifting her sheathe into its' Gatling-gun form.

Illusions shattered like glass as the blades launched from Raven's weapon tore through them, Neo herself came charging at her from the right, blade at the ready.

Raven simply parried her berserk slash and swept the mute's legs from under her before delivering a spinning heel kick that sent her crashing into a nearby car with enough force to crush the chassis on contact; Roman's hat falling from her head.

Neo rolled away from her opponents' follow up attack, the lightning bolts of the Fall Maiden; promptly shifting her weapon to its' death-ray form and opening fire to no avail as Raven vanished through a hastily created portal.

Raven dropped from a portal opened directly above the Spring Maiden, sword positioned to pierce her skull. The illusion shattered, blade sinking into nothing put the tarmac below while Neo stood several feet away.

Neo threw all of her remaining packs of seeds forwards, her powers forcing them to produce an unnatural spherical cage of thorns as Raven charged towards her seemingly vanishing to be replaced by a large bird.

Raven flew through the rapidly closing gaps in the dome of thorns Neo had created before reverting to her true form, hand closing around the smaller woman's throat and lifting her from the ground; Raven created another portal and stepped through it reappearing several feet in the air and hurling Neo to the ground.

The Spring Maiden crashed back first into the roof of a parked car, windows shattering with the impact, flinging her self to the ground she readied her weapon. Raven vanished through another portal as she feel; Neo expecting her adversary to appear behind her turned and fired into the portal as it opened.

Raven ducked under the blast of Neo's death-ray and slashed at her legs, Neo back-flipped over her blade; landing in a crouch and preparing to fire again. Launching herself forwards Raven grasped the muzzle of the weapon and forced the power of the Fall Maiden through it, hurling the mute backwards as the Silent Garfunkel exploded.

Neo glowered at the burnt flesh of her right hand as she picked her self up, standing on shaky legs as she watched Raven casually discard the remains of her death-ray. She had no weapon, and there was nothing left to use the Spring Maidens' powers on in the area. Gritting her teeth she charged anyway determined to reach Raven before she stepped through the portal she was opening.  
Raven had no intentions of escaping; instead fully tapping into the power of the Summer Maiden, miniature sun forming in her hand and firing the beam of heat and light into the portal.

Neo was sent tumbling to the ground as Raven's attack hit her from behind, being fired through an open portal. She struggled to her feet only for Raven to open another portal and employ the Summer Maiden's destructive powers once again, this attack came from the side hurling the mute into yet another parked car, the heat reducing the metal around her to molten slag. Raven appeared in front of her, hauling her from the wreckage and throwing her across the street; her body crushing brickwork as it collided with it. The Spring Maiden tried to force herself to her feet, she knew she was beaten but refused to die crawling on her hands and knees. She managed to rise to one knee almost managing to stand before the blow came. Pain blossomed through her chest, looking down she saw the blade of Raven's katana protruding from her chest; a stain as red as the blade itself spreading across her jacket. The blade was pulled free and she fell to her knees, vision dimming as Raven stepped in front off her. Her final conscious thoughts before the parasitic Grimm consumed the last of her were of Roman

' _Lie, cheat, steal and survive. I tried Roman, I really did'_

* * *

Qrow had fought his way through the inner city, a few packs of Grimm led by Bloodhounds that had slipped through the breach before a proper defence could be mustered had been put down before he came across a group of student Hunters

"You! Have you come across any other Hunters in the area, fully trained?" one of the team, a Spider Faunus spoke up

"Yeah, really small with two tone hair but she kicked a whole lot of ass. That way" Qrow's stomach plummeted; the boy was obviously describing Neo, the Spring Maiden. He sprinted through the streets as fast as his Aura could propel him. Skidding to a stop when he saw something that chilled him to the bone, his twin sister; her body shaking as the light pouring from her eyes and fists began to oscillate between gold, magenta and green. Beside her was the body of Neo, laying face down on the ground

"Raven" he whispered "What have you done?" Raven turned to him and raised her sword.

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, give me a moment to compose myself….Yeah I'm good.  
Part two of the climax of Vol.6 done.  
This is the first time we've seen all four Maiden Powers used in the same chapter.

Now Let's summarise:  
It's a minor detail but Noctis actually did meet Qrow and Tai in Atlas, he was the one who begged Adam to call for a retreat.  
Oscar is good enough with the Wizards' power to be safely used as a last line of defence against machine gun fire  
Orchid is still ruthless as all fuck.  
Wizard-Vision-Ex-Machina.  
Artemis owes Fox's family a new car.  
Rover and Artemis really do make a great search and rescue or search and destroy team.  
Weiss kicks so much ass it's not even fair. Seriously she has the Swiss Army Semblance.  
Goliath Grimm, if they're in Vale then they're in Vaccuo. Both of those Kingdoms are on the same continent, it's probably no surprise then that those two Kingdoms are laid out similarly with protective walls around them.  
And now she's done it. Ruby has activated her Silver Eyed Warrior Power at will, and sweet holy fuck is it impressive. She effectively just stopped a Grimm invasion single handed.  
The Didymo twins, that Gang and Rover took on in the two on two round of the tournament; they're dead now.  
Gang v Cadmus, we all knew it would come down to that (But I've still got some surprises in store)  
When I mentioned Penny keeping that Absolution soldiers' helmet to see if she could do anything else with it this is what I had planned.  
Yes, Velvet rode a hard-light replica motorbike out of one aircraft into another at several thousand feet in the air, while Coco fired a Mini-gun from the back and landed in a wheelie. Velvet is fucking metal.  
Coco's Semblance means she can't be taken off balance. She can't mess up a landing by stumbling but there's a hole where she lands she's still going to fall through it.  
Velvet who wanted to become a Huntress to protect people, who can't stand the idea of hurting people; just hit someone around the head with Magnhild and watched them fall to their death. Now it was obviously necessary but she's still probably going to beat herself up.  
Yeah as much as I love Neo (Reese Chloris is best girl but Neo is runner up) that fight was only going to end one way, they both used everything they had in their arsenal but she was just outgunned and outclassed.  
I don't know where Neo's last thoughts came from but they made me feel things.  
And that's another cliffhanger ladies and gents.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22, Antonia+Beltran and FluffyFirefly.  
Sorry another emotional gut punch.  
The feels will never stop.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	106. 106: Cost of Victory

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 106: Cost of Victory**

The Reinigungsfeuer shook under the continuous barrage that the Vaccuan air force were subjecting it to, though it was impossible to tell how many fighter pilots had lost their lives to the capital ships weapons

"Penny what's going on out there?" Coco demanded into the headset as she and her team ducked into cover around a corner, gunfire whizzing passed them

"Their shields are down. Vale sent reinforcements, our combined efforts are dealing heavy damage" on the other end of the channel the sound of the P.E.A.R.L's primary weapon discharging could be heard, coinciding with the ship rocking once again

"Okay we're almost at the bridge!" Coco shouted over cacophony "Let's move!" rolling from her position to the opposite side of the corridor she began returning fire, mowing down a trio of Absolution Soldiers, Velvet's replica of Neptune's rifle sending arcing electricity across the armour of several more

"Yatsu now!" at her command the giant of a man rushed forward and triggered his Semblance, a wave of pure concussive force travelling from his palm down the length of the corridor and crashing into the remaining gunmen, disabling them. Team CFVY bolted towards the doors to the bridge, Coco covering the entrance while Velvet attempted to open the door

"Coco it's been locked down, it can't be opened from the outside" the Faunus informed her as she desperately attempted to make the keypad respond

"I might be able to get it open if you've got Fire and Gravity Dust" Yatsuhashi sounded hesitant to make the suggestion

"Yatsu that's suicide!" Velvet exclaimed, realising what he intended

"I can control the blast with my Semblance" he pointed out. Coco stepped in, handing him a pair of Dust crystals, one an angry red the other a reflective glossy black

"If you're sure" she whispered "I trust you big guy, but only do this if you're sure"

"It's the only way" he sighed "Step back, Fox turn your Semblance off" the moment his team-mates has stepped behind him he crushed the pair of crystals in his palms and triggered his Semblance, the concussive wave was transformed into an explosive blast. Yatsuhashi roared with exertion, flesh of his hands and forearms blistering and burning as he channelled the destructive energy towards a single target. The metal of the door began to creak and glow with heat before finally being torn away and Yatsuhashi dropped to his hands and knees grunting in pain and exhaustion

"Oh my Oum, are you okay?" Velvet gasped seeing the blackened flesh of her partners' arms

"I'll live" he forced out through clenched teeth as he forced himself to his feet

"There's nobody on the bridge" Fox declared as he reactivated his Semblance, the subsiding heat from Yatsuhashi's attack no longer enough to cause a painful backlash through his thermal imaging

"What?" Coco stepped through the ruined entrance onto the command bridge, remaining unaffected by the constant bombardment of the ship that left everyone else struggling to balance and seeing that the bridge was indeed empty

"They must have abandoned ship and got passed us" Velvet noted

"And flown into the Vaccuan and Vale fighters?" Coco raised an eyebrow "Well better than going down with the ship I suppose, Velvet steer this thing away from the coast"

"I don't know how" the Faunus admitted nervously "I've never watched someone pilot a warship before. I need to have seen a skill to mimic it" Coco strode over to her lover and placed her hands firmly on her shoulders

"Velvet, you are way smarter than your Semblance, you're more than the ability to mimic people if you were you wouldn't have been able to make your weapon in the first place. You can do this" Velvet's jaw set and she nodded before making her way to the pilots' station and hurriedly began trying to make sense of the controls, Coco's hands on her shoulders giving them a reassuring squeeze. Several tense moments filled with muttered cursing later the sound of creaking could be heard as the devastated hulk of a warship began to turn

"Knew you could do it" Coco murmured in her ear before kissing her cheek. The bridge was shook by the impact of another barrage

"Penny!" Coco bellowed into her headset "Call off the fighters and prepare for evac, we've taken the bridge we're going to fly it out to sea and crash-" the sound of blaring sirens throughout the ship interrupted her

"That last shot crippled the main engine! We're going down!" Velvet cried

"Coco what's going on?" Penny demanded

"Velvet can you get us far enough out before we hit?"

"I think so"

"Penny, cancel that evac" Coco murmured, voice trembling slightly before ending the call. Seeing the worried expressions on her teams' faces she readied Satani Arbor, the vessel was already beginning to tilt forward noticeably

"So this is it then?" Velvet asked before pulling her leader into a crushing hug "Coco I-" bringing a hand to her lips Coco silenced her

"I love you too, but we're not done yet" with that she aimed and fired directly into the windows onto which the bridges tactical displays were projected. As they shattered the fashionista ran forwards

"Come on, we're getting off this ship!"

* * *

Gangrel aimed Breaker and made to fire, Cadmus sensed the attack coming and reacted at an impossible speed. The pistol in his hand leaving a burned gouge along the surface of his cybernetic arm. Gangrel realised that his opponent was armed with a death-ray, a finished version of the stolen prototype Neo's weapon had been based on. Triggering his Semblance he vanished and reappeared behind him, only to receive a cybernetic elbow to the snout before his over-handed slash could connect. Staggering back Gangrel replaced his weapons, deciding that the time it took to aim or the confines of the gangway atop the wall made them unsuitable. Unexpectedly Cadmus holstered his own weapon and raised his fists. With a snarl Gangrel teleported again, reappearing in mid-air to deliver a kick to Cadmus's face. Cadmus had anticipated the attack and caught Gangrel's leg with his left hand while ploughing his prosthetic right fist into his gut, sending the hulking Faunus to the ground. Gangrel triggered his Semblance again, this time reappearing behind his opponent; Cadmus spun to meet the attack before Gangrel could deliver the punch, a kick to the side of the knee buckling his leg, backhanded left to the face followed by a right handed haymaker floored him, Cadmus followed this up by hoisting him up by his hair and smashing his face against the wall, cracking the surface

"Theatricality and deception, powerful tools against the unprepared. I am not unprepared" Cadmus punctuated the statement with a kick to Gangrel's face as he tried to rise. Spitting blood and broken teeth from his mouth the Bear-Faunus realised he'd made a mistake in getting angry and allowing himself to be drawn into a close quarters fight with Cadmus, the man's Semblance of telepathy made it hopeless; he made to trigger his Semblance again and gain some distance only to receive a fist to the back of the head before he could do so. Cadmus had known he intended to pull back, he was effectively trapped. Snarling frustration he lunged forwards to tackle his opponent, Cadmus sidestepped and planted his mechanical fist firmly between his shoulder blades before wrapping his hands around his throat, hauling him roughly to his feet and slamming his against the wall. A flurry of blows connected with Gangrel's face and stomach before he felt himself be lifted from the ground, then he was falling.

Gangrel managed to trigger his Semblance as the ground rushed up to meet him, teleporting onto the sandy ground below to halt his momentum he realised he had been thrown from the wall and landed on the outside of Vaccuo's defences. Nearby, but still too far to offer immediate assistance were Team RWBY; Weiss, Yang and Blake forming a protective barrier around Ruby who had dropped to one knee with exhaustion but who's eyes were still unmaking Grimm that approached. Before he could rise to his feet fully the ground exploded under him, rolling to a stop several feet away he saw Cadmus Ferrus propelling himself down the wall, apparently their fight wasn't finished yet. Charging towards him but hopefully still out of the range of his Semblance teleported, directly into a waiting heel kick to the ribs

"Predictable animal" Cadmus sneered with a cruel smile before delivering a vicious left jab, right cross, left uppercut combo to the now bloody face of the Bear-Faunus before simply throwing him to the ground and kicking him in the jaw with enough force to cause an audible crunch

"At this point it's a kindness, you're more rabid than the rest of your kind" Cadmus withdrew his pistol and aimed. Before the killing blow could come something glowing white hurtled through the air, tearing through the cybernetic arm that held the death ray in a shower of sparks and screeching metal. Gangrel, through his currently blurry vision saw the arm holding the weapon fall to the ground and Cadmus double over with a pained expression as the feedback from the prosthetic caused him immense pain. Turning his attention to the direction the attack come he saw who had saved him, standing in the distance arm still outstretched was Weiss.

Team RWBY had heard the blast of Cadmus's weapon, Weiss had told Blake and Yang to cover Ruby before bursting into action and sprinting across the sand towards where the two of them fought. Seeing the older man easily outfight Gangrel she'd thrown a saw-blade Glyph directly at Cadmus's arm before he could kill him and was equal parts revolted and begrudgingly impressed when Cadmus merely plucked the death-ray from the sparking and twitching fingers of his ruined cybernetic limb and charged towards her, roaring as he fired. Weiss summoned a plethora of Glyphs, each of them acting as a temporary shield that shattered under the assault of the death-ray. Knowing her opponents Semblance she created more Glyphs in the air to act as platforms as he approached, leaping from one to the next intending to stay out of range. Eventually by sheer luck and determination one of Cadmus's shot made it through her defences and struck the Glyph she was currently stood upon. Weiss managed to land somewhat gracefully and immediately created a summoning Glyph, sending a glowing Boarbatusk rushing forth and bowling over Cadmus who was still determined to get into close combat. His firearm was sent clattering to the floor before he pulled a combat knife from his boot and stabbed the summoned Grimm through the eye. Sensing that a melee was inevitable Weiss conjured the knight-like armour of the Mantle Sentinel around herself, the broadsword encasing Myrtenaster as she swung at the chest of the approaching soldier. Cadmus ducked under the slash before thrusting the knife in his remaining hand upwards into the elbow joint of the knight armour, locking it in place. Weiss passed the sword into her right hand and made to stab downwards. Cadmus leapt inside her guard, clutching onto the chest of her construct as he pulled the pin from a grenade before leaping away; Weiss's eyes widened in shock before it detonated flinging her back shattering her armour construct

"Traitor to your Kingdom, traitor to your species" Cadmus spat as he retrieved his knife, stalking towards Weiss as she struggled to rise "Your father deserved better heirs" with a scream of sheer rage Weiss charged forwards; Cadmus instead of rushing to meet her attack was caught off guard by an echoing crack behind him instinctively turning and bringing the remains of his cybernetic limb up to block. Gangrel's sword bit into the reinforced armour of the prosthetic. Cadmus used the momentum of the backhanded slash to carry him into a pivot, spinning and burying his knife to the hilt in the Faunus' hip, then the blade of Myrtenaster pierced through his back, appearing from his chest. Weiss pulled her rapier free and watched the man collapse to his knees before making her way to Gangrel's side and picking up his dropped sword, the weapon was roughly as large as her and easily as heavy, clutching it in two hands she stalked over to Cadmus whose blood stained the sand as he attempted to crawl away

"Murderer!" she brought the sword down on his skull

"Traitor!" the blade came down again

"Terrorist!" the blade came down again and Weiss's arms ached

"MONSTER!" the sword fell from her grasp as she brought it down a final time, her hands trembling and tears rolling down her cheeks. She wasn't sure how long she stood there, crying and taking deep shaky breaths to try and calm herself until she felt a hand on her shoulder; turning she saw Gangrel, struggling to keep his weight off of his injured leg, face battered and coated with dried blood. He pulled her close, simply holding her while he stroked her hair

"It's over"

* * *

Team CFVY rushed along the outer hull of the Reinigungsfeuer, it's surface thoroughly burned and cratered by the massed attack of the Bull-Head following Penny. Fox and Yatsuhashi's blades hooked into the twisted metal as they clambered towards the rear of the rapidly descending ship, Velvet using her hard-light weapons the same way while Coco simply climbed, using the damage to the hull as makeshift handholds

"Y'know this might be the craziest order you've ever given" Fox noted

"Might be the craziest order anyone's ever given" Coco countered, her cocky smirk obviously strained. Seeing that the fashionista had nothing to grab nearby Velvet reached down and pulled her up

"Come on, we're gonna make it" the Faunus told her firmly. Coco's plan had been simple, the ship was going to hit the water nose first; she intended for Team CFVY to be positioned on one of the remaining rear nacelles, hopefully able to leap at the last second and avoid being pulled under

"You're damn right we are!" Coco cheered before leaping forwards, Velvet close behind her as the scurried along the near vertical incline, Velvet's replicas of Fox's blades cleaving through the hull until they reached their destination. Risking a glance downwards Velvet saw that they were going to hit in mere seconds, the Vaccuan border patrol could be seen below responding to aquatic Grimm drawn to the Kingdom by the battle. The sound screeching and tearing metal snapped her attention back to the task at hand, Fox had helped Coco onto the nacelle he and Yatsuhashi were hanging on to moments before a damaged support strut had given way

"Hold on!" Yatsuhashi bellowed, holding Liequan out to her. Leaping from the hull Velvet grabbed the blade, it's edge cutting into her hands.

Then they hit the water.

Velvet was flung downwards, submerged and disoriented before she had chance to react. Forcing every ounce of Aura she had at her disposal into her limbs she tried to swim to the surface, desperately trying to escape being dragged down along with the ship. Her head pounded, her eyes burned and her lungs screamed in protest but she could see sunlight above; then she caught sight of something making its' way towards her, instantly recognisable by its' distinctively shaped skull, black flesh and bone armour; an Anchor-head. Velvet reached for Leporidae Rampant, but found herself unable to create a hard-light construct, her weapon obviously damaged by some combination of the fall and the submersion. The panic that filled her only seemed to make her more appetising to the monster as it approached, Velvet kicked frantically but knew she wouldn't be able to escape. Without warning the water was filled with streams of bubbles as countless bullets riddled the Grimm, black mist seeping from the entry and exit wounds and Velvet felt a strong pair of hands grab her shoulders and hoist her out of the water onto a hard surface where she promptly rolled over and vomited

"Lovely" a vaguely familiar voice grumbled

"Velvet, Velvet breathe, come on tell me you're okay" Coco's panicked face came into view

"Here" the same vaguely familiar voice spoke again and Gut Wukong stepped into view handing her a blanket which Coco quickly helped her wrap around herself

"I'm okay Coco" she finally managed to gasp out after several lungfuls of air, leaning into the taller woman who was making no effort to disguise the fact she was crying with relief as she planted several kisses on the top of her head and held her close

"I'm sorry I couldn't catch you" Yatsuhashi murmured as he and Fox came into view, Velvet only now realised that they were on one the Border Patrol boats

"Luckily Gut saw us jump ship" Fox added

"It's fine, I'm fine, we're all fine" Velvet mumbled as she nuzzled into Coco, waves of exhaustion washing over her, judging by their expressions and body language her team-mates were faring no better. The sound of an aircraft flying low demanded their attention, turning to the source of the noise they saw Penny's Bull-Head, it's hull scorched where it had taken glancing hits in the aerial battle, the water below rippled as it hovered and its' rear hatch opened Penny herself there to greet them

"Sensational news, the Grimm incursion has been pushed back and the Absolution have been routed with nowhere to retreat to. Mission accomplished"

"Hear that Velvet?" Coco gave a slightly hysterical chuckle "You stole their getaway ride, yet another reason you're bad-ass and sexy as hell"

* * *

Qrow launched himself at his sister again, infuriated at the fact she barely even seemed to be fighting back, doing nowhere the parrying his wild slashes.

"WHY RAVEN?" he demanded as their blades crossed once more, Raven's movements seemed jerky an unnatural as the combined powers of three Maidens coursed across her body. Feeling himself be forced back by the immense power at his sisters' disposal he shifted his weapon to its' pistol form, using the brief moment that she was off balance to fire an explosive round at the ground and force as much of his Aura into his fist as possible as he delivered a punch squarely to her respirator mask. Raven flung him back with a wave of pure power, dropping to her hands and knees as the mask shattered. Qrow staggered to his feet and stalked towards her, horrified by the black sclera of her eyes, making her now glowing crimson irises all the more vivid and the laboured and ragged gasping as she struggled to breathe without the mask

"Qrow" he halted as she seemingly forced the word out, black veins creeping beneath her skin visibly pulsing

"Menagerie"

"What?" Raven's fingers tore gouges into the ground as violent convulsions began to rack her body which seemingly fought against her

"She's in Menagerie….Stop her" before she could continue a portal opened on the floor beneath her and Raven vanished through it. Qrow stood in stunned disbelief for a few moments before making his across the street that become an impromptu battlefield, picking the discarded bowler hat from the ground before making his way to where Neo lay. Placing Roman's hat on her head he picked her petite body up and clutched her close, allowing tears to fall while muttering the same three words to himself

"Not another one"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, so that's the climactic battle of Vol.6 finished up, next chapter will be everyone regrouping and wrapping up this arc.  
Vol.7 will be the final arc of the story, we're rapidly approaching the end.

Now let's summarise:  
I think Vale, whatever condition they were in would send reinforcements to Vaccuo after Vaccuo took a shit ton of refugees when Vale got fucked up.  
Gravity and Fire Dust combo, the exact combination of Dust that killed Adam Taurus' parents and Gangrel's Mum because the SDC cut corners, Yatsu used it to tear through reinforced armour.  
Also, Yatsu's Semblance plus Dust has some interesting possibilities.  
Velvet's Semblance lets her copy skills, but come on she's more than just a flashy weapon/Semblance combo.  
Coco is fully prepared to die on the job, but she's going down swinging if she does.  
"Theatricality and deception…." yes Cadmus paraphrased Bane there, which considering that the fight between him and Gangrel was loosely based on that scene is only fitting.  
Yeah, teleporting surprise attacks don't work well against people who already know you're going to do it. Cadmus is basically the perfect anti-Gangrel which is something I wanted because Gang's taken some hits over the course of this is story but he's never been totally outclassed like that before.  
Weiss played it smarter, fight him at range as much as possible.  
I still love the idea of Weiss summoning the knight around herself and using it as her Hulk-Buster armour.  
Yeah, Weiss went OFF on Cadmus just as bad as Gang would have.  
Team CFVY make exits just as bad-ass as their entrances.  
Velvet's weapon is currently out of action.  
Qrow punching Raven hard enough to break her mask was an homage to the punch in the face he gave Tyrian in canon.  
Raven managed to fight Salem's control for just a few seconds.  
Yeah, Qrow honestly probably needs to sit down with a trained professional and work through some of the issues this war has given him.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22, Antonio+Beltran, FluffyFirefly and FleetOfWarships for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Yeah I probably could have wrote that scene with Ruby gaining control of her powers from her perspective rather than someone watching. I know her powers are tied to her emotional state but this was her actually gaining control of them, I'll show what that means more next chapter.  
Orchid may just surprise you yet.  
So who's the bigger power couple this battle? Coco and Velvet or Weiss and Gang?  
Also, I relish in all of your feels.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	107. 107: A Moments Rest

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 107: A Moments Rest**

It had been hours since the battle had officially ended and the sun was gradually beginning to set as emergency services and Vaccuan soldiers were still frantically trying to put out fires, tend to the wounded and deal with opportunistic looters. Qrow could see them all from from his position peering out of the headmistress's office of Shade Academy. As much as he needed a drink to stop the thoughts that currently filled his head he knew that the need to be sober and useful was far greater. He had received word from Yang and Penny that the Hunters were all safe with only minor injuries and intended to regroup at the hotel, no one else's death was on his conscience it seemed

"Qrow" at the gentle whisper he turned to see Rae entering her office, he hadn't heard the door open

"Where-"

"We have our own morgue as well as medical facilities" she cut him off knowing the question he meant to ask "Shade was intended to weather a siege if it came to that. She's with the students we lost today, those whose bodies we managed to recover" he noted the way her voice shook. Qrow and Rae had come across each other as she and a team of students were bringing down the last of the Goliaths at which point she'd taken Neo's body from him and assured him that she would be taken care of

"How bad were the losses?" Qrow asked

"I don't have the full numbers" Rae admitted "Preliminary estimates are hundreds of soldiers and fighter pilots. Several qualified Hunters. We lost two full student teams on the perimeter wall and the team that raised the alarm….one died, another might lose an arm"

"Oum" Qrow hissed "We need to contact the others, secure channel" Rae raised an eyebrow at the specification before moving to her desk and reaching beneath it, pressing a series of hidden buttons locked and soundproofed the office before projecting a screen on the wall. Moments later two video feeds crackled into life

"Thank Oum you're both safe" Glynda Goodwitch sighed

"Straw, Branwen. What happened out there?" Ironwood demanded, seemingly forgetting that they were not soldiers under his command. Winter was stood to attention behind him, clearly agitated

"The enemy made their move on Vaccuo, your traitors were working for them" Shade's headmistress answered with no small amount of accusation in her tone

"They've been….neutralised" Qrow searched for a suitably sanitary word to describe the situation to the General "The Grimm were pushed back"

"And my unit?" Winter demanded, genuine concern apparent. It pained Qrow to force the next words out

"One casualty. The rest of them are suffering from minor injuries and fatigue. We lost Neo, the enemy has the Spring Maiden's powers" General Ironwood's brow furrowed, Glynda gasped in shock while Winter's stoic professional mask slipped as she let loose a single grief-laced curse before composing herself

"Send her body to Atlas, she served and she gets a proper military funeral" Rae nodded solemnly at Winter's request

"There's more" Qrow continued "Salem's new host for the Maiden's powers; it's Raven"

"Qrow, don't do anything reckless" Glynda pleaded, instantly recognising the potential volatility of the situation

"She managed to give me a message-"

"Managed?" Ironwood raised an eyebrow

"Yeah, she wasn't herself except for a few seconds. She told me to go to Menagerie, she said that _she's_ there"

"There's nothing left of Menagerie, it's been a graveyard for decades" Goodwitch murmured

"Branwen it pains me to have to say this but Raven is no longer a viable source of intel. She's an enemy combatant" Ironwood sighed

"We're not killing Raven!"

"She has the power of three Maidens!" Ironwood snapped "The enemy cannot be allowed to have that kind of power!"

"Gentlemen" Rae cut across them "Qrow, Glynda is right you need to focus; don't do anything reckless. James, Atlas has the most capable fleet, it might be worth attempting reconnaissance over Menagerie"

"I can have a team of Specialists sent, off the record" Winter suggested

"That's acceptable" Ironwood nodded "Qrow make your way to Atlas as soon as possible, I'd rather discuss this further in person. Glynda, Rae I understand your priorities are elsewhere"

"Vale is slowly recovering" Goodwitch sighed "But the council are still unlikely to send what assets we have to Menagerie without fully justifying the need"

"No" Qrow growled "The last thing we want is politicians knowing about the kind of powers involved here"

"Agreed" Goodwitch nodded

"My attention and every Hunter in Vaccuo are currently needed in the Kingdom" Rae admitted "Though Shade's library is the most extensive in Remnant. I can search for answers from here"

"Understood. Winter, Qrow and I will deal with any possible strike against the enemy" Ironwood nodded

"We'll talk more when I get to Atlas" Qrow growled "The rest of the unit should have arrived at the hotel we were operating out of. Winter I'll tell your sister to call you, besides I need a drink" with that he made to leave Winter's voice following him as he headed towards the window

"Thank you and Qrow, I'm here whenever you need a friend to talk to"

* * *

The thoroughly exhausted Hunters limped staggered through the main entrance of the Desert Sun Hotel. Yatsuhashi's arms were wrapped in bandages as were Velvet's hands. Yang was cradling an unconscious Ruby, her sister having passed out after pushing back the last of the Grimm. Rover and Artemis each had one of Gangrel's arms around their shoulders, the stab wound to the Bear-Faunus' hip while not life threatening and rapidly being healed by Aura had left him struggling to stand.

"FOX!" Velvet watched as her blind team-mate rushed towards the sound of his families' voices, his parents, aunt, uncle and cousins all crowding around him, each trying to pull him into a hug

"I'm fine, I'm fine" he assured them while casting off his arm mounted blades to return his parents hugs before leaning down to ruffle his younger cousins' hair and tell them in a conspiratorial whisper "I stole an Atlesian warship….they're called ships but they don't float" Velvet thought it was honestly a crime that Fox couldn't see the awestruck expressions on their faces

"Mister Alistair, Missus Alistair" Artemis's tone was somewhat bashful "I'm really sorry but your car got wrecked" Velvet suppressed a snort, having been told how Artemis had used it as a battering ram against an Ursa

"Don't worry about it" Fox's uncle laughed "I'm just happy you all made it back safe"

"We haven't yet" Gangrel growled "Oscar will be with Qrow and the Fang but where's Neo?"

"She was near Shade when we last saw her" Nora mumbled, suddenly regretting have split up with the mute during the battle

"I'm going back out to look for her" Rover stated. Artemis lowering her goggles over her eyes and preparing to use her Semblance, clearly intending to join her fiancée

"We'll come with you" Ren murmured. Velvet was distracted by Coco gently nudging her shoulder, motioning with her eyes for the Faunus to follow her. Velvet allowed herself to be lead into an empty corridor where Coco turned and seemed to scrutinize her closely, expression concerned

"Are you okay?"

"Coco?" the fashionista pulled her close

"You panicked, in the hangar" Velvet stiffened at the memory of watching a man fall from the warship plummeting to his death

"I killed a man today Coco" she shivered as she spoke, prompting Coco to hold her tighter

"He was an enemy combatant"

"He could have had a family back in Atlas, Oh Oum I might have made a child an orphan today" her breathing became shallow as she began to shake, burying her face in Coco's shoulder

"Take a deep breath, it's okay I've got you"

"I never wanted to hurt people Coco" her words were muffled by the taller Huntress's clothing

"I know Velvet I know" Coco murmured soothingly "We saved a lot of people today, that's what you need to focus on" Velvet wasn't sure how long they stayed like that, her clinging onto her friend, team-leader and lover for support while Coco gently rubbed her back and held her, murmuring softly to her until Velvet leaned back and planted a soft kiss to her lips

"Thanks Coco"

"It's nothing-"

"No it's not" Velvet kissed her again "It means a lot to me. I really do love you Coco"

"I love you too" Coco couldn't help the grin that crept across her face "Come on, let's try and get some rest" Velvet matched her grin

"That's the most sensible idea you've had all day"

* * *

Ruby slowly blinked herself awake, momentarily unsure of where she was until the room she and Penny shared at the Desert Sun Hotel came into focus, Penny herself sat on the end of the bed watching her intently

"Sensational, you're awake" she whispered

"Hey" Ruby turned to see that Yang had spoken, her sister sat in an uncomfortable looking chair at her bedside while Blake had fallen asleep on her lap.

"Hey" Ruby kept her voice quiet to avoid waking Blake "We won?"

"You won" Yang clarified "You were amazing out there sis, I've never seen anything like that before"

"Are you okay?" Penny asked quietly as she scooted closer and laced her fingers' through Ruby's "You've never used your powers for an extended period of time like that before"

"I've never been able to use them without going a little crazy before" Ruby shrugged before pulling herself into a sitting position "But I feel fine, my eyes don't burn any more. I'm just tired, really tired"

"You were in control of your silver eyes when you used them?" Penny asked, beaming at Ruby with an expression of pure pride and happiness

"Yeah she was" Yang grinned "She put herself right in the middle of the breach in wall and the Grimm decided coming near her wasn't a very bright eyed-ea" Ruby gave a quiet groan at her sisters' pun before an idea struck her

"Hold on" she closed her eyes and concentrated, focusing on that same desire to protect the people that mattered to her and gradually felt the telltale tingling sensation that seemed to come from behind her eyes and spread through her entire body but none of the destructive rage and desire to wreak vengeance on those who'd hurt her loved ones that had fuelled her previous bursts of power

"Sensational" Penny breathed out. Ruby opened her eyes and looked down at her hands, seeing the glowing white Aura emanating from her flesh. After only a few seconds the power abruptly faded leaving Penny to catch Ruby and prevent her from cracking her head against the wall as she slumped backwards

"What happened?" Yang asked

"Too tired" Ruby mumbled earning herself soft chuckles from Yang and Penny, the copper haired girl simply laying down next to her and wrapping an arm around her waist

"So now what?" Ruby asked as she felt her eyelids starting to become heavy again "I mean we got the Atlesian traitors, what's next?"

"I don't know" Penny admitted as Ruby nuzzled into her "I think we're all going to go home until we get reassigned"

"Home?"

"I'm going to see my Father in Atlas but I'll come and visit you on Patch as soon as possible" Penny kissed the top of her head. Ruby mumbled something that may have been a reply, it was hard to tell as she'd already fallen asleep again.

* * *

Weiss and Gangrel had made their way to their room after arriving back at the hotel. They'd comforted each other and held each other close until falling asleep and Weiss unsure what time it was when she woke up, judging by the sky outside it was late night meaning she'd only been asleep for a couple hours. Adjusting the arm that the still sleeping Bear-Faunus had wrapped around her she attempted to get comfortable and avoid pressing against his injured hip. Finally finding a suitable position she closed her eyes and began to drift off once again, the sound of footsteps approaching outside didn't register with her; the sound of the lock on the door freezing solid before the handle was ripped off however did.

"Who's there!" She demanded as she leapt out of bed and grabbing Myrtenaster, waking Gangrel in the process. He simply reached over the side of the bed and plucked Breaker from where he'd discarded it

"Calm down" Orchid smirked as she stepped into the room, seemingly unperturbed by the weapons pointed at her; the glow of the Winter Maiden's powers fading from her eyes

"What the fuck are you doing here?" Gangrel snarled as he lowered the weapon and climbed out of bed, searching for a shirt

"I came to drop off the kid, call that a show of good faith considering what'd he be worth as a hostage" the Rabbit-Faunus drawled

"Lien isn't worth much to a corpse" Gangrel shot back

"Wait, if you brought Oscar back then where was Qrow?" Weiss asked

"He's in the hotel bar totally smashed, he told me your room number. Now, let's talk business"

"Business?" Weiss asked, somewhat confused

"Well I'm guessing you think that you're just gonna go back home to Atlas now? After you Atlas Hunters and Atlas traitors collectively took a shit in my backyard. Left a fucking warship right outside my bay. That's not happening" Weiss's nose wrinkled slightly at the vulgarity before she spoke

"Cadmus Ferrus is dead. I killed him"

"Well a Schnee killing a Faunus hater, it's a strange new world. I kinda like it" Orchid laughed before turning to Gangrel "So what about his boss? The one who control Grimm, when do we hit them?"

"We don't know yet" Gangrel admitted

"Not good enough" Orchid spat "You better go see what influence you've got in Atlas because I'm coming to make sure this gets dealt with and I would really hate to have to kill any authorities that try to arrest me"

"We'll see what we can do" Gangrel sighed, shrugging when Weiss turned to him with a baffled expression "Salem still knows that she's here. Moving the Winter Maiden to the place full of snow makes sense" Weiss gave an annoyed sigh sitting on the bed and searching for her Scroll

"Well this is going to be an interesting conversation with Winter"

* * *

Salem watched as Raven staggered the length of her great hall towards her before finally collapsing to her hands and knees at the base of the throne, breath coming in pained wheezes

"My child" Salem hissed as she rose from her seat and seemed to glide down to meet Raven "Did the mission go according to plan?" the False Maiden continued to gasp for air, unable to form words

"Poor thing" Salem cooed before reaching out and pressing the tips of her fingers to Raven's forehead and burrowing her way into her mind, withdrawing her hand and recoiling in surprise

"The Spring Maiden….Unexpected, but not unwelcome. I must know more" smiling she pressed her fingers against Raven's corrupted flesh once more and began sifting through her most recent memories; the battle with the Spring Maiden, the brief skirmish with old Ozpins' pawn and the few moments where the parasitic Grimm struggling to contain the power of three Maidens' was unable to prevent Raven from speaking of her own accord

"Such a rebellious child" with an amused smirk she pushed her tendrils into her slowly choking pawn, forcing more of her influence into her. Raven's body was plagued by violent spasms as the liquid darkness from which Grimm were spawned oozed across her, slowly solidifying as it turned Raven Branwen into something else entirely

"It's almost a shame" Salem lamented, seemingly to herself as Raven was evidently in no condition to take note of her words "Ozpin wanted to play the long game and I would have savoured on the fear of this world as it slowly festered and fermented. His successors will not be so accommodating, with only one Maiden left the game draws to a close"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay, that's the end of Vol.6  
Vol.7 is the finale. I'm hoping to have this story finished in its' entirety within eight months of posting the first chapter.

Now let's summarise:  
Oz-lluminati conference call, Ironwood Winter and Qrow are going to be in charge of taking the fight to Salem, because Ozpin kept things so secret the governments of the Kingdoms don't actually know about Salem or the Maidens (Because would you give a politician a weapon that can warp nature?) which means Glynda and Rae's hands are actually pretty much tied, especially considering that Vale still needs rebuilding and Vaccuo has a giant hole in its' defences.  
The Hunters don't know about Neo yet.  
Velvet has never been okay with hurting people and will never be okay with hurting people, it's not what she signed up for.  
Yang puns. That is all.  
Ruby can now tap into her Silver Eyes at will without having to go berserk, the problem is they still drain her.  
Yeah Orchid is out for blood, considering the blood in question belongs to Salem that's going to end badly for someone.  
The Grimm parasite has been part of Raven's body for so long she couldn't breathe without her respirator, Salem has fixed that. Vol.7 Raven is going to be scary.  
Ominous Salem is ominous.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22, FleetOfWarships and FluffyFirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.  
The funny thing about Gangrel and Weiss is that when I originally conceived the character the idea of him and Weiss becoming a couple didn't occur to me. It just happened naturally and I'm humbled by how well received the pairing has been.  
Yeah Weiss having a 'Gang' moment and breaking Cadmus's skull was indeed cathartic, she needs to let loose sometimes.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.  
Stick around for the final Volume.


	108. 108: Upgrades (Vol7)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 108: Upgrades**

It was late afternoon when Coco made her way towards the Scarlatina family home, grumbling to herself about needing to get a car as she went, the buses from the Halo defences out to the settlements were far from pleasant. Looking around the community as she went she was pleased to see the air of almost normalcy, those that had left the safety of life with Vales' walls had adapted to their new situation better than anyone could have hoped. Eventually she reached her destination and made her way inside; both of Velvets' parents had told her that she never needed to knock, any member of Team CFVY was always welcome in their house. Removing her shoes she made her way from the hallway into the living room in search of Velvet only to walk in on something she was clearly not intended to see

"Coco what the fuck!" Flax spat, voice cracking slightly. The blonde girl he'd been making out with on the sofa blushed furiously

"I'll leave you two in peace then" Coco couldn't contain the laugh that spilled out of her as she watched them both squirm with embarrassment at the wink she gave them from over her sunglasses

"Velvet's upstairs" Flax muttered, Coco already having surmised as much left the room and made her way towards her girlfriends' bedroom and knocked on the door

"Come in" Velvets' voice answered. Stepping inside Coco saw that more than half of the sparsely decorated room had been turned into an impromptu workshop, the bed and wardrobe shoved against a wall seemingly as an afterthought. Coco gave a low whistle at the blueprints adorning the walls and the plethora of tools and components covering the workbench that Velvet was sat at before making her way towards her

"So you know your little brother has company right?"

"Yeah Daisy, she's one of Jaune's sisters. They're in the same class at Signal they have a project they're working on" Velvet answered distractedly without turning away from the fine detail work that was taking most of her attention

"Oh that's what the kids are calling it now" the fashionista grinned "'Cos I sure as hell don't remember 'projects' involving tongue"

"What?" Velvet demanded as she turned to face Coco "That horny little shit!"

"I know right?" the fashionista laughed "So what're you working on babe?"

"Leporidae Rampant" Velvet gestured towards the array of parts and Coco recognised parts of the Faunus' weapon amongst them

"It got broken in Vaccuo" Velvet explained "I couldn't get some of the exact same parts so I thought it's as good of an excuse as any to work on some upgrades"

"Nice" Coco grinned enthusiastically "What have you got in mind?"

"More power mainly, I've already got the new system assembled it just needs to be installed" She chewed her lip for a moment before continuing "I've got some ideas for the memory system as well, although that's not as important, especially considering I'm starting from scratch"

"No way" Coco mouthed "You'd been building that catalogue for ages" she added as she gave Velvet's hand a sympathetic squeeze

"Yeah" Velvet gave a dejected sigh

"Well I've got Satani Arbor downstairs, you can get a copy of that whenever you're ready" at that Velvet leaned up and gently kissed her cheek

"Thanks, I could probably connect the power supply and use it now it'd just look skeletal with the outer layers missing" Coco thought to herself for a few moments

"Did you have any plans for tonight?"

"Not really" Velvet admitted "Mum should be back from work in a few hours, she'll pick Poly up from her friends' house on the way. I did say that I'd make sure Daisy got home safe"

"The Arcs live in the same village as Yatsu on the other side of Vale" Coco pointed out "Ferns-Shade has actually been cleared out so Fox is staying with Rover and Artemis until the military release some of the properties they commandeered, then his parents can come home. If we're heading out anyway then we may as well call them and make a start on your persona armoury"

"I like the way you think" Velvet chuckled as she rose from her seat and stretched, the sound of her back and neck cracking giving away just how long she'd been engrossed in her work

"Want me to call the others as well?" Coco asked "Most of Team RWBY are on Patch and Blake has the sword you use-"

"No" Velvet cut her off with an emphatic shake of the head

"Babe?" Coco removed her sunglasses and gave the Faunus a concerned look

"I'm fine, honestly I'm fine" Velvet sighed "I just don't ever want to use Adam's weapon again. I get why Blake does, she was born into the Fang, taking Adam's weapon and doing good with it is symbolic to her. I just want those few months I was in the Fang behind me, they were a mistake" Coco pulled her lover into a hug

"How've you been since…." Coco trailed off, in the time since they'd returned from Vaccuo she'd spent less time than she would have liked with Velvet and wanted to assure herself that the Faunus wasn't blaming herself for the enemy combatant she'd had to kill

"A few nightmares but mostly I'm okay and that's what scares me" Velvet admitted "If I can kill someone and be okay afterwards-"

"Stop" Coco murmured as tightened her grip around Velvet's waist "You're not him. You're nothing like him"

"Thank you" Velvet mumbled as she nuzzled into Coco for a moment before pulling back and returning to her workbench, carefully picking up her half assembled weapon "Come on, let's go

"Okay fair warning we're gonna have to deal with the buses back to the Halo. I don't know if you've used 'em but they are disgusting"

"Not necessarily" Velvet gave her a bright smile before heading to the window and taking a picture of something out of sight "I just scanned a car, let's go put the new power supply through its' paces. You wanna drive?" Velvet handed her weapon over to Coco an a clear display of the implicit trust she had for the fashionista, Hunters did not part with their weapons lightly. Coco was silent for a moment, by both the gesture and by realising once again just how frankly awesome Velvet was

"Babe" she breathed out "I really do love you"

* * *

"Hey mum" Ruby murmured as sat in front of the headstone, rereading the familiar inscription

"I'm sorry I haven't visited since I introduced you to Penny, I'm pretty much a qualified Huntress now even though I'm only sixteen. I was in Vaccuo for a while, there was a big battle there" she let out a long slow breath before continuing

"We won but it feels like we didn't. Some people I met in the Vytal tournament didn't make it and one of my, well actually I don't know if Neo ever thought of any of us as friends, she was just so angry at the whole world. Uncle Qrow took Neo dying hard, he's in Atlas now; I wish I knew what to say to him Mum. I feel like you would have known" pausing as she felt her lip begin to tremble Ruby wiped her eyes and forced a smile

"It's not all bad news though. Yang and her girlfriend are still great, Blake is pretty much living with us now whenever we're not on missions. I thought Dad would have had a problem with it at first but he honestly loves her. Penny is with her Dad in Atlas right now but I still talk to her every day, hopefully we'll see each other soon. Signal's open again Dad is actually teaching some of my friends' brothers and sisters, he's taken on an apprentice as well I don't know if I mentioned it before. In the battle I used my silver eyes apparently I was pretty cool, I wish you here to see it, I wish you were here to help me Mum….I miss you so much" deciding that she'd said all she could without beginning to cry Ruby remained by her mothers' grave in silence, losing track of time as she was pre-occupied with her own thoughts. When she finally rose to her feet the sun was beginning to set and she pulled her hood up to fight the chill in the air, inspecting her cloak as she did so and realising just how battle worn it was now. As she made her way towards the forest the sound of bestial snarling caught her attention, bracing herself and deciding to let them come to her Ruby waited. Moments later the first of the Beowolves made their way from the treeline, looking around her she saw that it was one of the larger packs, Grimm stalked out of the forest in a semicircle around her and she knew that there were hundred of them at least. Her hand twitched towards Crescent Rose before she stopped herself, a smile forming on her face as she closed her eyes

"Well Mum, I hope you're watching" Ruby opened her eyes and her hood was blown backwards by the shock-wave of blinding light that surged forth from her, the first wave of Grimm being simply unmade by the power of a silver eyed warrior. Launching herself forward in a shower of petals Ruby moved fast enough to phase her fist into the first Grimm she reached, the monster was engulfed by a flash of light that erupted from within its' body. Ruby was a force of nature, moving from Grimm to Grimm felling everything in her path until she reached the treeline having built up enough momentum to run vertically up the trunk of the nearest tree and launch herself into the air; focusing herself while still airborne she gave a wordless shout of exertion, entire body glowing as the forest beneath her was razed by the power of her eyes. The forest itself remained unaffected by the attack, the countless hordes of Grimm however were reduced to wisps of black mist. The ground cracked beneath Ruby as she landed in a crouch, finally drawing Crescent Rose as she stood, the light fading from her eyes. She cast her eyes around and saw that a handful of Beowolves had escaped her onslaught, triggering her Semblance once again she weaved between them, her scythe making short work of the remaining Grimm. The sound of something rustling through the trees caught her attention and she turned while shifting her weapon to its' rifle mode in a single fluid motion, fortunately managing to stop herself from instinctively firing as a figure rushed from the trees

"Ruby?" Taiyang gasped "What happened?"

"Grimm" Ruby panted out, legs slightly shaky after the use of her powers "I dealt with 'em though"

"That blast, that was you?"

"Yep" Ruby popped the P and gave her father a bright smile "My silver eyes, like Mums"

"Ruby" Taiyang paused for a moment "Summer, your mother, I only ever saw her use that power a handful of times on missions and so did your Uncle Qrow. She could use it to slow down a spawning pit or take down a Goliath or two before she needed to stop, you're in a league of your own" Ruby was left silent by the revelation; proud of herself yet at the same time it felt as though her unique connection to her mother had changed somehow

"She'd be so proud of you" Taiyang murmured, seemingly knowing what she was thinking "I know she would, I know I am" Ruby rushed forwards faster than he could see, wrapping her arms around him

"Thanks Dad" Taiyang ruffled his daughters' hair

"Come on kiddo, let's go. We need to pick some groceries up on the way"

"I think I earned some cookies"

* * *

Yangs' tongue protruded from the corner of her mouth in a display of concentration as she worked on her right gauntlet, occasionally pausing to admire Blakes' handiwork on her cybernetic arm. The limb had been scuffed and scratched in the battle of Vaccuo, after removing the remaining and paint and polishing the surface Blake had insisted on helping Yang repaint it. The surface of the forearm and back of the hand was now a vibrant yellow with a glossy black trim, faint golden flames details adorned the arm, only noticeable up close while the back of the hand featured Yangs' emblem in black. Yang loved it. The Faunus herself was behind her, reading on the bed they shared while Yang worked before giving an annoyed huff

"What's wrong?" Blake asked from behind her "Is it broken?"

"No nothing like that" Yang span on the swivel chair she kept in her room "I was giving Ember Celica some maintenance and I was thinking about trying to improve the right gauntlet"

"Improve it?" Blake raised an eyebrow

"Yeah" the blonde shrugged "That temporary gauntlet that Merc built me in Atlas had a heavy weapon in case of emergency, I was thinking of something like that. I can only use my Aura flamethrower with my left hand so I wanted to get a ranged weapon on the other side"

"Yang Xiao Long contemplating ranged weapons, what on Remnant is going on" Blake grinned for a moment before seeing the look on the partners' face "Yang what's wrong"

"Nothing" Yang sighed "I just don't feel like I added much in Vaccuo. There were thousands of Grimm coming in and I could only take on a handful at a time" she motioned to her prosthetic in a weak attempt at a pun before continuing "I can't rip through Grimm in numbers the way Ruby, Weiss or Coco can and I don't have the manoeuvrability that you Gang or Rover do. I need to be more versatile" Blake placed her book down and made her way over to where Yang was sat and wrapping her arms around her shoulders. She realised Yang was looking at her own abilities critically in an honest attempt to better herself in an effort to protect the people she cared about

"What have you got so far?" she asked motioning towards the blueprints that the gauntlet was currently resting on top of, Yangs' workstation could only be described as chaotic

"Honestly just ideas that I can't do anything with right now" she shrugged "I took some design cues from old ideas that Ruby showed me but we don't have the parts"

"I can see that" Blake murmured as she took in the design, a secondary weapon that integrated with both Ember Celica and her cybernetic arm itself "I think if you wanted to build this you'd need to talk to Winter. I know for a fact that the sale of these is restricted" she indicated to a specific component

"Ah well, I guess I'll have to stick to my current fire-arms" Yang punctuated her words with a small stream of flames spewing from her palm and a smirk. Blake merely chuckled softly at the pun

"Send a copy of the design to Weiss and see if she can get Winter to requisition the generator. I'll help you build it" the feline smiled "I'm glad your gauntlet isn't broken though. I don't feel like giving this one back" she motioned to the original right half of Ember Celica which had adorned her wrist since Vale

"Don't worry I'm not gonna take it back I love seeing you wearing it" Yang beamed "It's more personal than an engagement ring" the words slipped out of her mouth seemingly of their own accord if the way Yangs' hands shot to her mouth was any indication

"I-Did you just?….what?" Blake stammered out, heart hammering in her chest. Yang mumbled something that even the felines' enhanced hearing couldn't make out

"I didn't catch that" Blake whispered, still not daring to believe that Yang had actually said what she thought she'd said

"I didn't mean to just say it like that" Yang mumbled slightly louder, taking Blakes' hands in hers "I don't even have a ring, I wanted to make it special"

"Yang-"

"But that's how I feel about you Blake. I love you and I want to spend the rest of my life with you" Yang watched as Blake stood in shocked silence for what seemed like an eternity, sure that she had ruined something that she had desperately wanted to make perfect

"Blake, say something?"

"Yes"

"What?" before Yang could react Blake had pulled her from the chair and was holding her as tight as she could, tears streaming down her face

"Yes Yang I will marry you" as soon as she heard those words the blonde couldn't help but give a squeal of delight before kissing Bake. Moments later the door to their bedroom flew open, revealing Ruby wearing a confused expression, Zwei at her heels

"Hey, I just got home with Dad and heard the noise. What's happened? Why is Blake crying?"

"Go on Yang tell her" Blake gave a watery chuckle as she leaned against Yang who had yet to release her from their embrace. Yang gave Ruby one of the most genuinely happy smiles her sister had ever seen on anyone

"I um, I kinda accidentally proposed to Blake" her smile widened to almost comical proportions "She said yes" there were a few seconds were Ruby stood open mouthed, processing the news. Then the inevitable happened

"I'VE GOT A NEW BIG SISTER!" she exclaimed as she tackled both Yang and Blake, sending all three of them toppling to the floor as the younger Huntress pulled her team-mates into a group hug. The noise causing Taiyang to make his way upstairs and see what on Remnant was going on.

 **Authors Notes:**

Sorry I've been away for over a week, I've been busy helping my sister and her fiancée move into their first place and I've had gigs to perform at.  
I hope this chapter makes up for it.  
Also, I watched the new Power Rangers movie on opening night. After I finish this story (The end is near my friends) I'm either going to work on a spin-off or a Power Rangers AU.

Now let's summarise:  
Velvet's family have all but given Coco a key to their house, Team CFVY are all effectively honorary Scarlatinas.  
Flax and one of Jaunes' twin sisters; because at no point is Flax not involved in something that could potentially get him killed.  
I can imagine Velvet gets so caught up in working on that weapon of hers that she loses track of what's going on around her, she also probably forgets to eat as well.  
Velvet declining a chance to put Wilt back in her arsenal is her closing off that brief chapter of her life and any connection she ever had to Adam Taurus. It might not look like much but up to this point Adam's sword has honestly been one of her go to weapons.  
I also like the idea of Adams' legacy being that the thought of ending up like him is enough to keep other people from going down that path. He becomes a cautionary tale and a parable.  
Velvet's weapon can now scan and copy a car, that's the biggest thing we've seen it do so far.  
Hunters handing over their weapon to someone is probably one of the biggest signs of trust there is, even more than the fact it leaves them disarmed most Hunters weapons are almost synonymous with the Hunter themselves.  
Ruby talking to Summer is guaranteed to emotionally break me.  
Ruby takes every single loss hard.  
The fight against the Beowolves was intended to be a parallel of the Red trailer, with Vol.7 being the finale of this story it felt fitting.  
Ruby totally outclassing Summer in terms of power is bittersweet.  
Blake is canonically the best artist on Team RWBY (Her sketch of Adam in Vol.2) I like the idea of her helping Yang customise her arm.  
Yang isn't being hard on herself, she's being realistic. Being able to beat up an Ursa in a fistfight is cool but it's not practical against an entire horde. It's like trying to stop a flood by drinking it.  
So….that was a thing.

Thank you to MariamTheLibrarian22 Antonio+Beltran and fluffyfirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.  
How do I write so fast? I love this story more than I love my own well being, sleep is for the weak.  
If you think Salem is on her last legs, you have miscounted the amount of legs she has.  
As for Raven: Be disturbed, be very disturbed.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	109. 109: The Beginning Of The End

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 109: Beginning Of The End**

"RUN! RUN!" the sergeant screamed to his troops, half a dozen of the few remaining Atlesian soldiers aboard the stealth corsair, _Pfeil_. The ship, under the command of Specialist Felicity Smoke had been performing reconnaissance over the ruins of Menagerie when the attack had begun, the bridge being the first target to fall in a terrifying display of cunning and precision that soldiers used to facing Grimm were unable to respond to effectively.

"Where to? They're everywhere!" one of his soldiers demanded before turning and firing their rifle into a pack of ravenous freshly spawned Beowolves that pursued them, moments later the weapon clicked empty and a single Grimm made it close enough to pounce. The soldier died before their brothers and sisters in arms could respond.

"Get to the hangar!" the sergeant roared over the sound of his own weapon blazing, the muzzle flash lighting the corridors whose emergency lighting had left them bathed in a flickering red glow. The remaining soldiers bolted frantically through the ship, the sounds of gunfire and screaming prevalent everywhere, drowning out the noise of scurrying monsters with claws that scratched against metal above them. Spider-Monkey Grimm burst from a maintenance hatch above them as they rounded a corner, swarms of child sized abominations with too many spindly clawed limbs and sharp teeth spewed down onto them, tearing and stabbing as they crawled over the soldiers in search of soft flesh left exposed by armour. With a scream of equal parts pain and unrestrained hatred the sergeant fought his way free of the tide of Grimm, dragging one of his soldiers who was still flailing to untangle herself. Turning back to the rest of his impromptu squad he saw only one individual still fighting, slowly being forced to their knees as they pulled the pin from a grenade

"SARGE GET OUT OF HERE!" behind the darkened visor of his helmet the sergeant' eyes widened before he threw himself to the ground, tackling the soldier he'd saved moments before the explosion ripped through the corridor.

"ON YOUR FEET!" he bellowed to the last remaining solider as he pulled her up and ran through the corridors of the ship, coming to an abrupt halt when they reached a stairwell littered with bodies and blood spattering the walls

"We're trapped, they've already been here" the soldier cried

"What's your name soldier?" the sergeant asked

"Private Lazuli sir; my squad-mates call me Laz" she managed to answer despite her lip visibly trembling

"Well Laz we're getting off this ship one way or another. The hangar is close"

"Help me" the agonised groan made both of them turn with their weapons at the ready

"Oh my Oum" Lazuli whispered, horrified at what she'd assumed to be a mangled corpse forcing itself into a sitting position, clutching at its' torn open stomach as it did so

"I'm not a medic soldier" the sergeant admitted, the grievously wounded man gave him a bitter laugh in return

"I don' think it'd make a difference if you were, a fucking Ursa ran right through us" with obvious discomfort he reached into his pocket and withdrew a flash drive which he handed to the sergeant "Get this to Atlas, get it to Ironwood or we all died for nothing"

"We're gonna leave him?" Lazuli asked, clearly disgusted by the notion

"I'm dead weight" the dying man managed to grunt out, the conversation being abruptly halted by an unnatural sound, crackling and wet squelching simultaneously.

"Dear Oum no" the wounded man whimpered at the sight of inky black root like tendrils boring their way through the walls at a slow but relentless pace "SHE'S HERE! RUN!" at the sound of his terrified scream the sergeant grabbed Lazuli and bolted down the stairwell desperately making their way towards the hangar, well aware that they were being followed. Eventually they made it into the hangar and were stunned to see that some of the few remaining soldiers had set up artillery pieces to stop the airborne Grimm flocking around the ship from tearing the escaping Bull-Heads from the sky the moment they exited or clambering into the hangar itself.

"WE HAVE INTEL VITAL TO ATLAS!" the sergeant yelled over the cacophony of gunfire and shrieking monsters

"That Bull-Head!" one of the soldiers manning the guns pointed to one of the few remaining airworthy craft, pilot and co-pilot visible in the cockpit frantically trying to speed up the pre-flight process. Then pain erupted in the sergeants' chest

"GET OUT OF HERE!" he roared to Lazuli, throwing the flash drive to her. The young soldier sprinted away from them and clambered onto the Bull-head as its' rear hatch began to close. As it rocketed out of the hangar and began to weave its' way through the Grimm filled sky the sergeant looked down, seeing a crimson blade be ripped free from his chest before falling to the ground. As his vision began to dim the last thing he saw was dark armoured monster stalking towards the soldiers with artillery pieces, almost casually deflecting gunfire with their sword.

* * *

Three figures watched from one of Schnee Manors' balconies as a training session took place below. A two on two sparring session between Weiss and Gangrel against Qrow and Oscar

"Your sister is a sight to behold" Klein exclaimed with a bright smile as she seemed to be holding the veteran Hunter at bay with liberal applications of her Semblance

"Honestly, I think he's watching the other fight" Orchid noted while adjusting the four hoodies she was wearing to fend of the Atlesian cold, the sparring match was a welcome change of pace for her. After leaving Noctis in charge of keeping the Vaccuan criminal underworld under control in her stead she'd found herself confined to Schnee Manor upon arriving in Atlas and was rapidly beginning to tire of the dismissive attitude her attempts to find out when the counter attack against those who'd struck at her homeland would begin were being treated with

"No I'm watching both" Whitley assured them distractedly before wincing as Oscar was sent to the ground by a mechanical fist between his shoulder blades as the towering Faunus appeared behind him

"One would assume that you'd be supporting the team that includes your own sister master Whitley" Klein gave him a knowing grin, the teen in question looked away trying to hide the blush that crept across his face

"Y'know they even have cute pet names for each other, don't ya snowflake" Orchid taunted, earning herself an undignified groan of displeasure from the teen. The Winter Maiden merely chuckled to herself and turned her attention back to the fight below.

Qrow's blade clashed against the glowing ephemeral sword of Weiss's knight armour as the two of them faced off. While skilled the Huntress was well aware that her construct was the only thing between her and the older mans' weapon, he was a master of his craft with few equals. Creating a momentum Glyph beneath her feet she launched herself forward and slashed, Qrow seemingly vanished; she realised her error a moment too late as she caught a glimpse of his avian form weaving between the legs of her summoned armour before returning to his natural state behind her, arm outstretched clutching the shaft of his weapon in its' scythe form; Weiss was sent toppling to the ground, her armour fading.

"I'm not so easily beaten" she assured her opponent before triggering a time dilation Glyph to return to her feet and brace herself before Qrow could take advantage of her prone position, promptly firing off a trio of saw-blade like Glyphs which Qrow simply sidestepped; directly into the patch of a summoned Deathstalker

"Nice use of misdirection" Qrow noted as his scythe relieved the construct of its' tail before he returned the weapon to its' sword form and leapt onto the summoned Grimms' back, plunging the blade through its' skull. Weiss gave an irritated huff before rushing forwards, leaping into the where a momentum glyph was waiting for her. Ricocheting downwards to skewer Qrow she found herself flung to the ground by the blast of his weapon in its' ranged form. Rolling to a stop Weiss crouched and flung a series of protective Glyphs to counter the barrage she expected to be subjected to, Qrow had seemingly vanished

"CAW!" Weiss whipped around a fraction of a second too late, being greeted with the sight of her opponent shifting back to his true form and delivering a spinning heel kick that sent her crashing back into her own Glyphs. Weiss attempted to pull herself to her feet only yo find herself halted by the tip of Qrow's blade pressed against her neck

"Not bad kiddo, not bad at all" Qrow sheathed his weapon and held out his hand which Weiss gratefully took, brushing snow from her clothes as she returned to her feet

"Not quite good enough though" she noted

"You're versatile and react well under pressure" Qrow pointed out "The only reasons you'll lose are the reflexes and ruthlessness that come with experience or running out of Dust, which is unlikely to happen to a Schnee" Qrow couldn't help snorting at the last part before the two of them turned their attention to Oscar and Gangrel.

Gangrel teleported once again, preparing to bring the flat of his sword down against his opponents' head with enough force to leave the boy unconscious. Before the attack could land Oscar vanished and the Faunus felt his knee buckle as Oscars' staff struck it. Gangrel snarled as he realised this had become a recurring theme of their sparring match, his ability to use his Semblance to gain the upper hand through surprise attacks was hampered by Oscars' own abilities. He flung his elbow backwards and was rewarded by a cry of pain, hearing the sound of Omega Genysis shifting to its' oversized pistol mode Gangrel span and lunged making to knock the weapon from his opponents' hand; Oscar was no longer there, the gunshot impacted against his back. Staggering forward and snarling in frustration he sheathed his sword and drew Breaker before teleporting behind Oscar. Pain erupted in his left shoulder as feedback from a suddenly damaged cybernetic set his nerves aflame. Oscar had predicted his move and lashed out with his staff before Gangrel had finished teleporting, leaving the weapon embedded in the prosthetic which now sparked and jerked violently

"Oh shit, oh shit, are you okay?"

"Match isn't over kid" Gangrel growled. Before Oscar could react the Bear Faunus had grabbed the back of his skull and headbutted him, Oscar dropped to the floor with blood flowing freely from his broken nose

"That was a little uncalled for" Qrow admonished as he made his way over to them, Weiss behind

"Yeah well" Gangrel grunted as he extracted Oscars' weapon from his arm which now hung limp "Nobody we're fighting respects tournament rules, the kid's gotta learn somehow"

"Fair point"

"Are you okay?" Weiss asked nodding towards the damaged prosthetic

"Nothing that can't be fixed" Gangrel grumbled "Are you"

"Just sore, maybe you can give me a massage later" Weiss gave him a playful smile. The conversation was halted by a trail of ice forming between them, which Orchid used to surf from the balcony down to them

"Well damn, he got knocked the fuck out" the Rabbit Faunus smirked before turning her attention to Qrow, expression darkening "Winters' First Mate just contacted the Manor. There's a transport inbound, we're meeting on Winters' ship"

"We?" Qrow asked with a raised eyebrow

"They asked for you. I'm coming" seeing the determination in her pale pink eyes and honestly agreeing that she should probably be present, rank and protocol be damned Qrow nodded

"Fine, but in the meantime make an ice pack out of something. Oz is gonna have one hell of a headache when he gets up"

* * *

Winter and Ironwood sat in tense silence in the operatives' office waiting for the third member of their group to arrive. Eventually footsteps could be heard outside followed by rapping against the steel door

"Enter Winter" called, the door slid open with a hiss allowing Qrow and a Rabbit Faunus whom she had only seen in news stories regarding her bloodthirstiness to step inside

"What is the meaning of this?" Ironwood nodded to Orchid

"She has every right to be here Jimmy"

"The things discussed here are so far above top secret-"

"Keeping people in the dark didn't save Amber, Pyrrha, the Summer Maiden, Jade or Neo. Orchid is willing to fight alongside us against Salem. She deserves to be in the loop"

"Besides I'm here now and you'll have a hard time getting rid of me" Orchid met Ironwoods' gaze and it seemed to become a battle of wills to see who would look away first

"Fine" Ironwood eventually relented. Qrow and Orchid pulled out chairs

"I must stress that nothing you see in this room can be discussed to anyone outside of it" Winter pointed out

"Not even your own people?" Orchid raised a questioning eyebrow

"Our forces will be made aware of vital tactical information when it becomes appropriate" the Operative assured her before preparing a wall mounted projector.

"The footage you're about to see was gathered by the Pfeil, a ship sent to perform reconnaissance over Menagerie under the command of Specialist Smoke. The ship was destroyed but a single Bull-Head managed to escape and send a distress signal before they ran out of fuel" the room darkened and the projector flickered into life, bringing the first image into focus. The four of them watched, Qrow and Orchid for the first time as the footage showed the coast of Menagerie, the ruins of a long since destroyed fishing village coming into view as the waves below grew violent. In the distance a flock of airborne Grimm that seemed to fill the horizon could be seen approaching

"That's a lot of Grimm" Orchid noted

"Keep watching" Ironwood murmured, without warning a bone spike at least a dozen feet long was hurled from the waves at the ship impacting against its' force field. Something seemed to grow from beneath the surface. A truly enormous Grimm whose black body has hardened into a crystalline state which had begun to fade to a deep purple at its' edges with bone armour and gigantic spikes jutting from it at irregular intervals, as the footage zoomed in aquatic Grimm could be seen emerging from various gaps in what Qrow wasn't sure wether he should call a body or structure. The silent footage showed the weapons of the Atlesian ship tear through the Grimm only for it to begin to repair itself and spew smaller monsters at an accelerated rate

"With the lack of looters flooding the black market with artefacts from Menagerie experts posited that there was some sort of Grimm occupying the coast" Winter explained in a hushed tone "But nothing like this"

"We've designated it the Fortress Reef" Ironwood added "The appearance of this….creature lends credence to Ravens' information. It seems likely that Salem is based on Menagerie"

"There's more" Winter informed them, the footage had changed. Apparently the ship hadn't been destroyed at the coast. Further inland everything beneath the vessel was devastation, what truly unnerved those viewing the footage however were the spawning pits; the footage zoomed out showing that there were countless smaller pits all interconnected by criss-crossing webs of oozing darkness, forming a network which seemed to lead to a central point in the distance. Mountain which seemed to have been burst and torn asunder from the inside, deep purple crystal jutting from the shattered rock in countless places

"That's where she's hiding" Qrow growled "Look at it Jimmy. All the spawning pits are lines of defence, it's practically a moat around that mountain. That's where Salem is"

"How did it get so bad?" Orchid demanded "Seriously how did that just grow there with nobody noticing?"

"We don't have a definite answer" Ironwood admitted "The theory we're working with is that the destruction of Menagerie in the great war caused this. The outpouring of negativity from millions of people dying in such a short period of time did something, it accelerated the growth of the Grimm in the area which is how Salem came to be. We inadvertently made the Grimm evolve and now they have a leader, the person who wants the Maidens' powers"

"For what?" Orchid asked

"Rae sent me some excerpts from some seriously ancient texts she found in Shades' library" Qrow murmured "The stories go that the Wizard is the embodiment of time itself and the Maidens are the embodiment of nature split into four parts, any one person who wields the power of the four Maidens can effectively reshape Remnant. She'd be unstoppable, imagine a being that could turn an ocean into a spawning pool with a thought or reshape continents specifically to march an army across them"

"And now I'm the last one left" the Winter Maiden whispered, the gravity of the situation truly sinking in

"We're not beaten yet" Ironwood asserted bluntly

"Ozpin held the line for longer than we've been alive, probably longer than Salem herself has been sentient" Qrow added

"Holding the line isn't enough any more though" Winter sighed "Thankfully one of our recovery teams in Vaccuo managed to recover a laptop from the Absolutions' warship that appears to have been used to seize control of our mechanised element" Ironwood stroked the stubble on his chin with a frown

"Being able to freely use the Atlesian Knights in mass again will no doubt help, it limits the casualties that we're going to have" the General let out a sigh "But you're right, holding the line is no longer an option. Have your team assembled, plans will be drawn up for an assault on Salem herself"

 **Authors Notes:**

Today (Fourth of April 2017) marks seven months since I posted the first chapter of this story on .  
I'm hoping to have this story finished by the eight month anniversary.  
Updates may be slowed down by my work schedule over the next few weeks (Agency work is some bullshit, let me tell you).  
This story now has over 75 followers and 70K hits, thank you all so much.

Now to summarise:  
The opening scene was kind of inspired by Darth Vader at the end of Rogue One but with a Grimm flavour.  
The Pfeil = The Arrow. Specialist Felicity Smoke. Do I need to explain the reference?  
Spider-Monkey Grimm, haven't let those loose on anyone for a while.  
The question is how did all those Grimm that can't fly get onto a warship while it was in the air and the answer to that question will horrify you.  
Even the Winter Maiden thinks Atlas is cold.  
Whitley still has a crush on Oscar.  
Weiss Vs Qrow. She and Winter have fighting styles that are similar on the surface but have some key differences (Winter for example is willing to be a lot more underhand and do things like through explosive Dust in someone's eyes).  
Between a team-mate that can see Aura, people who can read minds and people who can stop time Gangs' Semblance is really not as cool as it used to be.  
Salem has a coral reef Grimm that doubles as a spawning pit (Like the Dragon and Project Hexxus) around the coast of Menagerie.  
Menagerie is going to be one hell of a fight.  
The Grimm and their hive mind may be as old as time but Salem as a thinking entity is actually less than a hundred years old.  
The Wizard and the Maidens are Father Time and Mother Nature (I'd honestly be surprised if that isn't how they approach it in canon).

Thank you to Antonia+Beltran, FleetOfWarships, MariamTheLibrarian22 and fluffyfirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.  
I'm glad everyone likes the way Yang proposed. Blake would have gone for a grand gesture but I honestly think Yang would have the idea and just not be able to contain it.  
Also to answer a question, it'll be Blake Xiao Long.  
Weapons upgrades are always cool.  
Flax is alive by sheer dumb luck (I've never given him a Semblance, I think that might actually be it)

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	110. 110: Assemble

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 110: Assemble**

Ruby made no effort to keep the broad smile from her face as she took in everything around her. Vale's docks, while appearing nothing like they had done prior to the fall of Vale were a hive of activity, a sign of life going on and the people of the Kingdom continuing to survive, every time she came back to Vale more ground had been reclaimed from the Grimm and more people had dared to return. Looking around once more Ruby noticed a large amount of the people and craft around them seemed to be military. She was then distracted once again by Blake and Yang being frankly adorable; her sister and her now fiancée had been almost constantly showing public signs of loving tenderness to the point where Taiyang had jokingly told them to get a hotel, it made Ruby want to squeal with delight. The day after Yang had 'proposed' to Yang they had received word from Winter that they would be required in Atlas at the end of the week, which honestly improved Ruby's mood even further despite how much she enjoyed being home. Penny was in Atlas, as was Uncle Qrow, her sister was happy and if they were being called to the frozen Kingdom it would no doubt be in their capacity as Hunters, in her mind all was right in the world.

"You awake kid?" Ruby was jolted from her quiet introspection by the voice of Rover Tan, the canine Faunus was staring at her with a bemused expression while his tail wagged lazily behind him

"You looked zoned there" he chuckled "You good?"

"Yeah, just looking forward to getting back to hunting, you?"

"I'm great" Rover beamed "Going to Atlas more than likely means work and me and Artemis are thinking of looking for our own place, having our own quarters in the barracks is nice but it's not the same" Ruby looked over to the vibrantly coloured feline Faunus who, if the way she was hugging Blake and Yang was any indication has just been told the good news. Beside her Fox, who had been staying with the older Hunters while his family remained in Vaccuo was clearly listening out for the arrival of his own team-mates

"Oh and another thing" Rover added before his body became blurry and indistinct, golden lightning crackling around him and the green light of his Aura regulator intensifying as he activated his Semblance, he phased his hand partially through a nearby crate before retracting it "I haven't been able to do that since my surgery. I'm faster than ever but it just wasn't working, I think I've got it now though"

"Awesome" Ruby beamed, before looking over his shoulder "Hey I think that's the others" Rover turned to look in the direction she had indicated and saw what appeared to Yatsuhashi towering over the people around him, the Fact Fox had begun moving towards the group confirmed the suspicion. The blind fighter enthusiastically greeted the other members of Team CFVY, Velvet and Coco pulling him into a group hug while Ren and Nora made their way past them towards Ruby

"Hey, we got the message from Winter, she said to meet up here but didn't say why. Are we going on a mission? I hope we are I wanna find another one of the those Goliath Grimm and ride it, then break it's legs" words spewed from Nora at an impossible rate while Ren merely gave a soft smile while squeezing her hand gently

"Ride a Goliath?" Ruby asked with a smirk

"Yeah, I rode an Ursa in initiation but that feels like years and years and years ago, I never got to ride the Dragon Grimm either" Nora pouted slightly at that which sent Ruby into hysterics

"Trust me you wouldn't have enjoyed it" she eventually managed to gasp out

"Hey Ruby, have you seen this design for a weapon your sister is asking me to work on?" Coco's voice, and more importantly what she was saying demanded her instant attention, the scythe wielder turned to her sister who currently looked decidedly sheepish

"You asked somebody else to help you with a weapon? This is treachery. As leader of Team RWBY I fine you all of the cookies. Vengeance will be swift, it will be painful it will be delicious!"

"I was going to come to you" Yang defended amidst uproarious laughter from their friends "It's just that I kinda want it ready before we go on whatever our mission is and if we're in Atlas you'll probably be with Penny" Ruby narrowed her eyes in a joking glare before continuing

"Traitors, you're all conspiring against me. You'll regret the day you went to another weapons designer when the finished product isn't even a gun-" Ruby found her rant cut off by the sound of someone clearing their throat behind her, turning she was faced with Matte Skye who wore a thoroughly amused smirk

"Hey, erm...do I need to salute you?" Ruby asked

"No and even if protocol dictated it I'd tell you not to bother" Matte grinned

"Wait" Rover seemed to be scanning the skyline "Where's Winters' ship? Surely you didn't leave it cloaked up there for something to crash into?"

"The Schleier Der Tranen is currently docked in Atlas for refuel and resupply before our upcoming operation, Winter requisitioned a smaller ship for me to come and collect you"

"Sounds serious, any idea what the job is?" a grave look passed over Mattes' face at the question

"I know" they admitted "But I'm not at liberty to say. You'll have to be briefed by Winter or General Ironwood" even Ruby's enthusiasm was curbed somewhat by the news, it seemed that things were serious than they had realised.

* * *

Orchid cracked her knuckles and gave a low growl of frustration while narrowing her eyes at the situation before her. She was losing, badly. The rabbit Faunus to the surprise of many of her allies in the White Fang was actually an avid chess player, focusing on the match in front of her helped her forget other problems that were stressing her for a while; however the three dimensional variety popular in Atlas, especially Atlesian officers left the Vaccuan baffled.

"Check, again" Winter noted with a triumphant smirk, after a few moments of frantically scanning the boards Orchid moved her remaining bishop to intercept only to be placed in check once again by Winters' next move

"Fuck it, this isn't helping" the Faunus sighed before tipping her King over and admitting defeat and flopping back in the comfortable seat she occupied in Schnee Manors' sitting room with an irritated sigh

"Something bothering you?" Winter asked with a raised eyebrow

"Are you being fucking serious right now?" the Faunus spat "We're going to war against a fortress that looks like it's made of condensed Grimm, based on the ruins of the Faunus homeland and occupied by someone who specifically wants me dead. And then there's the issue of the giant anti aircraft Grimm in the water"

"I'll admit, the situation is far from ideal" Winter admitted as she sipped on a cup of tea that had gone cold as they played "But have faith in the Atlesian military. We know how to approach this"

"Really, do tell?"

"Overrun the Fortress Reef through sheer firepower and weight of numbers. Deploy specialist teams and drop troops with mechanical elements to establish landing areas and form the tip of the spear, those teams will have air support. Once we've managed to gain a foothold the hunter corps will be leading infantry, tank divisions and Paladin units. The objective isn't to cleanse and burn all of Menagerie, just enough of it to seize the objective" Orchid stared at Winter for a few moments, mouth working silently before she finally gave an annoyed snap

"You know you're a fucking idiot right?"

"Excuse me?"

"Weight of numbers?" the Faunus demanded incredulously "You saw how fast that thing recovers, how many people are going to die before we even get onto Menagerie soil? You're talking about storming multiple spawning pits at once, I'm from Vaccuo trust me I know how this is going to go. They have more bodies to throw at the problem than we do"

"If you're having second thoughts-" Winter found herself cut off by Orchid

"Show me that footage again, I'll need to make a few calls back to Vaccuo"

"The footage is aboard my ship, encrypted and can't be transferred. We'll have to go to the base it's docked at, what are you planning?" the winter Maiden rose to her feet, clearly ready to depart immediately with a sinister smirk on her face

"You probably don't want to know the specifics, but give me about half a dozen good people. In fact give me the kid with the scythe and magic eyes...honestly it's a shame we don't have a spare Adam Taurus for this. The White Fang didn't need an army to get as powerful as they were, we know how to bring down threats bigger than ourselves using nothing but leftovers and stolen supplies" Winter wasn't sure whether to be encouraged by the Faunus' expression or deeply troubled.

* * *

"Well, that is well and truly fucked" Gangrel stated dispassionately as he stared at the twisted mass of metal before him, earning himself a glare from his father who was currently wiping grease from his hands with a filthy rag

"Language, I keep telling you" the older Bear-Faunus grumbled "Besides it's not impossible to fix it. New tires, replace the wheel that's missing, obviously that entire front end wants taking apart and putting back together, the engine block's cracked but I can weld it" Bjorn trailed off seeing Weiss's expression; the pale woman chewed her lip as she took in the ruined remains of Stardust, the antique vehicle having been recently recovered from Vaccuo

"It's going to be a completely new machine by the time it's finished isn't it?" she asked with a dejected sigh, Born winced at the utterly defeated look on her face

"Sorry lass" he admitted "It got pretty banged up and a lot of these parts are either one of a kind of haven't been made in decades, if there are any replacements they're probably illegal now"

"I can have an ask around though" Gangrel added thoughtfully "Surely someone'll have a Dust engine that's not quite legal. I'll put lien on some of the looters picking through Lower Atlas having something we can use"  
"You stay out of trouble boy y'hear me" his father growled, stroking the scar along the bridge of his snout like face "Oum knows you've been in enough over the years"

"Come on Dad-"

"No he's right" Weiss interrupted as she squeezed his hand "Don't go looking around the criminal underworld for any black market equipment on my behalf. Even if it can be fixed it won't be the same, this was Nana Schnees'….It's a family heirloom"

"Miss Schnee, you have a guest" the trio turned to face the man who had spoken. Stood beside Klein and wearing a bright smile was Penny

"Salutations friends, I would have arrived as soon as Operative Schnee gave the word. Unfortunately I had to arrange transport from my fathers' labs which are understandably isolated, my own Bull-Head still isn't fully repaired after our operation in Vaccuo"

"That I can relate to" Weiss gave a bitter laugh

"Miss Schnee….Weiss, if I may be so bold as to make a suggestion?" Klein ventured

"You never need permission to speak your mind Klein, you're family"

"Stardust isn't valuable to you because it's one of a kind, it's valuable to you because of it's connection your Grandparents, it's something physical that was involved in all the stories they told you as a little girl. I say keep it as it is so that you can show it off one day when you have you're own children to tell stories to"

"My own children?" Weiss murmured to herself, in truth the notion had never truly occurred to her until she and Gangrel had de facto adopted Jade Rangifer in the war-zone that was Lower Atlas

"Is Weiss expecting a child?" Penny asked innocently

"She better fucking not be" Bjorn growled while giving Gangrel the sternest glare he could manage

"I'm not pregnant!" Weiss insisted, face flushing scarlet in sheer mortification at the turn the conversation had taken

"Anyway" Gangrel tried to steer the conversation back on track, clearly no less embarrassed than Weiss was "So we're leaving Stardust as is?"

"Keeping it as a museum piece makes more sense than taming it" Bjorn shrugged

"Thank you Mister Slate, you didn't need to go to the trouble"

"Don't be daft lass" the elder Faunus laughed "And call me Bjorn"

"So Penny, do you know what the mission we're being assembled for is?" Weiss asked

"Not yet" the mechanical girl admitted "I'm to be briefed by Specialist Schnee, so probably when the others get here"

"Ah we're expecting more guests?" Klein asked enthusiastically "I do enjoy your friends' company, I'll start preparing rooms"

* * *

Several unmarked cars with tinted windows and reinforced chassis pulled up outside Schnee Manor, supplied by General Ironwood to transport Winters' black-ops team with some degree of anonymity. As the vehicles rolled to a stop the doors opened allowing the arriving members of Team RWBY, CFVY, GRAP and JNPR to disembark alongside Winter, Orchid and Qrow who had met them at the base their transport had landed at. Ruby reuniting with her beloved uncle had all but destroyed any semblance of discretion. The grizzled veteran learning of his eldest nieces engagement had led to him buying every single soldier in the base a drink at the bar to celebrate before Winter had finally managed to drag him out.

"Why is it never warm here" Ruby grumbled to herself, pulling her cloak tighter as she breathed in the cold air of the Atlesian evening

"Doesn't bother me" Blake shrugged "Then again I'm from Atlas"

"And you've got me to snuggle up to, it's almost like I'm shooting you" Yang paused for a moment before winking "Because I'm friendly fire" Ruby gave a comically exaggerated sigh and left Yang grinning behind her, catching up with Winter and Qrow who were making their way towards the entrance of the manor. Stepping inside she gave a satisfied groan as the warmth seemed to wash over her, lowering her hood and kicking snow from her boots. It took a moment for her to realise who was waiting for her in the entrance hall, however once she did there was no stopping the inevitable

"PENNY!" in a streak of crimson and a shower of petals she was in front of the copper haired girl, peppering her lips and cheeks with light kisses

"I missed you, I missed you, I missed you-"

"Break it up squirts" Qrow drawled, unable to keep the amused snort out of his voice

"You're all here" Weiss noted making her presence known as she entered the hallway, Gangrel and Oscar behind her

"Yeah we are, so come on stop holding out on us" Nora gave a demented grin "What's the mission? Are there any more evil organisations we need to stop?" Orchid gave a soft laugh

"I like that one, I don't want her on my team though"

"Hey!-"

"The Mission" Winter stopped the argument before it could start "Is a direct assault on Salem herself. You will no longer be working as a Black-Ops team, you'll be part of the first wave, securing priority locations in a full scale invasion of Menagerie" there were several moments of tense and stunned silence as the young Hunters took in the news, a range of emotions playing across their faces. It was Coco that finally broke the silence, her hand finding its' way into Velvets' for support as she breathed out two words that summed up her friends' feelings adequately

"Holy shit"

 **Authors Notes:**

I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I feel like I haven't uploaded in ages (It's been five days) and this was a short chapter.  
I've just started a new job and I'm working a lot of overtime. I leave the house at 5am and get home at 7pm and Easter Sunday will be my first day off in two weeks. It's a physical job and I'm tired when I get back. I've been busy.  
That being said, we have one more chapter of preparations then Chapter 112 will be the beginning of the final battle and oh boy it's gonna be wild.

Anyway, let's summarise:  
Blake and Yang would be sickeningly cute together after they got engaged and we all know it.  
Rover can phase again. I have a scene in mind, that's all I'm going to say.  
Nora wants to ride a Goliath, because of course she does. She's my super-dooper booper trooper  
Yang still has a plan for a new weapon that integrates with Ember Celica and her prosthetic.  
The sun shines brighter whenever Matte Skye appears.  
For some reason I imagine three-dimensional chess being popular in Atlas, living in Hive Cities most of the population probably actually have a unique sense of spatial awareness.  
Atlas has the Atlesian Knights, they're going to need every warm and cold body they can spare for this fight.  
Orchid has a plan and if anything is scary than Orchid, it's Orchid with a plan.  
Weiss doesn't have Stardust any more, honestly with that, her summoning and using the summoned knight as a makeshift Mecha she was getting a little OP.  
Gangrel will happily dig through the criminal underworld to put a smile on Weiss's face.  
Klein and Bjorn are a pleasure to write.  
Penny asking if Weiss was expecting came from nowhere, but it feels like something Penny would do.  
You know damn well that the day Qrow finds out his oldest niece got engaged he's going to buy everyone in whatever bar he's in a drink and if his current location doesn't have a bar then he'll build one with his own two hands.  
Yang Puns. You'd think after over 100 chapters I'd be out of them, but you'd be wrong.  
Holy shit indeed, but now the gangs' back together.

Thank you to MarianTheLibrarian22, fluffyfirefly and FleetOfWarships for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Orchid and Ironwood have got some bad ass fights coming, but not with each other.  
Lazuli was meant to be a one off character but I can probably find a way to give her a cameo.  
The explanation of the Grimm on the airship was pretty heavily hinted at, but seeing it in all of its' horrifying glory is going to be fun.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	111. 111: Time To Say Goodbye

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 111: Time To Say Goodbye**

The days leading up to the beginning of what would amount to the largest military operation in the history of Atlas had seen an understandable but still nearly unbearable level of tension in Schnee Manor. The team leaders seemingly the most affected, Ruby, Coco and Gangrel testing and drilling their team-mates and themselves almost to breaking point; things coming to a head when Weiss and Artemis had to intervene to stop Gangrel and Rover coming to blows after a disagreement about the harshness of the Bear-Faunus' methods had turned volatile.

It had all lead to this, Frostschutz base outside Eisenstadt Prime like almost every other base in Atlas was a bustling hive of activity as the last of the hunters, soldiers, robots and equipment was loaded into warships which were going through their final preparations.

"You shouldn't be here" Weiss gave an exasperated sigh as she took in the sight before her, on the ramp to the main hangar of the Schleier Der Tranen wearing a defiant expression, was Whitley

"I'm here in my capacity as head of the Schnee Dust Company to inspect the equipment. This operation represents a sizeable investment of-"

"Whitley stop" Weiss breathed out "We both know why you came, I just wish you hadn't, it gives the mission a kind of finality"

"I'll give you some privacy" Gangrel murmured in Weiss's ear before kissing her cheek and leaving, a brief look over her shoulder revealed that Oscar and Velvet were the only people she knew currently in the hangar. Almost everyone else was either in or on the way to their assigned quarters while Winter and Matte were on the command bridge; the Rabbit-Faunus was methodically taking pictures of and thereby scanning any piece of equipment she didn't already have access to, Weiss noticed that Velvets' weapon had been modified with the storage box secured vertically to her back with a harness rather than hanging from her hip. Oscar on the other hand seemed to be waiting around nervously trying to catch her brothers' attention

"It might well be final time we see each other" Whitley seemed terrified by the admission

"Don't say that-"

"Weiss please" her brothers' voice wavered "Mother and Father are already gone. Just promise me you and Winter will take care of each other-" Whitley found himself cut off as the middle Schnee child pulled him into a hug

"Whitley I promise you Winter and I are coming home after this" as the two broke apart Whitley found a hand on his shoulder, belonging to to the shorter but more muscular Oscar

"Hey, don't worry snowflake. We'll be fine, we've got some of the best people in the Grimm killing business coming with us" the young Wizard tried his best to sound confident as he flashed a smile that convinced no-one

"I can't help worrying freckles, don't get yourself killed"

"Oh for Oum's sake will you two just kiss!" Weiss snapped, unable to keep a bemused smirk from her face

"Weiss!" Whitely blushed, whatever indignant rant he intended to commence was halted by Oscar simply shrugging and standing on his tiptoes to kiss the youngest Schnee, one hand cupping his cheek as the other snaked around his waist

"Apparently you two have things to discuss" Weiss chuckled as they broke apart, reaching up to ruffle her brothers' hair "I'm heading to my quarters, I'll see you soon" as she left the hangar and made her way through the corridors she was halted by a voice over the ships' intercom. The identity of the speaker revealing it to be a fleet wide broadcast

"Brothers and sisters in arms, men and women of the Atlesian military" General Ironwood began "Today is a day that will define us as a people, the path into the future Atlas takes as a Kingdom and even the destiny of Remnant itself" the few crew members and soldiers Weiss could see had stood seemingly attention, hanging onto Ironwoods' every word

"We stand at the precipice of what promises to be one of the greatest battles in history. Our actions today, regardless of the outcome will be spoken about for generations to come" he paused for affect "The choice is in your hands. Are we the ones who tried to halt the tide and failed, only to be swept aside by our enemies? Or are we Atlesians?" with those words the entirety of the Atlesian fleet seemed to come alive, cheering as one and Weiss found herself unable to stop herself from joining in.

"Onwards to victory!" the General concluded. Moments later another sound joined the applause, the sound of the Schleier Der Tranens' engines firing up. The lurch of the ship taking to the air was brief but noticeable and Weiss had to steady herself before continuing towards her quarters. Before she arrived another familiar voice sounded throughout the ship

"This is Captain Schnee" Winter paused for a moment "I'm not one for verbose speeches, I leave that to my brother. It's our actions that define us and every member of this crew has acted with bravery and dedication under my command. I trust in each and every one of you to continue that trend. Either die heroes or live long enough to kill some monsters" her final phrase being something of an unofficial slogan amongst Atlesian soldiers, especially those who'd seen action against the Grimm. Weiss once again joined in the cheers.

* * *

South of Atlas, across the sea across the remains of the Kingdom of Vale similar scenes to that outside of Eisenstadt Prime were occurring in makeshift airfields and landing pads as fighters from Vale that wished to join the Atlesian assault on Menagerie were entering their final stages of preparation before take off. It was at one such landing pad that that Professor Port defiantly stared down a furious Taiyang Xiao Long

"I meant it Tai, you're needed here" the moustachioed man said bluntly

"And I mean it Peter" the blonde snarled "When I say that I am getting on this ship and I'm going to Menagerie. Now either step aside or I'll run through you" upon hearing the threat and the tone of Taiyang's voice, Oobleck who had been lounging on a crate of supplies while he rechecked his weapon Cambrian Explosion rose to his feet and slunk behind Port; all traces of his usual cheery personality gone when he peered at the blonde over his glasses, hand firmly on the grip of his weapon

"Tai. Calm down"

"DON'T TELL ME TO BE CALM BARTY! NOT WHEN MY DAUGHTERS ARE GOING TO BE ON THE FRONT LINES!"

"And this is exactly why we need you here" Oobleck countered "You're not thinking. You'd go looking for Ruby and Yang the moment you landed without considering the nature of their mission or your own situation. You'd make amateur mistakes and I have no intention of informing your daughters that their father died because we didn't stop him from doing something foolish!"

"Easy now chaps" Port warned them both "No need to make a scene here"

"Tai, Peter and I will look for them, when we land we'll find out where they've been deployed and do everything we can to help them" Oobleck murmured

"I need to be out there" Tai pleaded

"But Vale needs you here" Port placed a hand on his shoulder "Oobleck and I aren't getting any younger. This will probably be our last hurrah one way or another but if the worst should happen there is no body else I would rather have training the next generation of Hunters than you and Glynda" after several moments of tense silence Taiyang spoke again

"I swear if anything happens to them-"

"Tai those daughters of yours have done things that put even my war stories to shame" Port chuckled.

"Stay safe" Tai gave a heavy sigh and watched as his old friends vanished into the ship and fought back tears of anger and desperation as the Tiger class Corvette took to the air and fell into formation behind a Lion class Destroyer on its' way to join the Atlesian fleet without him.

* * *

Blake and Yang made their way back to their shared quarters hand in hand, having been in the ships' mess hall. The pair intended to get what rest they could during the long flight and mentally prepare themselves before their deployment. Upon arriving at their quarters they saw an Atlesian soldier waiting outside their door for them.

"Agent Belladonna" the soldier snapped to attention and saluted Blake, a gesture that the feline was more than a little uncomfortable with. As they reached their quarters and got a better look at the private they realised he was a young Faunus, scales adorning his cheekbones and iguana-like spines protruding through his crew cut hair and running down the back of his neck

"Something I can help you with?" Blake asked

"Actually I have something for you" he produced a small unmarked envelope and handed it over to her "It's from Mister Eadala, I don't know what's in it but he wanted you to have it"

"You're part of the Coalition?" Yang asked

"I donate some of my salary to their cause, I'm not an organiser" the soldier shrugged "Anyway I need to go" with that he saluted once again before setting off leaving Blake and Yang alone

"Let's see what that is" Yang grinned as the door to the quarters slid open, closing behind them as they entered. Making their way over to the bed where Yang's new weapon lay, she, Coco, Ruby and Penny had managed to finish building it the day before and the blonde intended to finish painting it on the long flight to Menagerie.

"Okay let's see" Blake stifled a yawn as she moved the weapon aside to sit next to her fiancée, resting her head on the blondes' shoulder as she opened the envelope; pulling out a small letter she read aloud

 _"Miss Belladonna, though the media hasn't explicitly said as much I am aware that the current increase in our military's activities are due to an operation bound for the remains of the Faunus homeland; it would be foolish of me to believe that you would not be among the Hunters and Huntresses involved"_ Blake paused

"He's well informed" Yang noted

"He and Ironwood have been working together, I assume some of the soldiers being sent to Menagerie were stationed at the refugee camps the Coalition have been supplying aid to" Blake reasoned before continuing _"I sincerely hope that your mission is a success and that you return to Atlas safely, you witnessed first hand what the White Fang became and had the strength in your convictions to leave those you had once called family; there will always be a place for you within my organisation should you ever finding life as a Huntress unsuitable for you but still wish to change the world for the better. Also, since regaining my freedom and learning how little you knew of your parents I managed to track down a few small gifts, please find them enclosed"_ Blakes' brow furrowed as she tipped the envelope and shook it, causing several small items to fall out. Closer inspection caused Blakes' hand to fly to her mouth, stifling a shocked gasp as her eyes widened

"Blake what's wrong?" Yang asked in surprise before positioning herself so that she could see the photographs her fiancée was holding "Oh" the blonde gasped as comprehension dawned on her. Each of the photographs contained the same two Faunus, one showed them in a group which included much younger versions of Obsidian Eadala, Sienna Khan and Bjorn Slate, the young canine Faunus on Gangrels' fathers' arm could only have been his mother; as well as a pair of Bull Faunus, one of which bore a striking resemblance to the late Adam Taurus. Another photograph displayed the two Faunus whom Blakes' eyes were fixed on on their wedding day and Yang threaded her fingers through those of her partners' free hand as she saw tears filling amber eyes

"Ghira and Kali Belladonna, founding members of the White Fang" Blakes' lip quivered as she spoke "My parents, he found every photo anyone had of my parents….I've never had one of them before" Yang pulled her into a hug as she was overcome by emotions, gently kissing the top of her head between her Faunus ears

"Before Obsidian and Whitley announced that the Coalition and the SDC would be co-operating; before Adam attacked Atlas, I spoke to Mister Eadala about my parents" Blake gave a watery chuckle "It was my Dads' dream to take back part of Menagerie, set up a fishing village near the coast and see if there was any Dust left to be mined. I suppose it's only right for me to be one of the people leading the charge"

"We'll do it for them" Yang assured her, murmuring gently as she held the Faunus closer "We'll take Salem out for the same reason they wanted to take back Menagerie. A better world for the people we love"

* * *

Rover lay on the bed of his and Artemis's quarters, his Fiancées' head resting on his chest, though she had adjusted her sleeping position slightly since the canines' surgery as the flesh around the Aura Regulator grafted into his body had been sensitive ever since

"What's on your mind babe?" she asked as she turned to face him, blowing her vibrant pink hair from her mismatched eyes. Rover repositioned them slightly so that he was laying beside her, personally Artemis never understood how a Faunus with a tail could lay comfortably on their back anyway

"I've been the thinking" he admitted and she could see concern in his blue eyes

"About the mission?"

"Not exactly" he took a deep breath before continuing "Missy, will you marry me?"

"Erm….you already asked me that question" Artemis gave him a bright smile "And I preferred the first proposal to be honest" Rover merely snorted and planted a brief kiss on her lips

"No I mean, as Captain of a warship Winter can actually officiate a wedding. I was thinking-"

"No" Artemis cut him off and giving him a stern glare "We're not having a rushed wedding right before we go into battle. It's not what either of us want"

"I want to hear you called Artemis Tan, even if it's only once" hearing Rovers' whispered admission Artemis wrapped her arms around his shoulders and held him

"You want to do it now because you're scared something might happen to one of us. I can't Rover, because doing that would feel like preparing to die, like I've accepted that I'm not coming home"

"You're so sure it'd be you that goes?" Rover whispered, Artemis gave a humourless laugh

"You'd probably die covering me and I'd be gone five minutes after because I refuse to spend another day on Remnant without you, I already thought I'd lost you once"

"This got morbid" Rover chuckled as he wrapped his arms around her waist

"Yeah well" Artemis chuckled, shrugging before snuggling closer to her fiancée "When this is over we'll do it, I don't even want a big ceremony, just our families, Gang and his dad, Team RWBY and CFVY and a few of the guys from the Halo defences" Rover made no effort to stop the smile from creeping across his face as he imagined the scene in his head

"Nothing would make me happier"

* * *

Gangrel made his way into the main hangar of the Schleier Der Tranen, desperately trying hide how on edge he was as they neared their final approach. His unease wasn't for his own sake, he knew that despite his and Rovers' heated argument his Team were ready for anything Salem could throw at them and that he was well suited to the task Team GRAP had been chosen for. His concern was for Weiss, he had every faith in her abilities and those of everyone joining her but the role they had been assigned left the Bear-Faunus unable to shake a sense of dread. As he entered he cast his eyes around, quickly catching sight of the people he sought. Ruby and Yang were currently helping Penny give the Bull-Head which was not her own a thorough systems check beforehand, the weapon loving Huntress and the blonde biker both understanding the mechanical girls' distaste at having to use the mass produced craft rather than her own vehicle, the loss of the warship sized armaments on The Pearl would no doubt be felt during the upcoming mission. Beside them were Blake and Weiss, Gangrel assumed Orchid Oscar and Qrow were already aboard. Blakes' ears twitched as she heard him approaching, the feline looked over her shoulder and upon catching sight of him gave Weiss a nudge, the petite Huntress turned and made her way over to him only to gasp in surprise as he lifted her from the floor, arms wrapping around her waist

"Dolt" Weiss blushed slightly as Yang wolf-whistled at their antics, a smile formed on her face however before she brought her lips to his, fingers curling in Gangrel's shaggy hair

"You're scared" Weiss whispered her blue eyes meeting his amber ones

"We've got the fight of our lives coming up. I wanted to see you before you go, I just really hope it's not the last chance I get"

"Don't" Weiss whispered softly, burying her head in his shoulder "We promised each other last night that we're both coming home" Gangrel couldn't help but smirk at the memory, the two of them had spent their final night in Schnee Manor making love as if it were their last night on Remnant and his back still bore the scratches

"Besides" Weiss continued as Gangrel finally set her down "Orchid has a plan, whatever it is will no doubt be crazy but that has to count for something"

"I used to think fortune favoured the crazy, then Squish died" the Bear-Faunus shrugged before pulling Weiss close once again

"Weiss you need to get aboard, we're moving out in a few minutes!" Qrow called from the rear of the Bull-Head. Weiss stood on her tiptoes and planted one last lingering kiss on Gangrels' lips

"Please come back to me" she whispered, before giving a small smile and adding something that had become a running joke between them "You're my giant teddy bear and I love you too much"

"Promise" Gangrel growled "You too babe, get home safe I'll be there waiting for you. And keep Blake safe for me, that's my little sister" Gangrel watched as Weiss returned to the Bull-Head and fastened her harness before the rear hatch slid into place, the Bear-Faunus fighting a losing battle in his efforts to remain calm as the love of his life flew into battle.

* * *

She could feel them.

The approach of so many scared and bloodthirsty souls gave Salem a giddy high when she first felt it, now they were drawing near to her first lines of defence; outlying Grimm in the air had been torn asunder by the weapons of the enemies' contraptions. Salem reclined in her throne, seated deep within her crystalline fortress set within a mountain.

"And so it begins" she hissed to herself, tendrils extending from her fingers and fusing her with her throne as her eyes became pools of liquid darkness, the light of their glowing irises swallowed entirely. Salem may have been the manifestation of the Grimm Hive mind but controlling every Grimm on Menagerie was still beyond her capabilities, it was for this reason she allowed part of her consciousness to slip into the labyrinthine synaptic pathways through which she perceived her connection to her children. As her mind connected with the barely aware essence of one of the countless Spawning Pits she bestowed portions of her connection to Grimm that would serve as her generals in the coming slaughter. Salem let out a shuddering gasp as her consciousness returned to the space her body inhabited, satisfied with her work

"Raven" she hissed softly, summoned by her words a portal opened in front of the throne and something stepped through it. Fingers ended in cruel talons, armour that had once been crimson coated in a thin layer of inky darkness from which jutting bone shards protruded, a featureless black mask to replace that which had been destroyed obscuring her face, behind which red eyes blazed, shining with the light of the Fall, Spring and Summer Maidens. Salem gave a terrifying smile at the sight of the monster which had once been Raven Branwen.

"My child" she cooed "The time is near, the Winter Maiden will no doubt be among the force that is nearing us. Tear them from the skies so that all of my children may feast upon their souls" Raven silently nodded before forming another portal and vanishing through it. When she reappeared Raven stood upon the peak of the mountain. Beneath her hundreds of thousands of Grimm were gathering, more disturbingly they were organised, forming what could only be described as ranks and files behind four monstrous Grimm that were acting as conduits for Salem's will, Grimm that seemed to be two distinct entities melded together; the Nuckelavee, Salem's harbingers. Turning her eyes skyward Raven could see the approaching fleet in the distance, the early evening sun glinting against their hulls. Raven pondered as flying Grimm swarmed around her in unimaginable numbers before finally deciding where the hammer would fall.

 **Authors Notes:**

So much angst.  
Yes the title chapter is a reference to the soundtrack.  
And next chapter it begins, the war against Salem.

Now let's summarise:  
Yeah I like my Whitley more than canon Whitley, he's a fourteen year old kid who just wants to keep what family he has together, so you can bet he used his position as head of the SDC to be able to see Weiss and Winter before they left.  
Grimm Weiss can handle, Oscar and Whitley giving each other the googly eyes and doing nothing about it will push her to breaking point.  
I wanted to plagiarize the "Cancelling the Apocalypse" speech from Pacific Rim so badly for Ironwood but I resisted, be proud of me.  
" _Either die heroes or live long enough to kill some monsters"_ a play on the old adage but it seems like something the military would use as a slogan in a world filled with literal monsters.  
Port and Oobleck are heading to Menagerie, Taiyang and Sun aren't.  
Honestly I think it's for the best, I don't want to write Tai's death and I honestly think he would ignore his years of experience in he were to join that battle.  
Yang has that upgrade ready.  
EVERYTHING about that Blake and Yang scene.  
Rover and Artemis have been minor characters in this story and I'll be honest they were always meant to be, they were made to fill in team slots after Gangrel and Squish were created but I had to give them this scene.  
Team RWBY, Orchid, Qrow and Oscar are going to take out the Fortress Reef.  
And Weiss and Gangrel, seriously this is the chapter where everyone has to confront their own mortality and find whatever comfort they can in their loved ones.  
Gang calling Blake his little sister, remember when he stabbed in the chest by Malkavia back in Vol.2 and Blake called him her big brother.  
The Nuckelavee, Salem has four of them and they are her 'Four horsemen' that will be controlling her forces, giving her a wider influence than if she'd just stepped onto the battlefield herself.  
Raven is an utter monster now, and if you think it's already bad….just wait.

Thank you to Antonio+Beltran, MariamTheLibrarian22 and FleetOfWarships for their review on the last chapter.  
Oh it's going to get very ugly, rest assured.  
And you thought the Bees were cute last chapter.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	112. 112: D-Day

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 112: D-Day**

The Bull-Head flew low, close to the water as it sped ahead of the fleet bound for Menagerie, aboard the craft Penny focused as she piloted. On her left stood Orchid who assured the mechanical girl that their target would be there, on her right stood Ruby the young Huntress desperate to hold onto the copper haired girl but making do with resting a hand on her shoulder

"Ruby, we're gonna be there soon. Recheck your weapon" Weiss admonished as she looked up for a brief moment form Myrtenaster and her various Dust phials and cartridges

"It's fully loaded and I have plenty of spare ammo" Ruby called back

"Weiss, let her have this" Yang whispered from her position opposite, her own fingers intertwined with Blakes'

"Yang's right" Qrow growled "Take every opportunity you get to let the people that matter to you know how you feel. You never know when the last one's gonna be"

"There it is!" Orchid exclaimed, her tone excited

"That's….a ship" Penny replied, nonplussed

"It's not just any ship" the Winter Maiden chuckled "It's the Mule, Roman Torchwick's old freighter. Penny land us on the deck"

"Affirmative" the craft began to slow noticeably as it approached the anchored vessel, hovering above the deck before slowly lowering; ramp lowering allowing those aboard to make their way onto the deck of the freighter. Oscar was the first off of the Bull-Head and therefore the first to see the Scorpion Faunus waiting for them, tail twitching over his shoulder

"Hey Noctis" the last remaining lieutenant of the White Fang nodded in acknowledgement before staring past him to the Faunus exiting the Bull-Head behind him

"I told you to drop anchor and get out" Orchid snapped

"Sorry boss" Noctis shrugged "Can't do that"

"Oh for Oum's sake" Orchid rolled her eyes "Don't tell me you stayed behind to confess your feelings or some other shit"

"Nah" Noctis laughed from behind his mask "But I need to be here with you though boss. I'm the one who told Adam to retreat in Atlas and now everyone there is either dead or in jail. Not this time"

"Well we're probably going to need every pair of hands we can get" Qrow shrugged

"So, what exactly is the plan?" Ruby asked

"Glad you asked, we're going to give them the Vaccuan response" Orchid gave a sinister chuckle before continuing "We're going to raise anchor and turn the engines on enough to give ourselves a push in the right direction then drift into the Fortress Reef so it thinks we're an unmanned hulk then detonate the Dust that I had the Fang steal from those Dust fields that The Absolution bombed"

"That's insane!" Weiss gasped

"I'm a-freight to say I agree with her" Yang added with a small grin

"We'll be fine" Orchid sighed "Well, probably. The Mule has a heavily reinforced crash vault and all the Dust and explosives are far enough away from it that it won't kill us"

"That won't be enough to stop the Fortress Reef though" Qrow pointed out

"It's not meant to, it's meant to get me and her inside the Fortress Reef" Orchid pointed to Ruby, there were a few moments of stunned silence as everyone realised exactly what Orchid intended to do

"That might just work" Blake murmured, giving Yang an apologetic look when she saw the concern on the blondes' face

"We'll be in there as well, we can cover you both" Qrow added, nervously running a hand through his hair. Ruby fixed Orchid with a confident smile

"Let's do this"

* * *

Gangrel, Rover and Artemis had been aboard one of the squadron of Bull-Heads flown by Atlesian Knights that had been deployed soon after Team RWBY had departed for their own objective. While the rest of the fleet hung back; the guns of the warships ripping through the flocks of Grimm that harassed the transports as they flew over the gargantuan construct that was the Fortress Reef, Gangrel's throat tightening a little as he thought about Weiss below.

"How long 'til we reach drop zone?" Rover asked, Gangrel unfastened his harness and made his way to the cockpit of the craft where the robot was piloting; from the cockpit he could see the other Bull-Heads' flying alongside them, each of which contained a unit of Atlesian Knights. Reading the displays on the cockpit he called back to his team-mates

"We should be coming up on what's left of Da-Chengshi soon" Da-Chengshi had been one of the largest cities on Menagerie prior to its' destruction and as such had several major roads leading both to it and towards the mountain which all evidence suggested was Salem's lair; roads which would be ideal to transport artillery if the Grimm infestations in the settlements could be cleared out. Making his way back into the rear of the craft as the first ruined buildings came into view in the distance he repositioned himself in his seat and mentally prepared himself. Nightfall would be in a few hours, that was little concern to him or his team-mates. Their only available support were automatons, that was fine Gangrel would prefer to work without the machines' dubious help. He was fighting in a ruined city drastically outnumbered by the Grimm, the Bear-Faunus had to suppress a snort at that; he suspected his experience in Lower Atlas was part of why he'd been chosen to lead this mission.

"Approaching target area. Destroyed Faunus settlement" a monotone and synthetic voice alerted those above the Bull-head. Gangrel raised an eyebrow in surprise, he hadn't been aware this particular model of Atlesian Knight could speak

"Let me go pick out a landing spot, I don't trust the tin-cans to not get us killed" Gangrel grumbled making his way once again into the cockpit and scanning the horizon. He felt a strange sense of loss as he looked at the devastated city whose limits the squadron were entering, the buildings from what he could see of their remains had a unique architecture sharing only minimal similarities with that of Vaccuo; Gangrel realised that this was his peoples' homeland and had the Great War occurred differently he might well have grown up in the city below

"Radar detects incoming" the robotic voice of the Atlesian Knight informed him

"Where?" he demanded with a furious snarl

"forty-five degrees to the left, eighty-three degrees below"

"Ah shit" he growled to himself before opening the comm and contacting all of the robotic pilots under his command "Grimm incoming! Fire at will!" the first Grimm became visible rising from above the ruined buildings, pouring from shattered windows and holes in roofs. Gangrel saw the amount of airborne monsters heading their way and realised that an attempt to take the city had been anticipated, the reality of facing someone who truly controlled Grimm hitting him. Griffins and Nevermore were torn apart by the score as machine gun fire raked through them and missiles detonated in their midst, the sense of relief was short lived a sound that was simultaneously a piercing shriek and a deep warbling bass note sounded out and the Bull-head nearest to the Grimm's point of attack began a spiralling free fall to the ground. Gangrel bit out a curse at the realisation, he knew what these Grimm were even if he hadn't fought them directly before

"WE'VE GOT SCREAMERS INCOMING!" he bellowed back to Rover and Artemis as the first of the bat like Grimm came into view. Each of them had a wingspan wider than that of the Bull-heads and a body roughly three quarters the size, their wings were leathery with curved and serrated blades protruding from the ends of the finger bones. The tops of their skulls were completely encased in armour, having no visible eyes but ears each roughly the size of their heads, their lower jaws hung open distended and filled with jagged fangs; the air visibly warping with each of their screams. The Bull-heads' were fighting back but it was proving to be a futile effort

"Time to jump ship!" Gangrel barked as he ran back to Rover and Artemis frantically hitting the button to open the rear hatch of the craft, before it could open fully the shock wave of one of the Screamers' attacks passed through the Bull-Head knocking the air from their lungs and causing the lights of the interior to flicker and fade as the controls became unresponsive. A quick look over his shoulder showed that the Atlesian Knight piloting was slumped over the controls, sparking and deactivated. With a snarl Gangrel drew his sword and hacked at the half raised hatch, tearing it away before helping his team-mates out of their harnesses

"Go!" he barked "Regroup on the ground!" Rover and Artemis nodded, the feline clutching onto her partner as the two of them leapt from the rapidly falling craft together, Gangrel watched for a few moments and leapt after them focusing on the roof of a building that seemed to have no aircraft falling towards it and triggering his Semblance. Appearing on the roof with an echoing crack he rolled to a stop before lunging to his feet and instinctively drawing his weapons, Breaker scanning the skyline before he turned his attention to the destroyed streets below searching for any sign of his team-mates. The sound of grunting immediately below him caught his attention giving a fraction of a second to hurl himself aside as something launched itself at him. Returning to his feet Gangrel saw that the Grimm walked on its' knuckles and even on all fours stood a few inches taller than himself, a Beringrel and if the sounds coming from below were any indication there were more coming. The Beringrel on the roof lunged at him, Gangrel teleported behind it and fired twice into its' lower back causing it to howl in pain before the hooked blade of his sword tore through the base of its' spine. The second Beringrel clambered on to the roof only to be sent toppling back over by a kick to the chest, a third was gunned down the moment it climbed into view, a fourth was hurled from the walls of the building by a streak of golden lightning which halted for long enough to deposit Artemis beside him, revealing itself to be Rover before speeding off once more to hack and blast through the Grimm. The Beringrel pack was dealt with in short order and the three Faunus were left panting from the exertion

"Well, not exactly as planned" Artemis noted "But we're still alive"

"Yeah and let's be honest" Gangrel smirked "It's not like the tin-cans were gonna make much difference in clearing this shithole out"

"Uh, guys" Rover nodded in the opposite the direction from their approach. Gangrel and Artemis's jaws dropped in stunned silence at the sight that greeted them. An army of Grimm, there was no other way to describe; countless monsters moving in formation, a solid mass of darkness with four towering abominations at the head. One of the monstrosities turned, seemingly staring directly at the trio and letting loose a terrifying screech

"Well that's gonna make things….interesting" Artemis tried to sound nonchalant as one of the four Nuckelavee broke away from the main force, bringing countless Grimm with it as it stalked towards the ruins of the city

"Anyone's comm work?" Gangrel asked

"Not yet" Artemis admitted

"Screamer knocked 'em out" Rover growled "I can patch 'em up though"

"We can't take that many of them head on" Gangrel sighed "Fall back, we need to get in touch with Winter and tell her what's coming her way" with that the three of them searched for a building to take cover in and brace themselves.

* * *

Upon the bridge of the _Letzter-Atemzug,_ the replacement to the Friedenswatcher and new flagship of the Atlesian fleet; surrounded by the hurried activity and almost palpable tension of the upcoming battle, General Ironwood watched and waited. The battle group under his command could make it across the Fortress Reef but he knew that there would be substantial losses, furthermore that would only account for the first wave of ground troops; those tasked with setting up secure landing positions; the Paladin and tank divisions were being held in reserve and the transport ships that carried them were not as heavily armed, the veteran had no intention of rushing in overconfidently only to find himself cut off and outgunned.

"Sir" a crew member observing one of the myriad of tactical displays spoke, their tone worried "We have incoming from directly ahead. A single target, closing fast"

"Sir!" another crew member called "Activity detected from a nearby spawning pit. Radar detects multiple incoming hostiles"

"How many?" Ironwood demanded

"I can't count them all sir" Ironwoods' blood ran cold for a moment at the answer before he mastered himself and opened the comm, contacting the ships directly under his command

"We have incoming from two points, the smaller Grimm are a ruse to lure out our fighters. Prepare all weapons on capital ships and fire at will" confirmations and acknowledgements from the various captains could be heard over the comms as Ironwood gazed out of the main viewscreen of the command bridge, the oncoming swarm of airborne Grimm appearing as a single roiling mass as it approached; like an angry dark cloud that threatened to blot out the sun. the space between the two forces was set ablaze by a countless stream of missiles, laser batteries and photon cannons fired from the warships; reducing thousands of Grimm to wisps of fading darkness in a single salvo. Countless thousands more remained and began swarming towards the fleet, in the distance behind them a single mass of living darkness could be seen approaching on expansive leathery wings

"Target incoming!" one of the crew called "Oh my Oum….it's another Dragon!" Ironwood saw that he had no choice but to give the order

"All fighters, deploy and engage the smaller Grimm! All ships target that Dragon with everything you have!" he knew that many good men and women would die as a result but he had little choice, the Dragon represented an immediate and unavoidable to the entirety of the fleet if not met head on. The swarm of airborne Grimm broke apart into countless stream of monsters as the fighters' began deploying, the space between and around the ships being filled with countless dogfights as experience and tactics were pitted against inhuman savagery and hunger on a grand scale. The air was filled once again with countless barrages as the warships fired on the Dragon which flew with seemingly a single purpose

"Sir" one of Ironwoods' crew spoke up, giving an audible gulp before continuing "It's targeting us specifically, the Dragon has readjusted its' flight to match us and is on a collision course"

"Well then" the Generals' brow furrowed as he considered his options, deciding that fortune favoured the brave and choosing a course of action that under normal circumstances he would never consider "Cease fire and divert all auxiliary power to shields. Give me ramming speed!" his crew seemed to be equal parts terrified and exhilarated as they carried out his orders; the Letzter-Atemzug rushing forwards to meet the Dragon; massed fire from the other ships blasting holes in its' wings and armour faster than it could regenerate; the beast let out a horrific shriek of rage as it collided head first into the prow of the flagship. Lights flickering and sparks flying in the command bridge as Grimm matter met forcefield, the liquid darkness of the Dragons' body eventually giving way and evaporating

"Sir! Shields are down, we're effectively sitting ducks….But we did it sir" the entire bridge was a cacophony of cheers and exclamations of relief, the General allowed himself a small smile basking in the victory until he saw something that made his heart leap into his chest. A single bird landing on the unprotected prow of his ship. The Dragon had been nothing but a ploy to disable his shields and give the true threat access

"EVERYONE GET OFF THE BRIDGE NOW!" he roared, the moment of confusion between his issuing of the order and its' implementation cost several of his crew their lives; a maelstrom of blades ripped through the command bridge skewering men and women and pinning their bodies to the wall. Ironwood watched in revolted horror as the blades made of obsidian and deep purple crystal began to crack and Grimm matter began to seep from them at an alarming rate. Ironwoods' head whipped around to face the viewscreen which had been blown apart by the assault and saw the corrupted form of Raven Branwen stalking along the prow towards him, her Gatling-gun collapsing back into its' sheath form as she readied her katana. Ironwood rushed to the controls  
"Everyone onto the escape pods now! Captain Schnee of the Schleier Der Tranen is now acting commander of this mission….it's been an honour serving with you all" with that he seized the controls of the vessel while firing over his shoulder at the first of the Grimm to be spawned by Ravens' blades as Raven herself reached the bridge; without a second thought he sent the ship diving downwards on a collision course with the nearest Spawning Pit.

* * *

Those aboard The Mule waited with tense anticipation as the freighter drifted towards its' target. The nose mounted camera of the Bull-Head sending footage to Penny's scroll allowed them to see where they were going despite the lack of control they currently had

"Any minute now" Orchid murmured as the footage was filled with the condensed darkness that made up the body of the Fortress Reef

"This is absurdly reckless" Weiss whispered moments before dull thudding sounds could be heard above them

"What was that?" Oscar demanded, voice trembling with panic

"Smaller Grimm" Qrow answered bluntly "The reef spawns them, it's seeing if we're a threat"

"Oh we're a threat" Yang chuckles darkly "It's about to get it's insides reef-furbished"

"Y'know" Noctis chuckled at the pun "For a human, island dwelling Hick, you're not too bad" anything he wished to add was cut off by the screech of metal assaulting their ears

"That's the hull hitting the reef, it's go time!" Orchid roared producing a small detonator and pressing the red button in its' centre. Weiss threw protective glyphs around them and Oscar readied the Wizards' powers, hoping to rob any shrapnel of its' momentum before it hit one of his friends. The explosion was deafening, the crash vault they had taken refuge within being shaken and pelted by shrapnel and debris, the Bull-head they had arrived on had no doubt been destroyed entirely

"NOW!" Orchid roared "WE NEED TO GO NOW!" Noctis rushed forwards, his shotgun loaded with Gravity Dust rounds blasting through the hinges and locks of the vault door allowing Yang to shoulder-barge it out of their path, Weiss created a protective barrier as Blake and Penny ran out after her, weapons blazing as they rushed through the shredded and burned remains of the ship and into the gaping quarter mile wide wound blasted into the body of the Fortress Reef

"It's already regenerating!" Qrow bellowed, eyes widening as the crystalline structure began to recover

"We've got incoming!" Blake added as amphibious Grimm began to crawl from the depths to defend the reef

"Well let's take the gloves off" Yang snarled as she let loose a jet of Aura fuelled flames from her left palm "Or put them on" she smirked reaching over her shoulder with her cybernetic right arm as her gauntlets deployed, the right connecting with the upgrade slung over her back and the arm itself; a series of mechanical clicks and whirring could be heard followed by a dull thrumming as the weapon powered up

"How on Remnant did you get a plasma cannon?" Weiss demanded

"Probably better not to ask" the blonde answered conversationally as she readied the weapon, her right arm integrated with it up to the elbow and her left holding it steady. The first bast unleashed a spread of burning turquoise plasma that destroyed countless Grimm on impact, the projectile splashing onto nearby monsters and boiling their flesh as Noctis, Penny, Weiss, Blake, Oscar and Qrow added their considerable combined firepower to the assault

"Nice, but now it's our turn" with that Orchids' eyes and fists began to glow with the powers of the Winter Maiden "Ruby stop it regrowing the pieces I rip off"

"Can do" Ruby gave a confident smile as her silver eyes began to glow, her entire body seemingly lit from within by a pure white light as the pair unleashed their powers in tandem. The light of the Silver Eyed Warrior dissolved the attacking Grimm with ease and began eroding the structure of the fortress reef as the Winter Maiden began freezing the waves as they crashed against it and turning the water below into towering frozen spires which burst through it in dozens of places, breaking the gigantic Grimm apart piece by piece

"It's not so tough when it can't regrow" Oscar grinned as he aimed Omega Genysis and fired, blasting a chunk of the Grimm away

"Ruby can't keep this up for ever though" Yang pointed out, Qrow nodded in agreement activating his comm, contacting Winter

"Hey ice queen, pretty sure you can see but you've got you're opening. Feel free to help out and deal with the rest of it" as he ended the transmission he turned to Ruby who staggered forwards as the light of her powers faded, Penny rushing to catch her

"Are you okay?" the copper haired girl asked anxiously, Ruby brushed her hair from her face and gave a soft smile before kissing her lips

"I'm sensational"

"That's cute and all but we've got about fifteen seconds before we got bombed out of existence" Qrow noted with a roll of his eyes before turning to Oscar "A little help?" the young Wizard holstered his weapon and prepared to tap into his powers

"I can't carry you all in one run and freezing time long enough to get you all ashore might be too much. You're gonna have to swim a little" with that said he unleashed his powers' time freezing around him as the first missile hit. He allowed himself a moment to admire the beauty of an explosion frozen in time before grabbing the first of his allies and dragging them free of the blast radius then going back for the next.

* * *

Ironwood emerged from the Spawning Pit with a roar of triumph before collapsing to the ground, Aura all but spent. Crawling forwards on his hands and knees he eventually managed to return to his feet and turn to face the pit. His flagship was beyond repair, its' entire front half sunken into the liquid darkness as a result of his act of mutual destruction, though he supposed it was a more suitable end than that of his previous vessel. His uniform was in tatters, as was the synthetic flesh grafted over his prosthetics though the limbs themselves seemed to be fully functional. Drawing his pistol the General looked around, expecting to be ambushed by Grimm at any moment; then he saw her. Standing atop one of the rear nacelles of his downed warship, katana in hand, unharmed by the crash and seemingly waiting for him was Raven Branwen. Raven turned to face the all but obliterated spawning pit and as her gaze fell upon it the surface began to ripple and bubble. Ironwood stepped back, bracing himself for its' final spawning. With a resounding screech the Gojirex began to rise from the pit and Ironwood realised that he was hopelessly outmatched, his blood ran colder still will as the being that once been Raven Branwen gestured to the freshly spawned Grimm and then pointed in the direction of the shores his troops had hoped to land at; as if following her commands the Gojirex roared again, flames spewing from its' jaws as it stomped off towards the coastline

"I'm sorry it came to this Branwen" Ironwood called up to Raven before firing. Raven simply stepped backwards through a portal that opened behind her, seeing this Ironwood instinctively threw himself to the side narrowly avoiding bolts of lightning as Raven tapped into the powers of the Fall Maiden. His next shots hit their mark, a single shot connecting with his enemies' skull directly above her left eye, a further two impacting against her chest; they did nothing, the liquid darkness of her armour rippled and reformed and whatever had become of Raven she was still alive enough to possess an Aura which repulsed the bullets with ease. There was a moment of tense stillness as both fighters sized each other up preparing their next move, then they both lunged forwards, Ironwood switching his pistol to his left hand as he saw Ravens' blade aimed for his throat; getting inside her guard he drove his mechanical elbow into her face before grabbing her wrist in a crushing grip as she staggered back and unloading his weapon into her gut until it clicked empty. As the Grimm matter encasing Raven reformed and she fixed him with a cold, calculating gaze Ironwood realised that he'd been taken for a fool. Raven's left arm grabbed his Cybernetic limb which still held her dominant hand firmly in place, as her eyes and fists began to blaze with the magenta light of the Summer Maidens' power the metal began to glow; the General screamed in pain as sensors were overloaded by the heat of Raven simply melting through the armour of the cybernetic limb before grabbing the steel skeleton within and ripping it away. Ironwood staggered back, weapon falling to the ground as he clutched the molten stump of his arm. Desolate ground cracked beneath Raven as she advanced, hearing her stalk towards him he made to dive for his pistol, Ravens' sword flashed out and the lifeless body of General James Ironwood crumpled to the ground, his severed head rolling away. Before the feral and murderous instinct which now controlled Ravens' body could savour its' victory a presence encroached upon their shared mind; the direct influence of Salem; standing disoriented for a few moments as the feeling faded Raven made to act on her new orders. The Winter Maiden was going to reach the shores of Menagerie; sheathing her blade and picking the Generals' head from the ground she took her grisly trophy with her as she went in search of her next prey.

 **Authors Notes:**

Welcome to the beginning of the end. This is the start of the final battle and it promises to be hard fought. Chapter 118 will be the epilogue of this story and I have every scene of every remaining chapter planned out.

Let's summarise:  
Using the first villains' personal ship to start the final attack; it all comes full circle.  
Noctis isn't a good person by any stretch, he's proud of every crime he committed on Adams' orders but he has his principals and 'You never leave an ally behind' is one that's shared by most of the White Fang.  
Also _"Don't tell me you stayed behind to confess your feelings or some other shit"_ because we should acknowledge the tropes even if we don't partake in them.  
Yang puns, and all is right in the world.  
Told ya, Orchids' plan is crazy. The White Fang always needs a charismatic leader who isn't afraid to push the boundaries of what should be possible. Orchid is actually a spiritual successor to Adam Taurus before he went off the rails in that respect.  
Da-Chengshi: Literally 'Big city' in traditional Chinese (According to Google Translate) I tried to find a translation for Kuo-Kuana on google but I couldn't find anything exact, the nearest it had were some similarly spelt words in Mandarin.  
Of course if you want a ruined city clearing out you send a veteran of Lower Atlas to lead it, Gang is the natural choice.  
The reality of fighting Grimm on Salem's home turf is beginning to sink in now isn't it. She knows what kind of tactics the military are going to use and set up nests of Grimm to wait.  
Screamers with EMP shrieks, I mentioned them back in Vol.2 (When Team CFVY went beyond Vales' front line) but never showed them. Enjoy.  
I had to have a Beringrel in this story somewhere.  
Team GRA_ are now in a ruined city cut off from all support and have a Nuckelavee leading a portion of Salem's army coming their way, let's see how they handle that.  
Letzter-Atemzug: Last Breath in German (Again according to Google translate) not exactly subtle with the foreshadowing there.  
Yes Ironwood played chicken with a Dragon.  
That's how those land based Grimm got onto the warship before. Ravens' sheath is a Gatling-gun (As shown in her fight against Cinder at the bio-domes) it now shoots blades made of compressed Grimm, like what Salem's lair is made of.  
Yangs' upgraded weapon, a Plasma Cannon that fits over the right half of Ember Celica and syncs up with her cybernetic arm. If you want to know how I imagine the weapon then google "Warhammer 40K Space Marine plasma cannon"  
Ruby and Orchid working in tandem, there's not a great deal that can stand up to that kind of attack.  
Ruby repeating Penny's trademark lines back to her will never not be adorable to me.  
Also, support role Oscar; you don't have to kill a thousand Grimm a minute to be useful….but it does help.  
Did you really think either Raven or Ironwood were going down that easily?  
Have a Gojirex, haven't had one of those for a while.  
Yeah you read that right, Raven melted her way through the armour of Ironwood's prosthetic then ripped it off, then decapitated him  
Now she's going after the Winter Maiden, carrying a severed head.

Thank you to Antonio+Beltran, FleetOfWarships and MariamTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
I see I left a few people with watery eyes. I'm not gonna lie I was in the same situation as I wrote it.  
If you like that Rover and Artemis scene well just wait, I've got a couple more up my sleeve.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	113. 113: The End Of Winter

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 113: The End of Winter**

Winters' eyes frantically darted from each tactical display to the next as she took in the deluge of information assaulting her senses. Since the flagship had gone down she had assumed overall command of the fleet, her first order being to rain fire and death upon the Fortress Reef when Qrow called in for air support. Whatever he, Team RWBY and the others had done to the enormous creature had been effective; clouds of dissolving darkness filled the sky as it failed to regenerate itself, it still fought back however and several ships had been damaged or downed by its' retaliation, her own vessel hadn't escaped unscathed. Winters' next order had been to get the first wave over the reef and towards designated landing areas, giving the fleet somewhere to secure and land their heavier weapons and provide those soldiers and crew members who had departed their ships in escape pods somewhere to fall back to.

"Captain Cobramaru Purple reporting in, we're preparing to land"

"Captain Jesse Pinkman reporting in" Winter watched as a particularly large Nevermore was blasted apart in the distance "Take that, bitch! We're preparing to land now commander Schnee"

"Captain Walter White reporting in"

"Captain Jack Black reporting in" Winter allowed herself to take a deep breath and relax for a moment, the worst of it was over. Seemingly summoned by her hubris a desperate voice screamed into the comm

"This acting commander Amanda Walnut of the Bügeleisen! Commander Soleil is dead, most of the bridge crew are dead! We're going down!" Winter bit back a curse before turning to one of her bridge crew

"Get me their projected point of impact!"

"Already on it ma'am" came the immediate reply "Ma'am they're going down a long way outside of our area of control and they have Grimm on their tail" Winters' eyes narrowed as she thought to herself before speaking directly into the ships intercom

"Team CFVY, you have new orders. Take a Bull-head and bring back any survivors of the Bügeleisen, I'm sending you co-ordinates now" she had only a moment to wait before she received her reply

"Aye aye captain Schnee!"

* * *

Team RWBY finally reached the shore the others a few steps behind them, Yang supporting Ruby whose use of her powers had left her a little unsteady. After being dragged free of the Atlesian fleets' initial salvo by Oscar, Orchid had used her powers to freeze the seawater around them and create a path which they could walk on

"We made it!" Ruby exclaimed

"Was it ever in doubt?" Weiss shot her partner a sly smile which Ruby couldn't help but return before turning extending a hand to Penny whom she helped off of the frozen path and onto solid ground

"Where are we?" Yang asked, looking around several destroyed an abandoned building were visible; the remains of a dock could be seen in the distance

"Kuo-Kuana" Blake replied "According to the information we have it was a small port city that traded with Mistral before the Great War"

"So where to now?" Orchid asked, Noctis behind her readying his shotgun

"The fleet seems to be regrouping, we're now to the east of their landing area rather in the centre of it" Penny pointed out "I'd estimate it would take us roughly ninety minutes to regroup with the others. Alternatively Kuo-Kuana town hall may still be standing, we could fortify that and engage any Grimm that move to flank the main force"

"I can scout ahead, see if the town hall is still standing" Ruby offered "We can make a decision when we know more" before anyone else could speak they all recoiled and drew their weapons as a crimson portal opened above their heads with the sound of tortured screaming; dropping something through before closing again

"That was-"

"Oh my Oum!" Rubys' horrified shout cut over Yangs' voice as the scythe wielder pointed at the object that had been dropped to the ground. Everyone present struggled to keep the bile from rising in their throats at the sight of severed head of General Ironwood lying between them

"Form up!" Qrow barked "She's deliberately trying to scare us to throw us off guard!"

"She's here for me isn't she?" Orchid asked in a terrified whisper "This is the one that kills Maidens?" nobody answered, instead the Hunters, Noctis and Oscar surrounded her each drawing their weapons and readying themselves for the inevitable

"I see her!" Ruby snapped off a shot from Crescent Rose into the portal the moment it appeared in front of her, only for a small bird to fly from the void and into a smaller portal which opened in front of it narrowly avoiding a burst of gunfire from Blakes' gauntlet.

"I think not" Weiss snarled as she placed the strongest protective Glyph she could muster directly in front of a freshly opening portal, effectively barring their enemies' exit. The portal vanished, the next attack came moments later, though none of them were prepared for the brutality of it; a portal appeared on the ground behind Noctis, Ravens' taloned hands reaching from it and grabbing the scorpion Faunus by the ankles, dragging him into the swirling void; his stinger stabbed at his unseen attacker frantically as he struggled to turn around and fire his weapon; when he was pulled into the portal to his ribs, desperately trying to claw himself free the portal closed. There were a few moments where the only sound was the pained gurgling of Noctis Pandinus' last moments, the others too stunned by his death and the way it had occurred to say or do anything. Orchid was the first to snap out of her daze and ran forwards, clutching what remained of her friends' body, the sound of Ruby and Oscar retching violently could be heard behind her

"I told you to go back to Vaccuo, I told you to leave the ship and go. Why didn't you listen….I wanted you to stay safe" her tears froze as they fell, her body slowly enveloping itself in the cold blue light of the Winter Maiden as she rose to her feet, frost spreading out and cracking the blasted earth beneath her "She dies for this. SHE FUCKING DIES FOR THIS!" a portal opened behind her, she span and froze the moisture in the air hoping to encase her adversary in an icy tomb

"IT'S A DISTRACTION!" Qrow's bellowed warning came a moment too late, another portal opened behind her and Orchid felt herself be grabbed and dragged through it.

"We have to go after her!" Yang demanded, irises blazing red

"Go where?, they just vanished" Oscar countered "She probably took her to Salem"

"No" Qrow shook his head "She took Orchid somewhere to isolate her and face her one on one. Taking her directly to Salem while she's fighting back would be too much of a risk"

"Then we find them!" Ruby insisted "Uncle Qrow we can split up and scout ahead"

"And the rest of us?" Weiss asked nervously, Qrow thought for a moment

"Stick to the plan. Kuo-Kuana town hall, set up and pick off any Grimm trying to flank, we'll contact you if anything changes"

"I'm not sitting here and-"  
"THIS IS BIGGER THAN US AND HOW MUCH WE WANT HER BACK YANG!" Qrow bellowed as he cut his eldest niece off before shaking his head and giving her an apologetic look "I'm sorry….we'll contact you when we find them" with that Qrow shifted into his avian form and took to the air as Ruby sped off into the distance leaving a trail of petals behind her.

* * *

Team CFVY watched from the cockpit as Velvet piloted them towards their target, having insisted on being shown how the controls of the craft worked by one of the pilots so that her Semblance could mimic the skill.

"Holy shit" Coco breathed out

"What?" Fox asked nervously "I can't sense anything from here"

"Part of that massive Grimm force has broken off" Coco informed him, the warships had picked up Salem's forces moving towards them by the seismic activity caused by that many monsters acting in unison

"One of the Grimm that seems to be commanding them seems to have the same objective as us" Yatsuhashi added, brow creasing with trepidation as he saw the Nuckelavee in the distance below, the length of its' stride allowing them to rapidly close the distance

"Velvet, babe" Coco motioned towards the radar where several blips could be seen "We've got incoming behind us"

"I see 'em" Velvet nodded through gritted teeth "Drop the hatch and lend me a hand"

"With pleasure" Coco gave her a cocky grin and a wink from over her sunglasses before making her way into the rear compartment of the craft, Yatsuhashi choosing to join her; moments later the air was filled with the sounds of gunfire, the deep booming of Yatsuhashi's Semblance unleashing waves of concussive force from his palms and the shrieking of dying Grimm

"There's way too many!" Coco called back as she paused to reload "We can't get rid of all of of 'em!" her warning was punctuated by the craft being rocked and buffeted to the side as a pair of Griffins managed to latch onto the right wing mounted engine and being tearing into its' workings, smoke billowing as Velvet lost control of the Bull-head

"Well this brings back memories" Fox snarked as he and Velvet rushed into the rear hatch where Coco and Yatsuhashi were holding on for dear life

"Okay everyone hold onto me" the Rabbit-Faunus instructed "I've got a plan" the moment her team-mates complied Velvet allowed herself to fall from the rear hatch, wind whipping around her as she focused and triggered Leporidae Rampant; the weapons' upgrades making themselves apparent as an entire Bull-head made of translucent blue light formed itself around them with Velvet at the controls

"HOLY OUM THAT WAS AMAZING!" Fox cackled

"And to think you ever doubted how bad-ass you are" Coco chuckled, wrapping her arms around her shoulders from behind

"We're not out of the woods yet" Velvet warned them, an explosion behind them alerted them to the fact that their Bull-head had hit the ground, the Grimm which had followed it down were now sure to be on their tail

"There's the Bügeleisen up ahead….or what's left of it" Yatsuhashi motioned to the smoking and heavily damaged remains of a light cruiser laying on its' side and the end of an enormous gouge torn into the ground; it's hull riddled with with holes and its' nacelles torn away

"Damn" Coco said bluntly

"I'll bring us down and lend you a hand" Velvet told her "Use the ship as cover and thin down as many of those Grimm as you can before the big one gets here. I'm gonna see whose left aboard"

"Okay, we can do that" Coco nodded, happy to let Velvet take control of the situation "Wait, lend us a hand how?" Velvet merely smirked at the question

"Landing strategies!" with that warning she vanished the Bull-head, creating a replica of the shoulder mounted thrusters worn by Atlesian drop troops and catching Coco; Fox merely curled and allowed himself to fall before lashing out as he neared the downed warship, arm mounted blades digging into the hull and slowing his decent; Yatsuhashi sped past them riding his sword like a surfboard and using his Semblance to steer himself. Velvet vanished the replica armour as the four of the regrouped on the ground, searching for an opening

"We've got incoming" Fox warned them, the sound of the Nuckelavee's footfalls could be heard drawing closer, as could the roars and snarls of the Grimm under its' command

"These should at least be a distraction" Velvet answered before using her weapon to create a squad of two dozen replica Atlesian Knights, leaving her team-mates in stunned silence as she leapt into one of the many tears in the hull of the Bügeleisen.

Sprinting through darkened hallways, her eyes rapidly adjusting to the gloom, Velvet searched for any sign of survivors. Struggling to keep her balance as she bounded around another corner the sound of voices and metallic crashing reached her ears, making her way to the source of the noise brought her to the ships' mess-hall and forcing the door open revealed the hall to be filled with dozens of soldiers hurriedly taking every knife and meat cleaver from the kitchens they could scavenge and adding it to their own weapons, they all seemed to be carrying far more ammunition than was the norm; further inspection of them brought two things to Velvets' attention firstly that their armour was a variant that she hadn't encountered before, lighter with no helmet and luminous orange markings, secondly they were all Faunus. Velvet cleared her throat and called out to them

"I'm a Huntress, I'm here with my team to get you all to safety!" there were a few moments where the soldiers all fixed with suspicious stares before one of them spat

"They sent Hunters here to kill us!" Velvet was utterly dumbstruck

"What?" another Faunus answered, antennae wavering in front of their face as they spoke

"First Mate Walnut was our handler, she died in the crash" seeing that Velvet still had no idea what they were talking about they continued "We're part of the Atlesian Penal Legion….Apparently the name Suicide Squad was already taken. Ironwood came to all the White Fang who sided with the military when Eisenstadt Siebte was attacked and were put in jail after; offered us a lot of time off of our sentences if we sign up for this mission"

"So why would I be here to kill you?" Velvet asked, the first Faunus who had spoken answered her with a mocking snort

"It's a unit made of former terrorists, our amour has the shiny marking on it so the humans can see us in the dark and shoot us in the back if we try to run. If we turn up with no handler then it'll be assumed that we got rid of them" Velvet was once again stunned by the sheer callousness of the Atlesian government towards its' populace, forcing herself to focus she spoke again

"Winter Schnee has taken control of the mission, she personally sent Team CFVY on a rescue mission. If you show up with us I can personally vouch for you" there were a few mutters of disbelief until a third voice spoke up, a canine Faunus with large drooping ears stepping forwards; Velvet struggled not to recoil at the horrific scarring on his face, it appeared as if one of the larger variety of Grimm had gnawed on his skull

"Ex-Captain Scarlatina, thought I recognised you" he chuckled "You led the group of White Fang I was with after Teddy Russet was injured in Lower Atlas"

"Yeah, yeah I did" Velvet couldn't remember the Faunus she was speaking to specifically but this was clearly her way of regaining control of the situation, the canine Faunus simply nodded and turned to his comrades

"Okay, I'll vouch for her and her team. She's one of us and they're not so bad. Come on let's go win the humans war for 'em" a deafening screech sounded outside

"I need your help, right now!" Velvet implored before turning and sprinting as fast as her legs would carry her back the way she had came, leaping out of the wreckage of the downed ship with a furious roar she brought her heel down onto the skull of a Beowolf attempting to get behind fox, crushing the bone before rushing forward and creating a replica copy of Yatsuhashi's sword, Liequan and neatly bisecting a Beringrel before coming to a halt as she took the sight of the monstrosity before her. The Nuckelavee stood at roughly three times her height and pawed the ground menacingly, smoke billowing from the mouth of its' equine skull. Without warning one its' arms lashed out, extending far beyond the reach it should have had; only Coco tackling her to the ground saved Velvet from being crushed. The air was filled with gunfire as the Atlesian Penal Legion rushed into the fray, putting the additional weaponry they had looted from their ship to good use

"Those Atlesian Knights made a difference, don't suppose you've got any more?" Coco asked, Velvet gave her a grin and rolled to her feet readying her weapon

"Technically wasn't supposed to have access to these but oh well" she laughed as she created a replica of an Atlesian Paladin, the fully automated variety that she and Adam had faced down on her first mission as part of the White Fang; the construct began unleashing every weapon it had on the Nuckelavee, instantly earning the beasts' ire

"Focus on the smaller Grimm, we'll take care of this!" Coco called to the soldiers before reloading Satani Arbor, Velvet could see explosive Dust rounds

"Fox, Yatsu! go for the heads, we'll give you an opening!" the fashionista ordered. Velvet hearing the order created her own copy of her team leaders' Mini-gun before the two of them sprinted around the Nuckelavee, each of them taking a position on opposite sides of the beast as it tore the summoned Paladin to shreds. The moment they opened fire the Grimm shrieked in fury, arms flailing in a desperate attempt to swat its' attackers

"Yatsu now!" Coco bellowed, the giant of a man rushed forwards sword at the ready and buried the blade to the hilt in the equine skull of the Grimm before stepping back and focusing his Semblance, with a grunt of exertion he unleashed a blast of force which embedded Liequan further into the monster, several inches of its' blade protruding from its' spine where the humanoid and equine halves met. The legs of the beast buckled and Fox came hurtling seemingly from nowhere, blades digging into Grimm flesh as he leapt onto its' back and scaled his way to its' shoulders before crossing his blades over its' neck and cutting its' throat

"That" Coco panted as the Nuckelavee began to fade away "Has got to be the ugliest Grimm I've ever seen"

"By a wide margin" Yatsuhashi agreed as he retrieved his sword. Velvet created a replica of Crescent Rose in its' rifle form in her hands and picked off the last few Grimm that the Atlesian Penal Legion were battling with before answering

"But we beat it and we did what we came here to do" looking up she saw that the sun was setting, night fall would be soon, she chewed her lip nervously before continuing "But it's gonna be a long walk back"

* * *

Warning sirens blared throughout the bridge of the Schleier Der Tranen. Between the battle against the grievously wounded Fortress Reef and seemingly endless tide of airborne Grimm that the two Nuckelavee on the ground below seemed to have at their disposal the ship couldn't take much more

"Shields are fluctuating Ma'am, estimated less than a minute until failure!"

"Power surge has damaged the secondary reactor!"

"Primary and secondary photon accelerators have overheated, laser batteries four, nine and seventeen have been totally destroyed by Grimm" Matte growled in frustration

"Ma'am Nevermore seem to be targeting their attacks on our hangars!" Winter rubbed her temples at the constant stream of bad news. The Grimm under the command of the Nuckelavee had been disturbingly intelligent in their attacks, swarming hangars as fighters deployed, running fighters into the forcefields of warships and weaving their way between ships to avoid being destroyed by weapons batteries that couldn't hit them without indirectly attacking their allies, the sheer volume of the monsters in the air had dragged down yet more of her fleet.

"Port, what's the situation on the ground?" Winter demanded into the comm, the veteran from Vale had been acting as commander of the forces making landing"

"Over seventy percent of our remaining forces have made landing" the mans' voice replied "Though the enemy is determined to bring the fight to us" Winter grit her teeth and made a decision

"Port, my First Mate will be bringing my forces to you"

"Understood"

"Captain, Winter no" Matte gasped as she realised what Winter intended, a horrified expression on their face

"Sacrifices have to be made" the specialist breathed out before pulling Matte into a hug "Be safe" Matte nodded, blinking tears from their eyes before running from the bridge towards the hangar the rest of the bridge crew behind them as Winter began the final preparations. As they made their into the hangar they caught sight of flashes of pink and green amid the bustle of activity

"Ren! Valkyrie!" Matte bellowed out getting their attention "With me! We're taking a Bull-Head!"

"Aye aye" Nora grinned enthusiastically. The trio rushed onto one of the few empty remaining craft, Matte forgoing the pre-flight checks and frantically firing up the engines

"What's the plan" Ren asked as the Bull-head exited the hangar

"We're stopping her from throwing her life away" Matte ground out wiping their eyes

"Oh my Oum" Nora gasped as she saw the Schleier Der Tranen begin to tilt forwards and begin a nose dive towards the nearest of the two Nuckelavee leading the Grimms' charge. The ground shook and the resounding boom seemed to rattle the entire sky as the warship ploughed into the ground at speed; utterly destroying the Nuckelavee and countless thousands of smaller Grimm as it tore into the earth, it's entire prow imploding and shearing apart

"No no no" Matte muttered to themselves as the Bull-head sped towards the wreckage, skidding to a halt, landing gear sparking and groaning under the stress.

"We have to get her out!" Matte bellowed as they leapt from the craft, Ren and Nora at their heels. Matte's twin high calibre pistols ripped through Grimm that crawled free of the wreckage, Magnhild and the Storm-Flowers adding to the onslaught. With no warning a Beringrel lumbered along the ruined hull and leapt at Matte only to be impaled by a pair of blades on chains and dragged over their heads, Matte along with Ren and Nora turned in shock to see the Beringrel pulled towards Emerald Sustrai who shifted the Artful Dodgers back to their pistol forms and shot the Grimm in the stomach before Mercury, who had at some point in his absence rebuilt his greaves deliver a punishing axe kick to its' face and discharge a Gravity Dust shell through its' skull

"The base full of refugees we were helping out at sent some troops" the former mercenary explained with a shrug when he saw their faces

"Miss us?" Emerald asked with a cocky grin

"Wait here and cover me" was Matte's only reply as they rushed into the remains of the ship through one of the many gaping holes in its' hull, sparks flying everywhere and the smell of burning assaulting their nostrils. Shoulder barging doors and tearing panels aside they eventually made their way to the bridge and found her

"Winter!" Matte rushed to her side; Winter lay unmoving, her hair and uniform stained with blood, though her eyes moved beneath their lids

"Matte" she managed to groan out as her eyes opened

"Come on, I'm getting you out"

"That may be a problem" Winter gestured with broken fingers to her left leg which was trapped beneath the remains of the ceiling, both clearly broken and pierced by a jagged shard of steel

"I can get you out" Matte insisted "Ren, Valkyrie, Sustrai and Black are outside. We can move this and carry you"

"No" Winter murmured, blood trickling from her lips as she forced the words out "Have you got any Fire Dust?"

"I have….what are you planning?"

"I need you to amputate the leg. My Aura won't be able to heal the rest of me it's bust trying to heal this much damage" she managed to unsheathe her cutlass and hold it out to her First Mate

"Winter" Matte struggled to maintain any semblance of composure as she took the weapon, Winter grimaced clenched her teeth

"Try and get it in one swing" Matte nodded before bringing the blade down.

* * *

The ground cracked as Orchid impacted against it and rolled to a stop, lashing out with a kick as she struggled to her feet and cast her eyes around in search of Raven

"Where the fuck are you, get out here so I can snap your fucking spine!" she screamed in rage. The sound of footsteps was her only warning; whipping around to face the sound she channelled the power of Winter Maiden through her palms at the exact moment Raven unleashed the power of the Summer Maiden, the twin blasts connecting with devastating force and producing a searing steam which filled their impromptu battlefield, Orchid froze the moisture using it to form a blade of condensed ice. Raven had a similar idea, channelling the powers of the Fall Maiden and sending a powerful electrical current through the moisture in the air, blasting the Rabbit-Faunus to the ground, her makeshift weapon flying from her grasp. Bringing herself to a crouch Orchid saw the outline of Raven rushing toward her, blade aimed to impale, focusing she caught the blade of the katana between her palms feeling the metal cut through her flesh as she began to subject it to her powers, after a few moments of struggling against each other Orchid snapped Ravens' frozen blade neatly in half. Raven merely threw the blade aside and struck her across the face before grabbing the Faunus by the throat and opening another portal, Orchid had no chance prepare herself as they reappeared in the air Raven simply hurling her downwards. The ground cracked as the Winter Maiden impacted against it, Raven landing almost soundlessly several feet away, taloned claws extending as she approached

"You think you've won?" Orchid spat, coughing blood out as she reached into her pockets "You wanna steal my power? I'm the head of the fucking White Fang, nobody steals from me and walks away" she was silenced by Ravens' boot connecting with her chest, the corrupted Maiden holding her palm over Orchids' face, the Grimm matter encasing her bubbling as the parasite within burrowed to the surface, mandibles snapping angrily. Orchid gave a cruel smile and motioned towards the items in her hands; in her right hand she held several phials of Gravity and Incendiary Dust, the perfect mixture for explosive results. In her left hand she held a grenade. Orchid closed her eyes and concentrated on the face on a young girl from Vaccuo she knew, a tomboyish Faunus that always seemed to be in trouble hanging around with her brothers' friends and shoplifting. Someone with no clear connection to herself who would be a suitable candidate for the Winter Maidens' powers. Then she pulled the pin and everything went white.

 **Authors Notes:**

The battle is well and truly underway now

That title is a double meaning, the Winter Maiden is dead and Winter is pretty much out of the fight for now.

Let's summarise:  
Ruby and Orchid made a start on the Fortress Reef and its' dead now but that thing was just too massive to get rid of in one go.  
Yes I threw in Gundam and Breaking Bad references (And Jack Black) just to give you the false hope that maybe, just maybe thing weren't going to be bleak.  
Amanda Walnut is Amanda 'The Wall' Waller.  
Ciel Soleil just lost became an orphan (Also in the one-shot set ten years after this story its' revealed that Neon Katt lost her parents in this battle as well)  
Kuo-Kuana got a name drop.  
Yes Raven used a severed head as a distraction.  
Yeah that was a needlessly brutal way to kill Noctis, but it underlines the point that Raven is never to be underestimated.  
Also fun fact, nobody actually saw Raven before she took Orchid; they don't know what she looks like now.  
I think Yang was going to lose sight of the goal, wanting Raven back as been one of her driving forces since childhood and it's only worse after meeting her and losing her again; Qrow needed to snap her out of it or she would get herself killed.  
Yeah I told you Velvet's weapon got an upgrade.  
The Atlesian Penal Legion, somewhere between the Penal Legions of Warhammer 40k and the Suicide Squad, although they were at least offered a choice.  
Atlas government will always be fucking shit bags.  
Funny how the original head of the White Fang offered Blake a job but a lot of the current White Fang grunts seem willing to follow Velvet into battle.  
Two of four Nuckelavee left, one hunting Team GRAP and another one leading the main attack.  
Port and Oobleck are here, the Vale and Mistrali forces have caught up so expect to see some more familiar faces.  
Matte is more loyal to Winter than she is to orders.  
Merc & Em are back for the final battle (Also Merc has no personal attachment to his signature weapons but I imagine Emerald talking him into making a new pair….Em can probably persuade Merc to do anything given sufficient time).  
Yeah, Winter just lost her left leg from the knee down.  
Orchid versus Raven was comically mismatched, though Orchid's final fuck you was pretty genius. Take herself out and ensure that the power goes to someone else that has no connection to her before Raven can steal it.  
Also if anyone wonders why Raven isn't using the Spring Maidens' power, remember, Menagerie is Salem's domain and it has spawning pits everywhere. Nothing grows on Menagerie so there's nothing for the Spring Maidens' power to act on.

Thank you to FleetOfWarships, MariamTheLibrarian22 and FallenTitan88 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
You thought the last chapter was intense, I've still got more.  
Also you didn't really think taking heads off was the extent of Raven's brutality did you? Come on this is Cinder's first choice for Maiden we're talking about, Cinder was only ever a plan B

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	114. 114: The Long Night

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 114: The Long Night**

The dying Atlesian Huntress clutched desperately at Ren, blood staining her uniform as it spilled from wounds inflicted by the remaining Nuckelavee still leading the Grimm horde; his Semblance helping her find peace in her final moments. Night had fallen by the time he, Nora, Mercury, Emerald and Matte had made it back to the relative safety of the Atlesian battle lines; the wounded Specialist had been taken by medics and rushed to the sick bay of one of the warships that had managed to land safely leaving the rest of them to hold the line. There were still Atlesian ships landing behind them, mostly transports containing tanks and battle-suits; preventing the Grimm from getting into the landing zone had been designated top priority and Hunters and soldiers alike were fighting to their last breath to achieve it

"We lost her" Ren informed Nora when he saw her looking his way from her position taking cover nearby; his voice monotone as he forced himself to control the rage that most of his friends never realised was never far below the surface. A thud next to him got his attention, he brought the Storm-Flowers to bear with his fingers already on the triggers before he realised that it was simply Mercury jumping over the wreckage of a Bull-head that he was covering behind, a brief glance revealed Emerald retreating to join them while her weapons the Artful Dodgers swept her surroundings giving Nora a chance to rush towards him, closing the short difference with a roll while keeping Magnhild ready in its' grenade launcher form

"We're gonna be fine" she assured Ren, stroking the scar on his face "We're gonna make it"

"Another ship's about to land" Mercury noted with a grimace "Which probably means the Grimm are about to make another push….and I don't see anyone else nearby to lend a hand"

"We've always been fine on our own" Emerald shrugged as she finished reloading, trying to keep the tension she felt from creeping into her voice

"We were fine on our own for years" Nora agreed sadly "Still wish we had Jaune and Pyrrha here for this though" at the thought of his fallen friends Ren's calm facade shattered and he streaked around their makeshift cover; his pistols unleashing a ceaseless stream of fire into the oncoming Grimm that rushed towards him. A trio of grenades soared over his head, exploding in the midst of the living darkness and the sound of Magnhild being converted to its' hammer mode told Ren that Nora was right behind him. A particularly large Beowolf that tried to flank him found itself dragged to the ground by Emeralds' sickles and dispatched by Mercury who simply fired his greaves as he ran over it in his own charge; the Storm-Flowers clicked empty as the four of them closed with the main body of the pack, rather than reload he simply weaved between the beasts and raked his blades through their flesh

"Incoming!" Emerald warned them, at the behest of the Nuckelavee which could be seen striding towards them from where it was currently ploughing through several squads of soldiers led by Matte Skye, a flock of Nevermore came screeching towards them, their silhouettes barely visible against the night sky

"I've got 'em" Nora smirked as she dropped to one knee and began aiming, before she could fire a single shot another voice roared furiously behind them

"THIS IS FOR SAGE!" turning the four of them were equally surprised to see Scarlet David sprinting towards them, pistol in his cybernetic left hand firing while he readied his Semblance for use on the cutlass in his right; seconds later his sword had been multiplied countless times and a maelstrom of blades tore the Nevermore asunder. Beside him was Neptune Vasilias, who though he had officially ended his career as a Huntsman he would not sit idly by for this battle. Behind them both Professors Port and Oobleck could be seen leading several squads of Atlesian soldiers and Mistrali militia as well as a rag tag group of Hunters. The Nuckelavee galloped towards them, it's haunting screams all but deafening them

"Leave this to me!" an unknown Huntress insisted as she rushed passed Ren and Nora and triggered her Semblance, her body glowing with vibrant yellow light before expanding outwards as she grew in height to match the Nuckelavee and drove her fist into the more humanoid of its' faces

"What?" Nora's jaw dropped in disbelief

"Haven fourth year, she's a bad-ass right?" Reese Chloris laughed as Team ABRN joined the fray, Arslan fighting a trio of Beringrel in hand to hand combat and for a moment Ren dared himself to hope and thought that they may be able to halt the tide, but only for a moment; then a horrific scream seemed to tear through the surrounding area drowning out even the thunderous sounds of the Haven student facing off against the Nuckelavee. Ren and Nora's eyes widened at the familiar sight of a Gojirex lumbering towards the battlefield

"We need air support!" Ren bellowed over his shoulder to Professor Port

"We may not have the luxury of time my boy" was the reply from the grim faced professor. A resounding wet snapping noise halted their conversation as the Nuckelavee broke the neck of the student who had hoped to challenge it, her body reverting to its' natural size as it fell to the ground. Ren watched on numbly as the battle seemed to spiral out of control around him, the defenders caught between the wrath of two gigantic Grimm and the swarm of smaller monsters that surrounded them

"JIN!" another Hunter Ren didn't recognise screamed with tears streaming from his eyes before rushing forwards with a howl of rage and grief, entire body engulfed in a swirling darkness in an attempt to charge the Grimm that had slain his partner

"Kenós you'll never make it!" someone bellowed in warning. Ren couldn't be sure who, he could only watch in detached horror as the man only a few years older than himself was swarmed by Grimm intent on protecting the Nuckelavee, sensing that he would be dragged down the Huntsman allowed the inevitable to happen and released his Semblance; everything in the vicinity was pulled inwards as he became the epicentre of a crushing and all consuming void, countless smaller Grimm were obliterated before his Aura finally gave way and he was pulled under by the tide of teeth and claws

"MOVE!" Ren was brought to his sense by yet another Huntsman screaming at him before simply shoving him aside and throwing a devastating punch at the face of a Beringrel, the Grimms' skull giving way with almost no resistance, as the unknown Hunter strode through the fading remains his skin took on a silvery hue and hardened with an audible metallic scraping sound

"WHO WANTS SOME THEN?" he demanded of the Grimm as he began to wade through their ranks, steel skin impervious to their attacks "Doctor Oobleck, I'll clear a path!" hearing this Oobleck sprinted forwards, Cambrian Explosion at the ready

"TERBIUM! GET DOWN!" the bespectacled doctors' frantic warning came a moment too late, his weapon clattered to the ground, his whole body numb with shock as the Gojirex let loose a stream of flames from its' gaping maw; the body of the star pupil of Ooblecks' first ever class of students hit the ground with a heavy thud, metallic skin superheated to a glowing molten state. Oobleck in his distraught daze failed to heed Ports' bellows, his oldest friend and team-mate could only watch as the Nuckelavee grabbed Oobleck in its' seemingly boneless grasp and brought him into the air before smashing him in to desolate ground with earth shattering force. The combined fire of the Atlesian soldiers bought Port enough time to sprint forwards and clutch Ooblecks' broken body to himself before screaming out orders to those that remained

"FALL BACK! FOR THE LOVE OF OUM FALL BACK!"

* * *

A shot rang out alerting Rover to Artemis's current position, he could also see the Bloodhound Grimm that had threatened to become a problem fading into mist. Rushing forwards at an impossible speed he left his current hiding place and ran with enough momentum to carry himself vertically up walls and to the ruined building Artemis was sniping from in order to move them both into a new position before the Nuckelavee leading these Grimm turned its' attention to them, moments after their hasty escape a pair of Goliath charged the building and sank it into its' own foundations. Since alerting the Atlesian military that there was another Nuckelavee and attendant horde incoming they had been using hit and run tactics, Rover and Gangrel's manoeuvrability combined with Artemis's spectacular aim seemingly convincing the Grimm that there was a far more numerous enemy force hiding in the city and keeping them from turning their attention to the main battle.

"That was close" Rover panted as he looked behind him, an echoing crack alerted them to Gangrel's presence as he teleported to join them

"We should split up and relocate" Artemis suggested, the Bear-Faunus shook his head

"We can't keep this up without resupply, we don't have the ammo for it. We're gonna have to either fall back or take the direct approach"

"No word from Winter" Rover pointed out, expression tense behind his mask

"Direct approach it is then" Gangrel growled, equally uncomfortable with the idea

"Got a plan?" Artemis asked

"I'll deal with the big one if you can give me an opening" he shrugged "Honestly I'm not seeing too many options right now but we'll pull something out of the bag"

"Of course we will" Artemis chuckled, briefly raising her goggles to wipe sweat from her brow before replacing them and turning to her fiancée "Let's find somewhere nice and open, make ourselves really hard to ignore" Rover simply nodded and complied; Artemis finding herself scooped up and carried through streets that seemed to blur into nothingness until Rover stopped, the pair of them skidding to a halt in what may have once been a marketplace. Artemis loaded a single flare round into Hakai Suru and fired, rapidly switching back to Dust based ammunition as the night sky was briefly illuminated

"So they know we're here….Now what?" Rover asked

"We do what we have to" Artemis's voice wavered as she contemplated the amount of Grimm now heading towards them "Kinda wish I'd said yes on the ship-" she found herself silenced by Rover who'd removed his gunmetal mask and kissed her; stepping back she saw him wearing the cocky smirk that she'd frequently found herself irritated at over the course of their first year at Beacon and gradually fallen in love with over her second

"You trust me?" he asked

"Implicitly" she replied

"Then shoot through me" Artemis stared at him, utterly baffled at her partner, lover and best friends' words; the thunderous sound of approaching Grimm drew nearer with the first of them becoming visible and Rover simply looked confident as he replaced his mask, golden lightning crackling around him. As the Grimm drew close enough to pounce he sprung into action and Artemis was left overwhelmed, triggering her Semblance to keep track of his Aura she saw that Rover was seemingly everywhere. The canine was pushing himself to a hitherto unseen extent and the golden light of his Aura formed a protective barrier between her and the Grimm. Readying her sniper rifle Artemis silently prayed that Rover knew what he was doing before firing, the shot passed through the seemingly solid barrier and the head of an Ursa exploded into mist; Rover was phasing in and out of a corporeal form as he ran to give her openings, realising this the feline gave a devilish grin as she readied her weapon once again and began her onslaught.

* * *

Ruby raced in the direction the explosion had come from, petals trailing behind her and Qrow in his avian form perched within the hood of her cloak; they had been searching the coastline away from the Atlesian fleets' landing area when what they assumed was the sound of Orchid and Raven's battle reached their ears. Blake had also heard it and she and the others were moving to meet them. Nearing her destination Ruby gradually slowed down before skidding to a halt; Qrow flew from her hood and took to his human form

"I can't believe you hitched a ride in there" Ruby snorted despite the seriousness of their situation

"Summer used to let me sleep in her cloak on long missions" Qrow replied with a fond smile which faded abruptly from his face when he took in the sight in front of him

"Squirt, I think it's safe to say Orchid's gone" the veteran Huntsman sighed while gesturing to the crater blown into the ground; Ruby's only response was to nod silently. A whooshing sound could be heard and Ruby turned to face it, unable to prevent the small smile the crossed her face at the sight of Weiss using a large Glyph as a platform to carry herself, Yang, Blake, Oscar and Penny; as they neared the Glyph vanished and the five of them landed softly on the ground

"Where are they?" Yang demanded, eyes darting around desperately

"Yang" Qrow sighed as he placed a hand on her shoulder "It looks like Orchid knew she couldn't win and decided to take Raven with her"

"No" Yang whispered "She can't be gone" her uncle gave her an apologetic glance only to stare over her shoulder at something behind her, his expression slowly becoming one of horror. Yang whipped around to see the source of his distress and was stunned by the sight of a single black bird fluttering to the ground, its' flight impeded by a broken wing which revealed itself in a flash of Aura to be Raven Branwen. The assembled Hunters were left aghast as Raven stalked towards them, her steps an unsteady lurch as the Grimm tissue encasing her armour began to regrow itself, her broken and dislocated arm was dragged back into its' socket, neck snapping back into place from the unnatural angle it had been hanging at and the talons extending from her fingers visibly grew and sharpened to replace her destroyed katana, all the while truly inhuman snarling sounds emanated from her

"Raven" Qrow whispered as he drew his sword "I am so sorry"

* * *

Ancient brickwork and masonry shattered as Gangrel was hurled through it, bouncing as he hit the ground before rolling to a stop. The clawed fingers of his cybernetic arm dug into the pavement as he picked himself and faced the Nuckelavee once again, it was predictably proving to be one of his toughest single opponents due to its' size, reach and sheer durability. Seeing a barely perceptible twitch in the monsters' serpentine arms the Bear-Faunus triggered his Semblance and vanished with an echoing crack, reappearing behind the Nuckelavee and ducking around a street corner as its' clawed hands raked through the space he had occupied. Gangrel sheathed his sword and began hastily removing the shells from one of Breakers' ammo drums as an idea struck him, it was risky but options were not a luxury he currently had. Teleporting directly under the Nuckelavee's body he deposited every single Ice Dust round he had left at his disposal and drew his sword once again, slashing at the beasts' underside before teleporting away. As he reappeared and fired Breaker into the Dust shells on the ground at the same moment the Nuckelavee attempted to reach beneath itself and grab him; Ice Dust expanded outwards and both of the Grimms' heads screamed in unison as its' legs, flanks and right arm up to the point where an elbow should have been were frozen in place

"Now the fun part" Gangrel muttered to himself before teleporting once again, this time reappearing crouched on the hindquarters of the Nuckelavee and cleaving through its' spine; as its' free arm whipped around to grasp at him Gangrel triggered his Semblance with a resounding boom

"Fuck" was all the Bear-Faunus could groan out as he reappeared, taking passengers when he teleported had always taxed him but he had never attempted something of this scale before. He collapsed to the ground, blood flowing freely from his nose as he coughed up more of the crimson liquid; his vision became blurry and everything felt cold and distant. The last thing he saw was the humanoid half of the Nuckelavee, torn free of its' equine half dragging itself towards him with its' single remaining arm, the rest of its' body fading into mist behind it. The last thing Gangrel heard was the crack of a sniper rifle.

"WAKE UP OUM-DAMN IT!" Gangrel was dragged back into consciousness as an electric current surged through his body, sending him into violent convulsions. Taking several deep gulps of air Gangrel's world slowly came into focus, Rover and Artemis crouched over him the feline focusing her Semblance on him seemingly to insure that he was indeed still alive; the canines' hands covered in the golden lightning of his Semblance

"Hey" Artemis greeted him with a sigh of relief "Don't ever do something that stupid again"

"Your heart stopped Gang, I had to jump start it….we almost lost you for a second there" Rover added

"The Grimm?" he managed to croak out, his head pounded and entire body ached and burned

"You ripped it in half, I finished it off" Artemis confirmed

"Then let's head back-"

"Gangrel I'm assuming command" the felines' voice was stern

"What?"

"You're in no fit state to lead right now, you're injured, you're exhausted and you're not thinking. I'm assuming command and we're gonna bunker down until we've managed to recover at least some of our Aura" Gangrel fixed her with a mutinous stare, but upon realising he could barely force himself into a sitting position as his muscles screamed in protest and he coughed up yet more blood he relented with an annoyed growl.

* * *

It had been a long trek across the bleak and lifeless coast of Menagerie for Team CFVY with the fighters of the Atlesian Penal Legion in tow, the extra numbers being too great for them to fit in a single Bull-head and Velvet even with her weapons' upgrades was unable to replicate more than one of the craft at a time. They had eventually made it to the edge of the Atlesian lines only to find nothing but makeshift defences torn apart and bodies littering the ground while the sounds of battle raged in the distance, closer to the landing area for the fleet

"Come on!" Coco ordered before sprinting towards the sound of gunfire and howling Grimm without waiting for an answer, her team-mates beside her and the Atlesian soldiers trailing behind, eventually the sight of the towering Gojirex came into view, spewing jets of flame at any who stood against it while the distinctive sound of Siegebreaker firing could be heard as Victoria Arc and a handful of other brave souls held the line; Matte Skye similarly held off the Nuckelavee with her own troops, Bull-heads performed strafing runs that raked through the smaller Grimm attempting to swarm the defenders

"You've gotta be shitting me" Fox groaned at the sight of the gargantuan monster "It's even bigger than the last one"

"It can die the same way as any other Grimm" Coco snarled as she readied her mini-gun

"Agreed" Fox smirked "I need to borrow something" before Coco could answer the blind fighter reached onto the fashionista's' ammo belt and plucked a handful of explosive shells free; despite his blindness Fox knew the whereabouts of Coco's equipment due to the amount of time the two had spent training together

"What are you-" Coco trailed off as she watched her partner barrel towards the Gojirex and leap onto it, his blades Hunger and Thirst ripping into its' flesh as he began to scale the monster. A squad of Paladin battle-suits stomped into the fray and opened fire with everything the had, Fox attempted to use the distraction to clamber higher up the body of the Gojirex until it turned with frightening speed and lashed out at the mechanised unit with its' tail, ploughing through them and sending Fox hurtling to the ground. Time seemed to slow as Coco watched Fox pull himself free of remains the battle-suit he'd impacted against

"FOX MOVE!" she barely even recognised the terrified scream as her own voice as the Gojirex spewed flames at the wrecked Paladins, power supplies and ammunition were ignited and exploded; Coco saw Fox come rolling to a stop, body smoking and unmoving

"NO!" the fashionista turned and watched Velvet streak past her, replicas of Hunger and Thirst forming around her arms as she leapt onto the back of the Gojirex and begin climbing as Fox had intended, when the monster attempted to shake her loose a replica of Yatsuhashi's sword Liequan buried itself in Grimm flesh and held her in place followed by a replica of Crescent Rose being used to hoist her onto its' shoulder. Eyes narrowing in an expression of pure hatred the Rabbit Faunus leapt and grabbed onto one of the protruding fangs jutting from the maw of the Gojirex and pulled herself inside. The battle seemed to halt as soldiers and Hunters watched in disbelief at the sight of the skull of the monstrous Grimm exploding, its' lower jaw and throat being torn away as a replica Atlesian Paladin formed inside its' mouth. Velvet managed to tumble down the body of the Gojirex as it began to fade away, landing in a crouch and sprinting forward the moment her feet touched the ground, desperately searching for her team-mates

"No, oh sweet Oum no" Velvet's voice threatened to crack as she skidded to a halt at the sight in front of her, Coco had rushed to Fox and was clutching his head in her lap. The violent sobs that shook her team leaders' body told Velvet everything she needed to know, Fox Alistair, her first friend at Beacon and the glue that had held Team CFVY together throughout everything was dead. A piercing wail ripped through the night making Velvet clutch her rabbit ears in pain

"The Grimm are falling back!" Reese Chloris could be heard cheering as she fired her pistols into the back of a retreating Ursa while Arslan and Bolin could be seen dealing with a King-Taijitu nearby.  
"Everyone pull back and regroup!" Victoria Arc ordered. At the sight of the Nuckelavee galloping away from the battlefield Coco rose to her feet, expression murderous

"Coco don't" Yatsuhashi tried to reason with her, Coco acted as if she hadn't heard him and stalked after the retreating Grimm while readying Satani Arbor

"Coco!" the giant of a man threw his arms around her shoulder hoping to hold her in place only to be left speechless when she simply hurled him over her shoulder and continued

"Not you as well" Coco halted when Velvet spoke, the Rabbit-Faunus placing herself directly in front of the barrel of the Mini-gun, tears streaming down her face "You're not going after them and throwing your life away, I won't let you Coco. You'll have to go through me" hearing this Coco simply broke down, her weapon falling to the ground as she buried her face in Velvet's neck weeping uncontrollably at the cruelty of the world.

* * *

Raven lunged at Oscar with a furious swipe, being halted at the last moment by a frantically created Glyph from Weiss while Qrow lunged and forced her back, sparks flying as his sword met her talons. Magenta light blazed from her eyes as she tapped into the power of the Summer Maiden, Qrow's eyes widened and he flung himself to the side to avoid the blast of light and heat; as Raven attempted to follow she found herself sent staggering by a ferocious blow to the temple followed by several brutal hits to the face. As Raven pulled herself free Yang advanced, reaching over her shoulder and prepared her plasma cannon

"Raven….Mum, please" the blonde pleaded, Raven simply lunged only to be flung back as the plasma cannon discharged; Grimm matter being melted away on contact revealing the crimson armour below and the lower half of the corrupted Huntress's face before the boiling and sizzling Grimm matter began to slowly reform. Yangs' eyes shifted to red and golden flames engulfed her as she prepared to throw herself at the monster that had once been her mother. Without warning Raven flung herself through a rapidly opening portal, Yang had no chance to react as she reappeared behind her, talons sinking into her cybernetic limb. Yang let out a howl of pain as Raven delivered a palm strike that crushed the elbow of the prosthetic arm and tore it free, the feedback from the cybernetic paralysing her; the blonde was then silenced by a follow up blow to the temple that left her collapsing to the floor unconscious

"GET AWAY FROM HER!" Raven barely had chance to turn to face her new attacker before Ruby crashed into her, sending her skidding across ground, talons tearing gouges as she brought herself to a stop

"I can stop her" Ruby insisted "Let me use my silver-"

"No!" Qrow countered "Get Yang to safety, get her behind Schnee's Glyphs" Ruby scowled before acquiescing and speeding off with Yangs' limp form at the same moment Raven rushed in again, Penny appearing seemingly from nowhere to tackle her to the ground, swords crossing over her throat

"Stand down" the mechanical girl ordered "There's a soul in you somewhere, there must be; so stand down" Raven's eyes began to shine with the light of the Fall Maiden and Penny had no time to do anything but gasp in surprise as she grabbed her wrists sending electricity surging through Penny's body; flesh began to blacken and burn and sparks could be seen issuing from various points while she screamed in agony, her systems being overloaded by the attack. She lay on the floor shaking violently as Raven threw her aside; the corrupted Huntress returning to her feet and turning her attention to Qrow; Penny was vaguely aware of the sound of a plasma cannon heating up before firing. Blake had stripped the weapon from Yang's prosthetic and connected it to her own Ember Celica Gauntlet; Raven was flung back as the weapon fired but Blake cried out in pain, the weapon was intended to work with Yang's prosthetic and the force of the recoil broke her arm leaving the Faunus clutching at the limb in pain as she desperately tried to disconnect the weapon

"Penny, Penny talk to me!" the copper haired girl found her vision filled with the tear stained face of Ruby Rose

"Ruby" she forced out, it hurt to talk "I'm gonna be okay"

"Use your nano-bots, come on get up!"

"I can't" she admitted "Power surge shut them off, overloaded everything….I can't move"

"I need to stop this" Ruby mumbled rising to her feet and turning her focus to where Raven and Qrow fought; Raven vanishing through a portal and reappearing behind her twin, talons raking across his back before hurling him to the ground

"That's enough" Ruby whispered, her entire body vibrating and rose petals forming in the air around her hovering in place as she focused; she then tapped into the powers of her silver eyes and rushed forwards. Qrow's eyes widened as Raven's attempt to lunge at him was abruptly halted, her body convulsing as Grimm matter began to dissipate

"Ruby what are you doing?" Qrow gasped

"Saving us all" she answered with her fist still phased into Raven's body, ripping the incorporeal limb free Raven collapsed to her knees as the Grimm symbiote was dragged from her body in its' entirety. As the parasite bubbled and dissolved, the countless tendrils which had burrowed into Ravens' organs thrashing wildly a vibrant green light shone from it, incandescent particles forming the silhouette of a familiar individual; the soul of Neo Politan gave Ruby a thankful smile before fading away as it was released from the control of the Grimm

"Qrow" Raven managed to speak, her voice a pained gurgle, blood trickling from her lips

"Raven, Raven you're gonna be okay" he held her close

"Don't be an idiot Qrow, I'm done" her body began to fracture, the effects of being the host of the parasite for so long making themselves known

"Raven please-"

"I don't have long left so just listen for once" she choked out "I'm more sorry than you could ever know. I broke our team and I tore our family apart on the orders of the old man and if I could change it all I would. Promise me you'll tell Tai I never stopped loving him, Promise Yang you'll tell her how proud I am, tell her I love her….Promise me Qrow

"I promise" Qrow managed to say through sobs

"I love you Qrow….And Ruby" the young Huntress flinched as Raven turned to her, her body breaking apart at the seams

"Y-yeah?" Raven Branwen spoke her final words

"Summer would be proud. Thank you" and with that she broke apart, the remains of her body scattering in the breeze

 **Authors Notes:**

Well fuck, that was emotional.

Let's summarise:  
I headcanon that Ren can actually use his Semblance like that if needs be, it doesn't stop someone from dying but it eases their passing.  
Both Ren and Nora and Merc and Em having "We've always been fine on our own" type lines, because as much as Merc and Em were individually meant to be foils for Yang and Blake together I see them as a sort of twisted parallel of Ren and Nora.  
Scarlet, Neptune and Team ABRN make a guest appearance (And Scarlet getting revenge on the Nevermore flock for Sage's death at the Battle of Vale was beautiful)  
I added some random OC red-shirts to a) showcase some cool Semblances and b) give the battle a sense of scale, it's all well and good saying its' a massive fight but if the only Hunters we see are students it makes it less believable.  
Also yeah, you thought I'd forgotten about that Gojirex didn't you?  
Oobleck got wrecked.  
Team GRA_ making a nuisance of themselves, because if there had been three Nuckelavee attacking the Atlesian forces they would probably already be losing badly.  
"Kinda wish I'd said yes on the ship" damn Artemis was prepared to go out fighting.  
Rover using his speed to basically become a living forcefield, when his Aura regulator was first installed in Vol.5 he could run laps so fast he could see his own after image in front of him; he basically did that while phasing in and out so Artemis can shoot through him but Grimm couldn't get to her.  
You know Qrow used to sleep inside Summer's hood in Team STRQs time at Beacon.  
You didn't really think Raven was gone surely?  
That was a ballsy and borderline suicidal move on Gangrel's part. It's been established since Chapter 03 that while he can teleport with passengers it has side effects, this guy used it to rip a Nuckelavee in half and stopped his own heart in the process.  
Artemis said in Chapter 06 that she would take control of Team GRAP if needs be, she just did it.  
Victoria Arc is at the battle, because there's no reason she wouldn't be.  
Velvet on the warpath is scary and awesome, she replicated a full Paladin inside the things' mouth.  
Fox is dead….it's been planned for a while. I actually didn't plan for Yatsuhashi to survive this story either but he's still here.  
Coco is 112% ready to die for any of her team at any time.  
So Yang's prosthetic arm is gone (Also headcanon that her arm is a weak point and a loophole in her Semblance, breaking it causes feedback that hurts but doesn't fuel her Semblance as it's not actually part of her).  
Raven is a master of exploiting her opponents' weaknesses, the lightning bolts of the Fall Maiden were the perfect counter to Penny and her Field Repair 'Semblance'.  
As soon as I had the idea for Yang's upgraded weapon I thought about Blake trying to use it….yeah that hurt.  
Okay so remember back in Vol.4 when Ruby phased her fist into a Grimm and then phased Penny's sword into that bandits' chest? Now imagine that and the Silver Eyes used in conjunction on someone with a parasitic Grimm living in them.  
Neo's soul being freed the way Pyrrha and Rodakino's were.  
Raven's final moments were surprisingly emotional.

Thank you to FallenTitan88, FleetOfWarships and MariamTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
And you thought I was running out of people to kill and maim, ha!  
Even more brutal Raven  
Even more reasons to love Velvet  
Fun times right?

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	115. 115: The Last Day

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 115: The Last Day**

Coco leaned into Velvet, the Rabbit-Faunus in question squeezing her hand as the two of them attempted to find what little solace they could in each other. Another sniffle escaped the fashionista and she absent-mindedly wiped her eyes with the back of her free hand, her make up having long since run down her face and smudged as she and Velvet had both wept uncontrollably while clinging to each other through the night and into the early hours of the morning. Upon falling back to one of the ships that had successfully made landing on Menageries' lifeless soil Velvet had taken Coco somewhere private, the hangar they had originally regrouped in being occupied by the Atlesian Penal Legion, the criminal unit had sustained losses and those that remained had been eyeing the Huntress that had promised them safety with thinly veiled hatred ever since

"I should be with him" Coco managed to croak out "I'm the team leader, I can't make Yatsu do this….he'll only hate me afterwards"

"Yatsu could never hate you" Velvet assured her

"He should, you should….I hate myself, I should have stopped him. I just stood there and did nothing while I watched-" Coco squeezed her eyes shut and clenched her jaw as fresh sobs threatened to wrack her body before burying her head in Velvet's shoulder. Yatsuhashi upon seeing Coco's distraught state had taken the responsibility of identifying Fox's body and going through the motions of unfeeling bureaucracy for military records upon himself

"Fox-" Velvet paused, taking a deep shuddering breath "Fox knew what he was doing. I don't think he knew what 'fall back' meant….remember first year?" they both shared a weak, watery chuckle at the memory of Team CFVYs' first mission and Fox's casual dismissal of Coco's orders and the insufferable smile he'd worn after Coco tried to chew him out afterwards while he stated _'Fuck it, it worked'_

"I picked him to be my partner, tried my best to end up with him" the fashionista admitted "I recognised him from Bulb Prep, he lost his sight due to his Semblance activating when we were students there and came back two weeks later; we weren't friends but I figured he'd be tough as they come. I saw him on the flight to Beacon before initiation, he was probably the only person I recognised who wasn't someone who'd tried and failed miserably at flirting with me before; so when we were in the forest I made as much noise as possible"

"Explosive rounds galore, my ears didn't stop ringing for two days" Velvet snorted, smiling at the memory of the day she met her team-mates "Fox told me about that date that you both went on in first year" she added

"That ass-hole!" Coco gasped, hands flying to her mouth as she the fact that Fox was no longer with them washed over her again. Seeing her expression Velvet hugged Coco close, Coco continued "We went to my parents restaurant. It was just awkward"

"Fox was the only person on our team I really spoke to during first year" Velvet reminded her with a sigh "He was joking about it and putting himself down for days afterwards"

"He said the corniest thing I've ever heard" Coco couldn't help but laugh at the memory "He told me that he sees the world as just lights and sounds and I've got so much attitude I glow in the dark"

"I mean, he wasn't wrong" Velvet snorted as she held Coco tighter. It helped a little, her first friend at Beacon was gone but holding onto Coco made the hole his passing had left in her heart feel a little smaller. There were a few moments of silence, not content but peaceful, they were abruptly halted by the sound of a furious tirade being unleashed by a familiar voice. Sharing a look Coco and Velvet rose to their feet and stepped out the storeroom that they'd been taking refuge in and out into the corridor to see who had been unlucky to draw the ire of Weiss Schnee

"Cease your blithering you cretin I am utterly uninterested in protocol and what it dictates, I demand that you take me to my sister this instant. So help me Oum I will-"

"Agent Schnee I can't simply-" the unfortunate soldier found himself gripped by the scruff of the neck by the petite Huntress whose tone promised havoc when she spoke again

"Listen very closely-"

"Schnee" the voice of Matte Skye interrupted, Weiss and in turn Coco and Velvet turned their attention to the First Mate who had appeared at the opposite end of the corridor, their normally pristine uniform torn with mud and blood spattered across it while various cuts and bruises adorned their body

"First Mate Skye" Weiss snapped to attention, looking somewhat abashed at being caught by one of her sisters closest friends acting the way she had "I was looking for my sister-"

"Where are the rest of your unit?" Matte demanded, blunt tone an indication of the unrelenting fatigue they were currently suffering from

"Oscar was heading to the armoury of one of the other ships, he needs more ammunition. Ruby, Yang, Blake and Qrow are in the sickbay of the same ship" Weiss paused for a moment suppressing a shudder as she tried desperately not to think of the things she had seen "Orchid and Noctis are dead. So is Raven Branwen" Matte nodded

"Contact Qrow, I'll take you both to report to Winter….I'll warn you now though, it's not pretty"

* * *

Winter lay in a screened off section of one of the Atlesian ships' medical facilities. She'd blacked out on the way back to the Atlesian lines after being rescued by Matte. Upon regaining consciousness she'd moved part of the screen hiding her from view and saw that she shared this particular sickbay with Arslan Atlan who had been stung between the shoulder blades by a Deathstalker during the retreat of the Grimm forces, the Mistrali Huntress was stable but unconscious with her team-mates around her, Reese gently stroking her hair. Nearby was Doctor Oobleck, his condition was much more serious. Winter watched and listened silently as Professor Port asked the medical staff and winced along with the moustachioed Hunter as she learned the Oobleck's spine would require cybernetic augmentation if he was to retain the use of his legs and that one of his eyes may be beyond the hope of repair

"Come on Barty" Port murmured "Come on old chap you've got fight left in you….Please don't make me be the last one left, I can't do it Barty" upon hearing this Winter had closed the screen and accessed a bedside terminal, starting the seemingly herculean task of sifting through the incoming reports and updates regarding the traumatic events of the first day in Menagerie while steadfastly refusing to look at her own reflection or glance down at the space that her leg should have occupied despite the way her stomach lurched every time the thought of Matte bringing her own sword down upon the limb entered her mind. After hours of reading reports and statistics, slowly becoming numb to the scale of the loss of life she received word from Matte that they were bringing Weiss and Qrow to her; Winter allowed herself a relieved sigh upon learning that her sister had returned safely. Eventually the sound of several pairs of feet approaching caught her attention and Winter did her best to keep her expression neutral as Weiss pulled the screen aside, Qrow was beside her while Matte waited in the entrance chewing their lip nervously; behind her Mercury and Emerald could be seen, the pair having apparently been standing guard without her knowledge

"Oh my Oum!" Winter winced as Weiss's hands flew to her mouth

"That bad?" she asked, managing to feign a nonchalant tone

"What happened?" her sister demanded, Winter turned off the terminal she had been working at and caught sight of her reflection for the first time in its' darkened screen; her nose had been broken and eyebrow split in the crash leaving most of her face caked in dried blood, what flesh could be seen beneath was a mess of multicoloured bruises that her slowly returning Aura was just beginning to heal

"A Nuckelavee" she answered bluntly, Qrow visibly recoiled

"Fuck, I didn't think there were any of those left….I thought Summer killed the last one at Mountain Glenn"

"From the reports I've read there were four of them, I killed one but lost my ship in the process. Team CFVY took one down and Team GRAP dealt with a third; the fourth is currently acting as Salem's proxy on the battlefield and called a retreat and that's to say nothing of the Gojirex"

"When the Grimm are smart enough to make tactical decisions you know it's gonna be rough" Qrow grumbled

"Have Team GRAP made contact?" Weiss asked nervously, Winter nodded and the younger Schnee gave a relieved sigh that mirrored her own

"Their mission is still in progress, they've destroyed the Nuckelavee but the area they were sent to clear out still has Grimm activity. Artemis is acting commander, Gangrel is suffering from severe Aura strain but otherwise no injuries. From my understanding he ripped a Grimm larger than a house in half"

"That….dolt" Weiss couldn't help the pride filled smile that crept across her face at the news. Winter's expression became serious

"Your mission, what happened out there?"

"Raven ambushed us, caught Noctis off guard and separated Orchid from the rest of us. Orchid sacrificed herself to deny Salem access to the Winter Maiden's powers" Qrow paused his monotone explanation, a single strangled sob escaping him before he forced the emotion down and continued "Raven….Raven's gone. Salem no longer has any of the Maidens powers"

"Qrow I'm so sorry" Winter whispered, she'd seen the man drunk and maudlin as his regrets ate away at him plenty of times but the haunted expression he wore now was something else entirely. There were several moments filled with a tension that was almost palpable before Winter Spoke again

"Matte"

"Aye Captain"

"Go fetch me an Atlesian Knight, any model will do. Black, Sustrai go and resupply. Weiss go to your unit and tell Ruby that any who are still fighting are to prepare for combat, the enemy forces are weakened and we won't get a better chance than this"

"You can't be serious?" Qrow snapped

"We may have pushed them back but Grimm are still Grimm and I refuse to sit here and allow my forces to allow doubts and fears to sink in, we take the fight to the enemy"

"Winter you can't even stand!" Weiss gestured to the space her leg should have occupied incredulously; it was at that moment that Matte returned, an Atlesian Knight following her, Winter gestured to the robot silently instructing it to come closer

"What are you-" Weiss's question was answered as Winter casually launched a saw-blade Glyph through the Knight's mechanical skull rapidly followed by a second which sheared through its' leg at the knee. Winter threw her bedsheets aside and positioned herself at the edge of the bed, those around her were stunned into silence as Winter formed a Glyph at the bandaged stump of her ruined leg, from which she summoned the severed leg of the Atlesian Knight

"It's a temporary fix at best, but it'll do for now" Winter admitted as she forced herself to her feet "And Matte"

"Winter?" the First Mate forgot formality at the sight of Winter standing again

"See if they have any spare uniforms on this ship, I have no intention of marching into battle wearing a hospital gown"

* * *

Aboard another grounded Atlesian vessel Ruby sat in an uncomfortable chair, holding the hand of Penny Polendina while her eyes darted nervously between the mechanical girl and Yang, her sister had been silent since Qrow had left to report to Winter, her expression unreadable; Blake held her hand with her left hand while her right arm was bound in a sling despite the felines' claims that her Aura had already begun healing the broken bone. Yang's own right arm was yet to be reattached, the joint deemed too badly damaged to be salvaged

"Penny?" Ruby asked, her voice a scared murmur

"I'm okay" the copper haired girl managed to smile, despite the slight wince that turning to face her caused "My Aura is already healing my skin, no terminal damage was done and my nano-bots are slowly coming back on line. Estimated repair time at this rate is eleven hours and forty two minutes"

"I'm just glad you're okay" Ruby leaned down and kissed the top of her head

"You need to talk to her Ruby" Penny whispered, the scythe wielder nodded and rose from her seat slowly making her way to her sister, legs trembling the whole time

"Yang?" the blonde made no indication that she'd heard her, Blake glanced nervously between the two of them

"Yang I'm sorry" Yang's irises flickered between pale amethyst and vivid, furious red before she took several deep breaths and forced herself to remain calm, all the while remaining silent

"Yang please just talk to me, I didn't mean to-"  
"What would you have done differently?" the blonde's voice was low

"What?"

"If you'd had the chance to stop and think, analyse the situation; what would you have done differently?"

"I-I don't know" Ruby stammered

"Then what you meant doesn't really matter" Yang spat "She's still gone and I never got to say goodbye….after all the years I spent searching for her, she's gone" her voice cracked with her last words and the first tears began to fall; Blake's hand tightened around Yang's

"I'm so sorry" Ruby's whisper came out as a tearful whisper "She was going to kill Uncle Qrow, I just….please don't hate me Yang" the blonde leapt from the bed she had been on, remaining arm wrapping around Ruby and pulling her close

"I could never hate you Ruby" they were both crying in earnest by this point "I just hate all of it, I just want this war to be over"

"It will be soon" everyone turned to see that Weiss was standing in the doorway, looking as though she'd recovered as little as they had during the hours since they'd returned to the Atlesian lines; beside her was Oscar who appeared to have slept at least a little, though how much of that was due to his manipulation of time was debatable

"Huh?" Ruby asked simply as she wiped her eyes, stepping away from Yang

"Winter wants to go on the offensive. All of the tanks and battle-suits that survived landing are being prepped right now, everyone who can fight is to load up. We march at dawn"

"Then let's go!" Yang snarled

"No"

"What?" both Weiss and Yang turned to Ruby in shock

"Penny, Blake, Yang. You're staying here. Winter wants everyone who can still fight, you're all injured" Penny's eyes narrowed for a moment before she accepted the reality of the situation

"Be careful Ruby"

"We're not sitting here while you go out there!" Yang insisted furiously

"Blake's arm is broken and yours is missing!" Ruby countered, equally angry

"I CAN STILL FIGHT!"

"THIS IS NOT UP FOR DISCUSSION!" Ruby roared "I'm not talking to you as your little sister right now Yang, I'm talking to you as your team leader!"

"You're pulling rank on me?" the blonde demanded, expression mutinous "So that's how it is then?"

"It has to be, I can't you let you go out there" Ruby nodded sadly "Team R- Weiss, Oscar. Let's do this"

* * *

Ruby stood between Weiss and Oscar, in front of her were Winter, Matte and Qrow, behind her were the bulk of the Atlesian forces alongside their allies from Vale and Mistral; hunters formed the front lines intending to act as a barrier between the heavy artillery and the smaller Grimm that would no doubt attempt to swarm them. Ruby's breath misted in front of her as her fingers drummed the shaft of Crescent Rose

"Remember" Qrow murmured back to her "Don't use your powers straight away and use them as briefly as possible when you do. Salem's bound to have something left in store for us" the scythe wielder nodded silently. Bull-heads soared overhead as they returned from bombing runs, they had been ordered to pick off Grimm leaving nearby spawning pits but not the pits themselves; Winter had no desire to unwittingly grant the enemy forces another Gojirex or anything similar. Finally the sun began to peek above the horizon it's golden rays piercing the darkness which pierced moments later by a haunting shriek

"They're coming to us" Qrow noted conversationally as he drew his weapon, opposite him Matte twirled her twin pistols in her hands eagerly

"Good" Winter chuckled softly "Truthfully I had no intention of marching towards them on this, I just wanted our forces to be prepared when the inevitable happened" Ruby's attention was fixed on the Grimm which began marching towards them, gradually picking up speed as they drew closer until their eyes could be made out, like individual bloody pinpricks in the mass of living darkness surging towards them. Winter took three slow and deliberate paces forwards and drew her cutlass, the blade which was still stained with her own blood glinted in the light as she held the blade overhead before bringing it down with a single bellowed word

"CHARGE!"

 **Authors Notes:**

Okay so this story may actually be 119 chapters instead of 118 just due to me splitting this chapter in half, what's now going to be Chapter 116 was originally the second half of this chapter and it would have made it drastically longer than my other chapters. It's just a matter of seeing which scenes fit where.  
Also I'm sorry I don't update as often any more, since starting the new job I've had one Saturday off and that's only because the factory was closed (It's all voluntary overtime but I treat it like money that I owe myself)

Anyway, let's summarise:  
Okay most of this chapter was emotional but fuck, Coco and Velvet mourning Fox is hard to even think about.  
Also a little Team CFVY history, it makes the world feel more lived in when you give characters more background than is strictly necessary for plot progression; like they're real people and not just plot devices.  
Yeah Fox and Coco are those friends who tried dating once and only once.  
If you think Weiss wouldn't threaten to do unspeakable things and then make good on those threats if any random grunt got between her and a wounded Winter then you have severely misjudged Weiss Schnee….also her rants are fun to write.  
Arslan got tagged by a retreating Grimm but she'll live.  
Oobleck is hanging onto life by a thread, I was honestly originally going to kill him and then I remembered that he and Port are the last surviving members of their team, Port's already said his goodbyes to his wife and team leader. He doesn't deserve to lose his best friend as well.  
Headcanon that Team STRQ fought at Mountain Glenn before it fell.  
Someone needs to give Qrow a hug that lasts for a year.  
Winter is coming….back.  
Ruby and Yang being at odds with each other….honestly one of the harder things to write because they're both trying to look out for each other.  
Also, look at how far Ruby's come from Vol.1, that Ruby wouldn't even dream of pulling rank on her big sister and even if she did Yang would probably just laughed it off.  
How badly she wanted to say "Team RWBY"  
And now the end really is near.

Thank you to Antonio+Beltran, FallenTitan88, FleetOfWarships, fluffyfirefly and MariamTheLibrarian22 for their reviews on the last chapter.  
I mean it wasn't a how to train your dragon reference….but I'll happily take that as a compliment.  
Oh you thought the emotional freight train would stop, to quote the esteemed miss Rose in Vol.2 "Pfft, Nah"  
Okay the Parasitic Grimm situation is tricky because I'm going on what bits and pieces canon has given us and a little inference:  
 _Cinder used a Grimm to take the Fall Maiden power, we saw it happen.  
_ _The powers are tied to the Maidens' Aura and therefore their soul, Ozpin confirmed this.  
_ _Grimm have no soul (Pretty sure this was confirmed in the first episode by Salem herself)  
_ _Salem is perfectly willing to throw her underlings under the bus when they're no longer useful (Vol.4 that Beowolf did not attack Tyrian by accident) yet she's is nursing Cinder back to health rather than just taking the Fall Maiden powers for herself.  
_ _The implication is therefore that she actually NEEDS Cinder, or a suitable human candidate because Salem is a Grimm and doesn't have a soul of her own to interact with the souls that the parasite consumes._

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	116. 116: Turn the Tide

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 116: Turn the Tide**

Winter allowed herself a victorious smirk that would have appeared cruel on any other face as she drove the heel of her summoned leg and foot through the skull of a Deathstalker before swatting a pouncing Beowulf aside with a Glyph mounted on her forearm like a shield. Beside her Matte Skye's twin pistols spat death into the faces of countless Grimm while Qrow's weapon and body both shifted at blinding speeds as he weaved through the tide of snapping jaws. A low droning sound began to fill the air and Winter turned her eyes skyward with a grimace; the Nuckelavee was leading from the back, it's latest choice of monstrosity to send forth were each roughly four meters in length, three quarters of that being composed of a long tail which arched under their airborne bodies ending a serrated blade; spindly limbs, a streamlined skull with sharpened mandibles and a row of spines along their back were made of bone armour and each of them was carried on two pair of wings which moved faster than the eye could see; they were dragonfly Grimm known as Tormentors

"Shall I handle these?" Qrow asked giving her a lopsided smile and a wink "For old times sake" Winter gave him a derisive snort in response; it was neither the time or the place for nostalgia

"We're not so unprepared this time" with that she ran her sword through the chest of an Ursa as it reared up before turning to face the tanks behind her which had remained relatively unscathed thus far

"RIP THEM OUT OF THE SKY!" the early morning sun was eclipsed by the barrage of the artillery as gunners followed her orders; countless Tormentors were either hit directly or sent crashing to the ground as explosions ruined their frail but powerful wings. Winter spared a moment to scan the battlefield, the Grimm that escaped a fiery end dove and she watched as a Paladin Battle-suit was hoisted into the air and torn apart by their sharp tails before the wreckage which contained the cockpit was thrown into the mass of Grimm below, like treats to a dog. Brief flashes of a poisonous looking green light and trails of rose petals assured Winter that both Oscar and Ruby were still fighting, their powers allowing them flit around the battlefield providing assistance wherever it was needed; searching for her sister Winter eventually saw the telltale glow of the Schnee family Semblance piercing through the fog of war hanging in the air. Weiss stood enveloped in her knight armour construct, broadsword carving through swathes of ground based Grimm before sending their swiftly recreated forms back into the fray; Neptune Vasilias took cover behind the smoking shell of a battle-suit while his weapon fired bolts of lightning into the airborne monsters, Scarlet David was bellowing orders nearby as he rallied troops and prepared to lead another push into the ranks of the Grimm.

"Captain!" Matte bellowed over the sound of their pistols, which were currently blasting away the oversized forelimbs of a Disemboweller, the mantis Grimm shrieking in protest, Winter finished the beast off by deploying the dagger hidden within her cutlass and simply hurling the smaller blade into its' face

"Matte?"

"Our air support is done refuelling, priority targets ma'am?" seemingly in response the horrific wailing scream of the Nuckelavee sounded. Winter turned and saw that the horseman Grimm had began to gallop forward, surrounding it were scores of Goliath; whatever intelligence the monster possessed was clearly enough for it to deduce that the Atlesian tanks needed to be removed and that the smaller Grimm were insufficient

"Target the Goliath, they're its' battering ram!" Winter ordered "Qrow I need a hand"

"What's the plan?" the veteran enquired, Winter simply slung an arm around his shoulder as her summoned leg vanished

"Hold me up, this is going to take everything I've got" Qrow raised a questioning eyebrow and Winters' only response was to create the largest Glyph she'd ever produced, entire body trembling with exertion as a glowing pearl white Nuckelavee clambered free throwing its' heads back and screaming a challenge to its' rapidly approaching opposite number. Winter through clenched teeth turned to Qrow and treated him to one of the many taunts he'd levelled at her on their first mission together

"Today rookie, you're gonna learn how to kill Grimm like a pro"

* * *

"Penny. Get out of my way" Yang's voice was low and dangerous, eyes flickering red seemingly at random as she struggled to remain at least relatively calm

"No" the mechanical girl said simply, continuing to bar the exit to the medical bay that they had been left in "You have your orders"

"I couldn't care less about orders, now either step aside or I'll run through you" the blonde growled furiously

"No you won't, because you can't and that's the point" Penny countered, struggling to keep her own temper in check "Blake talk to her"

"Penny I want to be out there as well" the Faunus answered with an apologetic look before turning to her partner "But Penny's right, you can't fight like this" Yang took a deep breath, the look of betrayal on her face lasting only a second before she rounded on Penny once again

"If you loved Ruby then-" Yang found her self silenced by Penny's hand around her neck, the mechanical girl lifted the taller blonde into the air single handed and slammed her into the nearest wall

"Do not try that argument with me" Yang struggled against the vice-like grip, she'd never seen Penny as angry as she clearly was right now "The reason I'm keeping you here is because I love Ruby. I love her too much to let you run out there with one arm and only a third of your Aura recovered, she's lost too many people and you will not be another name on that list!" Penny found herself dragged back as Blake's good arm was wrapped around her and the Faunus separated the pair

"THIS ISN'T HELPING!" she snapped "Penny's right, none of us are in any shape to fight and Yang you're in the worst shape of all of us-"

"But-"

"But!" Blake interrupted "You're right, we can't just sit here either….do you know where your arm is?"

"Yeah but the joint is totally wrecked, we can't reattach it" the blonde's tone was desperate, Blake turned to Penny

"How fast can the two of you repair Yang's arm?" Penny blinked in surprise at the question

"I don't know….it could take hours"

"We don't have hours" Yang spat "Can you speed it up?"

"I might be able to" Penny chewed her lip nervously "But it would mostly likely be painful for you" Yang simply shrugged as she made to leave the medical facility and head towards the workbench in engineering where her severed cybernetic had been left

"I can live with that" Penny grinned as she and Blake fell into step beside her

"Sensational"

* * *

Nora's eyes widened in pure terror as the Goliath struck the first line of tanks, the crumpled chassis of the first of them spinning and hitting Ren with enough force to send him hurtling into another war machine, denting Atlesian steel on impact

"REN MOVE!" she screamed as another of the stampeding Goliath charged towards them, seeing him struggle to stand she sprinted forwards and tackled him to the ground at the same moment the Grimms' tusks ripped through the tank that he'd been flung into, heat from the resulting explosion washed over them and Ren regained enough of his senses to roll over and shield Nora's body with his own

"Are you okay?" he demanded, stroking her cheek tenderly despite the chaos that reigned around them

"Am I-" Nora trailed off staring at him in disbelief "YOU NEARLY GOT CRUSHED!" she threw her arms around his shoulders and silenced any reply he wished to give her with a kiss before the two of them slowly returned to their feet and looked around them. Since the Nuckelavee had led the charge of rampaging Goliath the battlefield had devolved into insanity; the towering Grimm had torn into their artillery and while the Atlesian air support was raining death down on them, they in turn were being harassed by flying Grimm seemingly willing to throw their own lives away to drag down the Bull-heads

"We have to take down the big one" Ren indicated in the direction the Nuckelavee, which was facing off against Winter's own summoned creation; the Grimm seemed to be slowly gaining ground as Winter tired, leaning heavily against Qrow as she controlled her construct

"We'll break its' legs!" Nora cackled running towards the nearest ruined tank and beginning to tear away panels from the chassis

"Nora what are you-" Ren trailed off as the answer to his question became obvious; Nora's turquoise eyes began to glow as she ripped through the engine covering and drained what power remained in it before moving to her next target, the engine of a downed Battle-suit. The small Huntress moved from vehicle to vehicle, becoming more and more charged with each until her eyes shone through the fog and black mist of dying Grimm that filled the air and electricity crackled around her

"NORA!" hearing Ren's warning she turned, seeing the Beringrel which had leapt at her, the Grimm was simply unmade by a single swing of Magnhild; the Gargantuan hammer destroying its' entire torso. The confident smile on Nora's face didn't falter when the sound of shattering glass filled the air signifying that the Nuckelavee had finally managed to best Winter's summoned Grimm; she merely turned and sprinted towards the towering abomination before it could press its' advantage and poured all of her might into a devastating blow which connected with one if its' rear legs, tearing the limb asunder

"HEY STRANGER DANGER!" Nora called over to Qrow "Get Captain Schnee out of here, I've got this!" the Nuckelavee, wailing and shrieking sent its' boneless arms snaking behind it forcing Nora to roll aside and halting Ren who'd been making to join his partner; without warning a wave of pure concussive force buckled the Grimm's remaining rear leg

"No" Coco Adel growled as the surviving members of Team CFVY stepped through the smoke, weapons drawn "We've got this" with that said she aimed Satani Arbor and opened fire, the Mini-gun shredding the serpentine arm that the beast sent their way. Yatsuhashi crouching and using his Semblance to blast himself into the air, his sword Liequan ripping through the remaining arm as he landed while Coco reloaded

"THIS IS FOR FOX YOU SON OF A BITCH!" the fashionista roared as she unloaded explosive rounds into the Grimm's equine skull while Velvet leapt onto its' back and scrambled onto its' shoulder, replicas of Fox's blades Hunger and Thirst forming along her arms as she did so; letting all of her grief and anger out in a single scream she swung, embedding one of the blades in its' skull and forcing it through the temple of the monster until it reappeared out of the other side. Leaping from the shoulder of the now fading Grimm and landing in a crouch Velvet rushed to Coco and pulled her into a hug

"It's over"

"No it's not" Coco muttered before stepping back and planting a kiss on the Faunus' lips "There's still a fuck load of Grimm left to kill and I'm nowhere near done with 'em"

* * *

The walls of Salem's lair shattered and reformed, liquid darkness leaking from the cracking crystalline walls as she let out a roar of unfiltered rage

"I'LL KILL THEM ALL!" the scream seemed to warp reality itself around her. She sagged in her throne as the mental feedback in the Hive Mind that the death of the last of her Nuckelavee had caused subsided and a terrible thought made it's way, unbidden into her mind; she could lose this battle. The Maidens' powers had been taken from her control, enemy forces had established a foothold in her domain and the four Nuckelavee she had given control of her forces had been destroyed; the Grimm already taking part in the battle would continue to fight but it would be without strategy and new Grimm would only come if they were drawn by the emotions pouring from the battlefield and with no thought to the greater picture; the idea that she may actually be defeated sent chills through the pale skinned abomination

"No" she hissed simply as she clutched at the arms of her throne, root like tendrils sprouting from various points of her body and burrowing into the throne while her eyes became pools of pure darkness. The ground rumbled as Salem made her decision, it was time to join the battle.

* * *

Gangrel, Rover and Artemis had taken position on the roof of one of the taller buildings in the ruined city; if the Gangrel had to hazard a guess he would have assumed that the monumental structure had once been an apartment block given what he knew of the overcrowding in Menagerie due to lack of habitable land

"We should go back" he growled to Artemis, still torn between disbelief and slight annoyance at the fact she'd taken command

"Winter wants this city cleaned out so that she can send tanks through it" the feline answered

"I know that" the Bear-Faunus countered irritably "But we both know there's a fight happening back there. Not much point clearing a path if there's no one left to march down it"

"Gang I know you're worried about her" Artemis placed a hand on his shoulder "But she'll be fine. If they need us they'll contact us

"I could always take a quick run back there and see what's happening?" Rover suggested, both Artemis and Gangrel shook their heads

"We need you here. Without those Atlesian Knights we haven't got anyone to spare" Artemis sighed

"Okay fine-" Rover was cut off by the sound of earth shattering. The trio of Faunus turned to face the mountain in the distance where it was all but confirmed that Salem had made her lair.

"Oh my Oum" Artemis mouthed out as their suspicions were confirmed by the mountain breaking apart from the inside, the deep purple crystals which had been bursting from it began to crack and spew rivers of viscous darkness which in turn began to take shape. The resulting monstrosity defied all classification, it could be said to roughly resemble a spider if spiders were the size of mountains and had two dozen legs; each limb stretched off into the distance as countless joints unfolded. The abdomen was covered in purple crystalline armour plates which shifted as it moved like continents drifting on the rippling shifting darkness of its' flesh, it's head was a mass of bone armour and fangs from between which barbed tendrils that could ensnare a Bull-head unfurled. The thing let out a single hissing shriek before lurching forwards, it's many limbs shredding the ground beneath it with each step

"What the fuck it that!" Rover demanded

"More than we can deal with" Artemis growled. Gangrel wasn't paying attention to them, instead he was desperately trying to make contact with the main force

"Come on, come on….Weiss! Thank Oum you're okay. Send word to Winter, Salem is coming your way. The whole mountain was one Grimm!" there were a few seconds before the Bear-Faunus ended the call and took a deep breath before drawing his weapons

"What are you doing?" Artemis demanded

"It's coming this way, we're the first people it's gonna hit" Gangrel growled "We're gonna hold the line"

* * *

Ruby seemingly vanished and reappeared at will on the battlefield, such was the speeds she was pushing herself to. One moment she was embedding Crescent Rose in the spine of a Beringrel that was tearing through the back of a Battle-Suit only to vanish in a shower of rose petals a moment later as she sped off help Reese Chloris who had been reduced to hand to hand fighting without Arslan to cover her while she reloaded

"Thanks" the skater managed to pant out as she slapped a fresh magazine of Dust rounds into each half of Dyrdek Hawk

"No problem" no sooner were the words out of Ruby's mouth than she'd sped off again, slide tackling an Ursa which had been about to catch Weiss seemingly unaware before shifting her weapon into its' sniper rifle form and blasting its' skull into fragments

"Ruby, Gangrel just made contact" her partner began explaining, her voice taking on a nervous edge

"Oh so that's why you were distracted" Ruby gave her a sly smile "There's a time and a place Weiss"

"We're about to get hit by the biggest Grimm anyone has ever seen" Ruby's face became serious at the news

"What's the plan?" before Weiss could answer Nora's voice called out to her from nearby

"RUBY! OSCAR'S DOWN, I CAN'T GET TO HIM!" Ruby cast her eyes around the battlefield, despite the death of Nuckelavee the Grimm were still fighting ferociously; after searching for a moment she spotted the young Wizard laid face down in the mud seemingly shaking uncontrollably

"I'm getting him" she told Weiss before streaking off, triggering the power of her Silver Eyes a Beowolf stalked towards Oscar's prone form; the Grimm evaporated the moment Ruby's first came into contact with the end of its' snout

"Come on wake up, wake up" she muttered as she rolled him onto his back, concerned to see blood trickling from his nose and ears even as the convulsions ceased; telltale signs of him having a vision of the future. Eventually his eyes opened, still glowing with the Wizards powers for a few moments while he struggled to catch his breath and reach for his weapon

"We have to go, right now!"

"Oscar Team GRAP just said-"

"I know what they said and I know what's coming" Oscar cut her off "That's what I saw Ruby. I know how this ends"

 **Authors Notes:**

And that ladies and gents may well be my best cliffhanger yet.  
This is what was supposed to be the second half of the last chapter. It definitely works better as two.

Now let's summarise shall we:  
Everyone still fighting at this point is bad-ass beyond belief.  
If you've ever seen a film called "Equilibrium" I imagine Matte's fighting style to be basically "Gun-Kata".  
Winter Summoned a Nuckelavee. Be afraid and impressed (Also feel free to use the 'To fight monsters we created monsters of our own') line from Pacific Rim.  
I took no joy in writing Yang and Penny at each others' throats.  
 _now either step aside or I'll run through you_ – Yang unknowingly quoting Tai, because that Xiao Long temper is hereditary.  
I mean you didn't really think that Yang was going to sit the final battle out willingly did you?  
At the same time Penny and Blake will not let Yang get herself killed for no reason.  
Fun fact: Nora's line to Ren was originally "You nearly got Squished!" then I remembered how Squish died.  
Nora 'Kneecap a Nuckelavee' Valkyrie. Now that's a story she can tell her students.  
Team C_VY on the warpath and Velvet using Fox's weapons to kill the last Nuckelavee was cathartic.  
Oh you thought Salem was done? To quote Ruby Rose in Vol.2 "Pfft nah".  
Yes that entire mountain of condensed Grimm matter just hatched into a single Grimm.  
No that isn't the extent of my Lovecraftian fuckery, stay tuned.

Thank you to Antonio+Beltran, FallenTitan88, FleetOfWarships, MariamTheLibrarian22 and fluffyfirefly for their reviews on the last chapter.  
I have not read that book but just the fact there's a character named "Johnny Three Parts" means you have my attention.  
Hugs and medical attention and probably a years worth of sleep and some therapy are in order for pretty much everyone.  
Oobleck has the dubious honour of being on the "I was going to kill them but couldn't make myself do it" list along with Yatsuhashi.  
Whenever you think Winter has reached the maximum level of bad-ass she'll invent a new level.  
The angst is fun to write….even when I'm trying not to start blubbering.  
Okay Matte Skye is non-binary, I use they pronouns for them. If at any point you see Matte referred to as he/she it's actually a mistake that I didn't catch while proofreading and I'll either go through the entire story with a fine toothed comb once I'm finished or ask my proofreader to keep an eye out for those mistakes once they get to chapters that include Matte.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	117. 117: The End

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 117: The End**

"Ah fuck, the whole thing is a walking pit!" Gangrel bellowed to his team-mates as they leapt from the roof they had occupied onto the gargantuan monstrosity that had burst from the mountain. The moment the Bear-Faunus landed on the rippling obsidian flesh it began to snake around his ankles, teleporting again he positioned himself on one of the countless bone spikes that jutted from it like icebergs and relieved the first Grimm to emerge, a Creep of its' head

"Got it!" Artemis called back as she leapt from bone spike to bone spike Hakai Suru firing constantly as she did so, the only pause in the cacophony of gunshots being when she shifted her weapon to its' naginata form to deal with Grimm that had managed to get too close

"Not a problem, I can run on water I can run on this!" Rover answered, the canine Faunus himself was moving fast enough to be invisible to even Faunus vision and could only be identified by the streaks of golden lightning criss-crossing the leg of the giant Grimm that they had landed on and the dark mist left by the dying Grimm in his wake

"Okay serious question" Artemis called over to Gangrel between gunshots "Has this thing actually noticed that we're here?" it was a fair question, the Grimm spawned by the monster that they were clinging onto may as well have been an automatic response for all the notice the mountain-Grimm paid them. It had reached the ruined city with frightening speed and tore through it with ease, it's countless legs each longer than the streets they scuttled through and buildings were destroyed with its' every movement

"Honestly I kinda doubt it" Gangrel answered with a grimace as he shot a freshly spawned Grimm in the chest before teleporting to another jutting shard of bone armour and cleaving another monster in half with a wide slash

"Normally I'd say we rig charges to its' legs" Rover noted with a shrug as he stopped to catch his breath "I doubt we'd get through the armour though"

"Too many fucking legs anyway" Gangrel snorted "We don't have enough Dust"

"We're open to ideas" Artemis added, apparently happy to relinquish command back to her team leader

"Best bet is probably gonna be to go for the head" the trio shared determined looks as the turned their eyes towards the body of the beast and realised the scale of the task at hand. With nothing else to be said they began scaling the gargantuan limb leaping from bone to bone and felling Grimm as they went, desperately trying not to be sent falling to their deaths as the beast moved; Gangrel teleporting, Artemis relying on her athleticism and Rover utilising his speed. Before they'd made it half way to the torso Artemis caught Gangrel's attention

"Gang, we've got incoming!"

"What?" he looked at the feline and saw that her mismatched eyes were glowing as she used her Semblance, turning his attention to where she was looking he saw a trail of dust being kicked up as something hurtled towards them

"That's not tanks" the Bear-Faunus noted

"No" Artemis agreed "I'm only picking up two Auras"

* * *

Ruby pushed her Semblance to its' limits, forcing herself to not to stop and stare in awe at the sight of the Grimm before her

"Whoa!"

"Yeah" Oscar agreed, unable to think of anything to add to the sentiment, the young Wizard had used his powers to manipulate the flow of time around himself in a way that allowed him to keep pace with the caped Huntress; had she had opportunity to contemplate it Ruby would probably been galled to see someone keeping up with her while seemingly only jogging

"So what exactly did you see?" Ruby asked as they drew closer, weaving through the abandoned streets of the old Menagerie city

"We need to get inside it" Oscar informed her and Ruby noted that he hadn't actually answered her question

"You wanna run into its' mouth?" she asked incredulously "With all those tentacle things!"

"No" Oscar shook his head and pointed at the shifting abdomen of the Grimm "That's where we need to be"

"Okay, hold on to me" Ruby advised as she reached out and grabbed on to Oscar before triggering her Silver Eyes and bursting forward as the power flowed through her; her entire body began to vibrate as she sped towards the rear leg of the mountain sized monstrosity and ran vertically along its' surface; Grimm matter hissing and bubbling in slow motion to her perceptions as her feet made contact with it, Oscar's powers seemingly caused him to not trigger the spawning of more Grimm

"Now for the risky part!" before Oscar could ask what Ruby meant the Scythe wielder had pulled him along with her and began phasing through the surface of the Grimm's body. She had been inspired by the way Rover had tried to take down the Dragon after it had re-awoken in Vale, simply hoping that her Silver Eyes would protect her from the side effects that he suffered

"I can't believe that worked" Oscar gasped as he picked himself up, having dropped to his hands and knees upon landing inside the Grimm

"You said we needed to be in here and it was all I could think of" Ruby shrugged "Besides you didn't say anything about seeing us dying" Oscar turned away, seemingly searching his surroundings as he readied Omega Genysis in its' handgun mode

"Question is, where's here?" Ruby looked around

"It looks like a hallway, a really creepy hallway" she deployed Crescent Rose in its' scythe form as her eyes roved the crystalline walls which seemed to pulsate as though they were alive which, considering where the were was unsurprising. An uneasy feeling washed over Ruby, seemingly directing her in a certain direction

"Hey Oz….I think we should go this way" Oscar nodded

"Agreed" with that the pair walked in silence through the hallways of condensed and crystallised Grimm matter eventually coming to a pair of double doors

"She's in there isn't she?" Ruby asked, her voice a nervous whisper Oscar nodded silently before levelling his weapon at the door and firing an explosive Dust round. As the door was blown open Ruby rushed into the room behind it, halting at the sight that greeted her. In the throne in the far end of what appeared to be some sort of throne room, fused to the seat and staring at them with unseeing eyes was Salem. Ruby drew Penny's sword from her waist and shot forward without hesitation, burying the weapon to the hilt in Salem's chest, the blade protruding from the back of the throne. With a cry of exertion Ruby tapped into her powers and Salem's body was ripped apart by white light. Staring at the rapidly dissipating mist that filled the space the throne had occupied Ruby spoke

"Is it over?" the voice that answered her did not belong to Oscar Pine. Upon hearing it Ruby whipped around, eyes wide with disbelief as the crystalline wall cracked and splintered as the liquid darkness beneath it formed a new body

"No child it is far from over" Salem cackled as she strode forwards "This is my domain and you will both die here"

* * *

Yang bit back a pained curse as sparks issued from the joint of her newly reattached prosthetic with her first attempt to move it

"I'm sorry" Penny gave a sympathetic wince at the blonde's clear discomfort, her flesh and blood hand squeezing Blake's

"It's fine….It'll have to be" she managed to grunt out through clenched teeth as she slid her right gauntlet over the limb which continued to spark, fingers twitching in protest

"Yang are you sure you can fight like that?" Blake asked nervously

"I doubt I can go hand to hand with anything" she admitted "But I can use my plasma cannon and my Aura flamethrower to clear out some of the bigger Grimm" her partner gave her a concerned look before eventually relenting

"I'll stay close and cover you" Yang kept Blake's hand in hers as she rose to her feet

"Then let's go" before the three of them could leave the door to engineering opened revealing Weiss, the petite Huntress sweating and gasping for breath

"We need to go, right now!"

"We we just heading out" Yang gave her a cocky smile

"Not the battle, we're winning that" Weiss informed them "Gangrel made contact, his team are engaging a massive Grimm that's heading our way, it came from the mountain and it's bigger than anything we've seen before. Ruby and Oscar took off"

"She's going to try and take it down" Penny surmised

"WE HAVE TO GET OUT THERE!" Yang bellowed barging past Weiss who simply turned and sprinted alongside her, Blake and Yang rapidly catching up

"There are some Bull-heads coming in of for resupply" Weiss informed them

"I'll pilot" Penny answered

"We won't have any weapons if we steal it, but I should be able to make up for that" Weiss added

"Stealing Atlesian military hardware" Blake allowed herself a small smirk "It all comes full circle" moments later the four of them reached the hangar

"What's going on here!" a soldier demanded only to find Penny's weapons levelled at his chest

"Salutations soldier, I am Special Operative Polendina and I'm commandeering one of these craft.

* * *

With a furious roar Ruby charged forwards once again, Crescent Rose cleaving this iteration of Salem from right shoulder to left hip

"Your fury would impressive child, were it not for how pitiful your delusions are" Salem mocked as yet another body spawned from the walls of her chamber, Ruby's only response was to shift Crescent Rose into its' rifle from and fire into the abominations' face

"Ruby Move!" Oscar called before firing Omega Genysis, the shot flew through the space she had occupied and punched through the chest of yet another of Salem's countless bodies as it began to emerge; her hands had formed grasping talons clearly intended to skewer the Huntress. Salem's bodies didn't fade as she never truly died when they were destroyed, this fact had turned the chamber the three of them fought in into a macabre display as the ground was littered with dozen of eviscerated husks and more still hung from the walls like obscene gargoyles, destroyed before they could fully form

"How long can we keep this up?" the young wizard asked as he and Ruby regrouped

"Might run out of Dust but I can- AHHH" Ruby was cut of as blinding pain erupted in her right shoulder looking down she saw pale alabaster talons soaked in her blood protruding from the space between her shoulder and collarbone

"JUST DIE!" with a scream of rage Ruby's silver eyes flared and the talons were burned away along with the hand and arm that carried them, Oscar fired into Salem's face and chest until his weapon clicked empty, leaving the ruined body slumped over the table it had been rising from

"This can only end one way, but by all means continue to struggle" Ruby surged forth, scythe tearing Salem's head from her body before she sagged forwards, she was tiring. The dull thudding sound of a blunt instrument cracking bone alerted her to Salem's latest body facing off against Oscar the young Wizard fending off against sharpened talons with an impressive display of skill, his manipulations of the flow of time allowing him to avoid blows and counter at the last possible moment. Without a word Ruby shifted Crescent Rose to its' rifle form and activated her Semblance before firing one of her few remaining rounds, waves of agony tearing through her injured arm as Salem's skull exploded outwards

"We're running out of op-" Oscar found himself silenced as Salem reformed yet again, talons plunging through the boys' side as she appeared behind him; the pale skinned abomination pressed her advantage as she stepped from the wall of her chamber, stabbing the talons of her free hand through his back several times before allowing him to fall to the floor

"OSCAR!"

"Nothing for it then" Ruby was confused by his mumbled words "This is what I saw, I was trying to avoid this, I don't want to die….tell my family I'm sorry" Ruby could only watched open mouthed as Oscar activated the Wizards' powers, moving outside of the normal flow of time to seemingly vanish and reappear behind Salem, dropping his weapon and clutching onto her

"RUBY USE YOUR POWERS NOW!" as he watched Ruby's eyes began to glow with a brilliant light that began to engulf everything around her Oscar stepped out of the normal flow of time once again, this time dragging Salem with him

"WHAT HAVE YOU DONE TO ME!" Salem's words came out an agonised scream as she dropped to the ground clutching her skull "MY CHILDREN! I CAN'T HEAR THEM, I CAN'T FEEL THEM!"

"You just lost" Oscar laughed, blood trickling from his mouth as he collapsed "Time doesn't exist here and while you're here you don't exist out there….the Grimm hive mind just got lobotomised" Salem gave a wordless shriek of rage and agony at the child that dared mock her, rushing forth and plunging her claws through his heart

"FOOLISH LITTLE WIZARD! WE ARE BOTH OUTSIDE OF TIME, YOU'RE JUST AS POWERLESS HERE AS I AM!"

"Not quite" Oscar laughed as the light began to fade from his eyes "I get to leave" with that Oscar Pine died his body fading away into nothingness, leaving Salem utterly alone. The being that formed the consciousness of the Grimm looked around her in terror as her surroundings began to dim, the light of the Silver Eyed Warrior frozen in time slowly being replaced by an encroaching and all consuming darkness from which there was no respite or escape.

Salem's screams could have lasted an instant or an eternity, there was no time to measure them and no one to hear them.

* * *

Gangrel teleported to the jutting shard of bone Artemis had just been hurled from, barely managing to reach down and catch her before she fell. Rover appearing a moment later

"What the fuck is happening in there?" he demanded nervously as he pulled his fiancée to safety. Since the pair of Auras that Artemis had spotted, one of which clearly belonging to Ruby Rose phased their way into the monstrous Grimm its' advance had slowed almost to a halt instead it thrashed almost at random, levelling most of the city beneath it

"I don't know but we need to get off this Grimm or we're gonna die" Gangrel snarled

"What and leave Ruby in there?" Artemis demanded incredulously, the Bear-Faunus growled in irritation

"Rover can you phase inside it?"

"Not really" the canine admitted "Good chance it'll break my Aura Regulator and I'll either be useless or straight up dead" behind his mask Rover was terrified by the prospect of something happening to the Huntress he considered his protégé and Gangrel knew it

"You two go, I'll either find a way in or fucking make one" without waiting for an answer he leapt into the air and teleported onto another one of the giant Grimm's many legs, considerably higher than his previous position and tried to ignore the light-headedness washing over him, his Aura hadn't fully recovered from his fight with the Nuckelavee and he was pushing himself

"GANG!" hearing Rover call up to him he looked down and saw his team-mate pointing frantically at something in the distance, looking where Rover was pointing he saw a Bull-Head approaching rapidly and felt his Scroll buzzing in his pocket, pulling the device from his pocket he saw that Weiss was calling him

"Please tell me that's you in that Bull-head"

"It is" Weiss answered "Any ideas on how to-Oh my Oum GANGREL MOVE!" before he could ask what she meant Gangrel found himself flung into the air as everything around him was enveloped in blinding light.

* * *

"Please wake up, come on please wake up" were the first words Ruby was able to discern as consciousness slowly returned to her, everything shifting from darkness to there suddenly being to much information to process as her eyes slowly fluttered open

"Hey sis" she managed to croak out upon realising that it was Yang's voice she'd heard, the blonde cradling her unconscious body while Penny, Weiss, Blake, Gangrel, Rover and Artemis looked on in various states of alarm

"You're okay! Sensational!" Penny swooped down and kissed her gently

"What happened in there kid?" Rover asked "When the Grimm exploded I had to catch Gang. Good thing I'm still faster than you right" Artemis playfully nudged him in the ribs, stepping forward as Ruby struggled to her feet, Yang and Penny helping her up; looking around Ruby saw that they were stood in the centre of a crater the size of a small village and realised with a shock that it was the result of her own attack

"We found these" the feline produced one of Penny's old swords, the same one she'd impaled Salem with and Omega Genysis. Ruby's lip trembled at the sight of the staff

"Oscar-Oscar didn't make it" Penny squeezed her hand while Ruby forced herself to continue "But Salem's gone, it's over….so all the sacrifices were worth it right?" Ruby found herself pulled into crushing hugs by everyone present, each of them congratulating her until Gangrel spoke, his voice a nervous whisper

"Fuck….we need to get out of here, right now"

"What?" Blake turned to him in confusion

"If Salem's gone then there's nothing guiding the Grimm"

"Yeah that was kinda the point of getting rid of her" Yang grinned

"So every Grimm on Remnant is now acting like it's fresh out of a spawning pit" it took a few moments for his words to sink in, once they had however the faces of those present slowly morphed into expressions of pure dread. Weiss was the first to react, pulling out her Scroll and desperately trying to contact Winter  
"Weiss where are you?" her sister demanded the moment she answered

"Winter you need to order a retreat, the Grimm are reverting to their primal instincts!"

"Duly noted" her sisters' tone oozed sarcasm, judging by the sounds of battle raging in the background this fact had already made itself known

"Winter, I've regrouped with Ruby and Team GRAP. Mission was a success, Salem has been eliminated. Order a retreat" with that she ended the call

"Penny get our Bull-head in the air"

* * *

Coco, Velvet and Yatsuhashi fought pressed against each other in the midst of a tide of Grimm that seemingly gone utterly berserk. Velvet's replicated Atlesian knights were proving to be nothing more than distractions and cannon fodder in the face of the crazed monsters seemingly willing to devour each other in order to get to the Hunters. Coco's Mini-gun shredded countless Grimm while Yatsuhashi's Semblance flung several back, imploding their bodies with the force; creating gaps in the mass of bodies which were soon filled as more Grimm rushed forth

"Looks like we're not making that evac" Coco chuckled as her ammunition ran out, barrels of Satani Arbor slowing to a stop. Not long after the Grimm had seemingly lost their minds the order to fall back had been given, Bull-Heads performing bombing runs on larger Grimm had been flying low to pick up the Hunters buying time for the Atlesian military and their allies to retreat, much of the heavy artillery had simply been abandoned; Team CFVY had failed to reach one of them

"Well if this is how it ends" Yatsuhashi murmured readying his sword and preparing to charge an oncoming Deathstalker "We give 'em a fight" Coco felt Velvet squeezing her hand, looking at the Rabbit-Faunus she'd fallen in love with she saw tears in her eyes and a determined smile on her face

"Let's do it. Let's give 'em hell" Coco nodded and loaded the last of her ammunition

"Team CFVY, CHAR-" she was cut off by gunfire raking through the horde of Grimm, the Deathstalker Yatsuhashi had intended to take out being shredded as its' carapace shattered under the assault of the Bull-head as it screamed overhead before slowing down and hovering in the air, a pair of blades on chains dangling from its' open rear hatch

"No heroic last stands today" Mercury called down as he wrapped his arms around Emerald, holding the former thief in place, she indicated to the weapons in her hands

"Climb on the ships are already in the air, we're regrouping over the sea"

"Coco get up first, me and Yatsu can cover you" Velvet grabbed one of the dangling chains and thrust it into her hand; the fashionista collapsed her weapons and began clambering up the chains her Semblance making balancing effortless while Yatsuhashi launched waves of concussive force and Velvet used a replica of Magnhild to beat back the Grimm

"Yatsu go!" the giant of a man nodded and crouched as he focused his Semblance in his palms before bringing them down on the ground and sending himself skyward. Velvet vanished her copy of Nora's weapon and sprinted forwards, leaping into the air and delivering a punishing kick to the snout of a Beowolf as it pounced she used the Grimm's skull as a spring board to launch herself backwards as she created a replica of the Atlesian drop-troop armour around herself, using it's back mounted thrusters to steer herself into the Bull-Head where Coco pulled her close the moment she landed and kissed the top of her head

"I keep saying it babe, you're the biggest bad-ass I know"

* * *

"Oh that's not gonna be fun" Yang noted as their stolen Bull-head drew near to what had been the battlefield. The retreating Atlesian ships could be seen in the distance, between them however was a mass of airborne Grimm filling the horizon as far as the eye could see blocking their route

"We're going to have to fly straight through them" Penny told those aboard with a grimace

"And we don't have weapons" Blake added as they drew close, a flock of Nevermore breaking off and screeching as they flew towards the Bull-head

"Well it looks like they're in a fowl mood"

"Brace yourselves" Penny warned them before sending their craft into a dive, pulling up sharply once they had passed beneath the Nevermore and making several sharp evasive manoeuvrers through the swarm of monsters in the air, getting ever closer to the Atlesian fleet

"We might just make it" Rover sighed, only to be proven wrong moments later when a Griffin collided with the left wing reducing the engine to a mangled mess that spewed a contrail of black smoke behind it. The Hunters aboard were smashed into the walls and rattled in their harnesses as the craft began to spiral downwards

"Nano-bots active, commencing field repairs" Penny's monotone voice sounded out, the mechanical girl slumped forwards as the silvery fluid left her body and began to work its' way through the craft

"WE NEED A NEW PILOT!" Yang called out, Artemis unfastened her harness and ran into the cockpit setting Penny down and frantically working the controls, the Bull-head began to pull itself up

"When did you learn to pilot?" Rover demanded with a laugh

"I thought I'd ask for some of the basics considering out luck with transports….Weiss contact your sister, I need someone to talk me through this" Weiss unfastened her harness and gave her scroll to Rover

"Tell Winter to help Artemis and open the hangar on one of the ships, I'm going to deal with the Grimm" with that she opened the rear hatch of the Bull-head, Gangrel taking her hand in his as he stepped into place next to her

"You know we're doing this together" Weiss merely raised an eyebrow

"I wouldn't have it any other way" with that the pair leapt from the craft, Weiss summoning a Nevermore for the pair to ride on while Gangrel withdrew Breaker and began firing on Grimm that neared the craft while weaving between them, with the path being cleared around them the Bull-head began to pick up speed and flashes of light could be seen from the opening hatch where Yang fired her plasma cannon into the horde with Blake holding her steady

"They're going to make it" Weiss cheered as she saw the Bull-head break free of the main body of the swarm, the moment didn't last long

"WEISS!" Gangrel roared as a Tormentor swooped past, it's tail dragging her from the summoned construct, which in turn vanished as Weiss lost control. Gangrel, in mid free-fall teleported to Weiss before grabbing her and teleporting onto the wing of the Bull-head; coughing up blood as the strain of taking passengers and his current drained state took their toll on him he looked down at Weiss, horrified to see her bleeding heavily from a gash in her stomach

"No, no, no" his terrified whispers were interrupted by the creaking groan of the wing giving way, Penny not having enough working nano-bots left within her body to completely repair the damage. Gangrel rolled onto the main body of the craft, clawed fingers of his cybernetic arm sinking into the steel as he covered Weiss's prone body with his own. Daring to look ahead he saw that they were approaching the fleet, the interior of the hangar of one of the nearest ships becoming clearly visible even as the Bull-head began to lose control. Setting his jaw Gangrel covered Weiss and braced for impact.

* * *

Everything ached and when he opened his eyes the first thing he saw was white, blinking several times and allowing the world to slide into focus he realised that it was white hair

"She's barely left this room since the doctors released her" hearing the familiar voice Gangrel gently moved Weiss's sleeping form aside and pulled himself into a sitting position

"Hey Dad" Weiss began to stir, apparently woken by the Bear-Faunus moving her. The moment her eyes opened her arms snaked around his shoulders as she pulled him down into a kiss

"You utter dolt, you used yourself as a shield"

"I'll go tell the others you're awake, give you two a few minutes" Bjorn chuckled before he exited the room which Gangrel now realised was inside Schnee Manor

"You were hurt, what happened?" Weiss beamed and kissed him again

"Just a flesh wound, it'll scar but my Aura is already taking care of it" she assured him "Our Bull-head had to perform a crash landing inside the hangar. We were both thrown off of the hull, you actually went through the cockpit of another Bull-head; due to how badly drained your Aura was you've been out a couple days"

"I have the worst luck with Bull-heads" he laughed as pulled her closer to him, Weiss merely chuckled

"I love you Gangrel, I really do"

"Love you too" the pair merely held each other in easy silence for a few moments until the door to the room opened again, revealing Bjorn, Rover, Artemis, Whitley and Winter; the eldest Schnee now walking with the aid of a cybernetic leg

"So we won then?" Gangrel asked bluntly. Winter nodded, her expression solemn

"We did, though not without losses"

"I heard about Oscar" Gangrel sighed as he saw the dried tears staining Whitley's face "He went out swinging and we wouldn't be here if he hadn't"

"We lost over nine thousand men and women of the Atlesian military, roughly the same number are injured though both are expected to rise" Winter continued "And to make matters worse without Salem's influence the Grimm have been acting….feral, the only reason several settlements on the fringes of all four Kingdoms haven't been wiped out is because the Grimm seem willing to kill each other now"

"There's something else" Rover added "We lost Fox, Orchid and Noctis"

"Fuck" Gangrel breathed out, it was a measure of how hard that news hit them that Bjorn didn't chastise his son for his language "So what now? Where's everyone else?"

"Blake's fine" Artemis assured him, knowing that he was concerned about the Faunus who was his sister in every way except blood "Raven, Yang's Mum died in the battle. Penny is taking Yang and Ruby back to patch, Blake wanted to be with her but she promised she'll be in touch. The rest of Team CFVY were on one of the first ships back to Vale"

"General Ironwood is missing presumed dead. Reports from his bridge crew lead us to believe that Raven Branwen killed him; It hasn't been made official but the Atlesian Council have offered me his position"  
Gangrel took a few moments to process the information.

"So where does that leave us?" Weiss interlocked her fingers with his and leaned against him

"Figuring out what we're going to do with the rest of our lives"

 **Authors Notes:**

And there it is, the end of the story. I have an epilogue planned hopefully I can have that written and posted by the fourth of May so that it can mark eight months to the day since I posted chapter 01.  
I know I said this might end up being 119 chapters, I removed a scene with Qrow and a scene with Coco and Velvet, they didn't add anything that can't be covered in the epilogue.  
This has been fun and don't think for two seconds that I'm done with RWBY fan-fiction, after I post the epilogue go read my one-shot "Our Happy Ever After" /s/12367693/1/Our-Happy-Ever-After if you want a taster of what's coming in the spin-off focusing on 'Team FADE'  
Also it's fitting that this is the chapter that pushes us over half a million words

Now let's summarise shall we:  
I know Team GRAP said they were going to hold the line, but all heroic speeches aside what were they really going to do to that thing.  
Ruby vs Oscar, she runs fast he slows time down….People who ship Rose Garden do with that what you will.  
Gangrel's idea to go for the head while logical was incorrect, Salem's throne room was housed in the giant Grimm's abdomen which is why it was so heavily armoured.  
The "Creepy feeling directing her" is a facet of her powers Ruby never actually truly unlocks in this story but in 'Our happy ever after' it's shown that she can use her Silver eyes to detect Grimm.  
Come one, you didn't really think it'd be that easy now did you.  
Yang will rip a mountain sized Grimm apart with one arm and her teeth if need be.  
Also, Penny will hijack a Bull-head, which considering she's Atlesian is probably treason.  
"Stealing Atlesian military hardware, it all comes full circle" meta as fuck mate.  
Salem doesn't just control the Grimm, she IS the Grimm. Her body is just a shell she inhabits, destroying the body doesn't stop her, dragging the body with her consciousness within it outside of space and time and dumping it there does. Although note how she's still not actually dead. (Wink wink)  
Also let's be honest "Salem has infinite bodies" is the scariest concept for a final battle.  
Oscar's last words to Salem; more or less bad-ass than Jaune and Cinder's final exchange?  
Coco Adel: 100% ready for a heroic last stand 100% of the time.  
Merc & Em: 100% to fuck up your plans 100% of the time; also I kind of had the end of 'Saving Private Ryan' in mind when I wrote that part; with Tom Hanks advancing on a tank fully prepared to die, then a fighter flies overhead and takes it out.  
I had to get one last Yang pun in.  
Weiss has a new bad ass scar.  
Cyborg Winter, because the head of Atlas military must have some missing parts; it's tradition.  
'Over nine thousand' men and women….I couldn't help myself.  
So, Salem's gone but there are still Grimm left to hunt.

Thank you to: FallenTitan88, MariamTheLibrarian22 and FleetOfWarships for their reviews on the last chapter.  
Bad-ass Nora is always a pleasure to write.  
Winter upping the Bad-ass level is always fun to write….Winter vs Port in his prime is a fight I'd like to see.  
I hope this chapter lived up to the rest of the story.

As always thank you to everyone that reads this, with a special thanks to those of you that follow, favourite and review.


	118. 118: Six Months Later (Epilogue)

RWBY & All associated trademarks are property of Rooster Teeth (RIP Monty Oum)

I claim no ownership of anything except my own original characters.

I am making no money from this.

Also GIVE ME REVIEWS OUM-DAMN IT

 **Chapter 118: Six Months Later (Epilogue)**

"I do"

"You may now kiss the bride" At those words the church hall was filled with a chorus of _'Awws'_ as Rover's hands found their way to Artemis Tan's waist and he gently kissed her lips. Stood behind them officiating the ceremony was Winter Schnee in full uniform, the specialist turned General had been honoured at the request from the pair to be the one to marry them, going so far as to offer to assist them monetarily with starting their lives together. Ruby and Artemis's younger sister Diana wore matching dresses as bridesmaids, Gangrel had been the natural choice for best man. In the months since their victory against Salem Grimm activity had spiked to an almost absurd level and the remaining members of Teams GRAP, RWBY and CFVY alongside Penny, Ren and Nora had been almost constantly deployed to the worst affected settlements across the Kingdoms; Atlas having leant its' military strength to its' allies in their time of need. Finally though the Grimm activity had begun to subside, slowly dropping to more normal levels allowing the Hunters some respite and time to plan for their futures; experts with high enough clearance to access the information required and theorise on the matter suspected that whatever psychic backlash Salem's removal from Remnant had caused throughout the Grimm hive-mind was beginning to subside.

"I can't believe you cry at weddings as well" Blake grinned as she leaned into Yang, making no effort at all to hide the tears of happiness streaming down her own face

"Look at them though" the blonde murmured as she wrapped her cybernetic limb around her partner, the limb having been repaired soon after what was being called the final battle despite the countless Grimm remaining "They're perfect together, it should be a cry-me" Blake suppressed a sigh at the pun, shaking her head and smiling to herself as the newly-weds began to make their way back down the aisle as they left the church for the reception, guests rising to stand behind them

"Let's go" Yang rose to her feet holding her hand out to Blake

"I'll save you the first dance" the Faunus smiled as she accepted the hand, wrapping her arms around the blondes' shoulders and planting a brief kiss on her lips "And the last one" the pair left arm in arm; making their way out into the blazing sunlight of Vale's summer and joining the crowd as Artemis prepared to throw the bouquet

"Think Ruby might make a dive for it?" Yang asked, giving Blake a wink and playful nudge. As the flowers were thrown there was a small commotion in the crowd as Nora, without warning leapt onto Ren's shoulders to catch the flowers

"Ha! I'm queen of the castle!" laughter erupted as Nora dropped to the ground and wrapped her arms around Ren's waist

"So" Blake drawled "That was a thing" Yang gave her a devilish grin

"Yeah it was….But I could totally have caught that first"

* * *

Qrow Branwen drank alone at the bar of the wedding reception, Port and Oobleck having left him alone when the hyperactive man had decided to test the limitations of the cybernetic augmentations to his spine when the dancing started; against the odds both of his eyes had managed to be saved after his injuries, though his face bore some impressive scarring as a reminder. Downing the last of his drink he debated ordering another or seeking out his nieces or Taiyang, he'd spent some time alone after briefly returning to Patch to deliver Raven's final message to his brother in law. The decision was taken from his control however when someone cleared their throat behind him, casting a glance over his shoulder he indicated to a pair empty barstools next to him

"Take a seat" Glynda Goodwitch and Winter Schnee took the offer

"Glad to see you're still alive" Winter joked "Rumours were starting to circulate that great Qrow Branwen had vanished"

"Those rumours start every six to eight months" he snorted in response

"Where have you been?" Goodwitch asked in her usual no nonsense tone, though there was a touch of concern beneath it

"I took Oscar's weapon to his family, explained what happened to them as best I could. Then took the broken halves of Raven's sword to Mistral. She had a little cabin just outside of Doupeng-He Bishou, made a little memorial for her there. She was also operating in that hellhole and cleaning out the scumbags that the law can't touch, I decided to deal with some of the ones that started rearing their heads in her absence….Carrying on her work helped, honestly I could have thrown myself into it and forgotten everything for a while; might have done if I hadn't heard from Antonia Arc about the Grimm activity" the women took a moment to process the information, losing his sister once again; this time undeniably the last had obviously taken a great toll on Qrow. Eventually Winter spoke

"So what now?" Qrow raised an eyebrow at the question

"You're the head of Atlas now right, goes with your new title? And Glynda I'm guessing that whenever New Vale finally gets a proper Academy up and running they'll want you to run the show….is this a job interview? 'Cos if it is I don't recall applying"

"Branwen the day I allow a lecherous old drunk to shape the minds of a generation of Hunters is the day I resign from my post" Goodwitch retorted, the wide smile on her face insuring that Qrow knew it was all in jest

"Well this isn't about a teaching role, but I did come with a proposition for you" Winter saw Qrow's wary expression and continued with some trepidation "You knew more of Ozpin's secrets than any of us, you were his right hand for years. You've also got a knack for finding people-"  
"Who do you want found?" the grizzled old Huntsman sighed "If you're looking for Black and Sustrai I know they haven't gone back to Doupeng-He Bishou, I kept an eye out for them while I was there"

"I know they're somewhere in Mistral, I had an agent discretely keep tabs on them after they left….though not as discretely as I'd hoped" Winter produced her scroll and showed Qrow a photograph which he couldn't help but burst out laughing at; some hapless Atlesian agent knocked out and tied to a lamppost with sticky notes affixed to his face, each bearing a message instructing Winter in the bluntest and crudest of terms to leave the couple alone. Eventually Qrow managed to regain some of his self control

"Okay so if not those two then who?"

"Salem may be gone, but there will still be new Maidens and a new Wizard out there somewhere and organising bombing runs on every single Spawning Pit on Menagerie just to be safe will demand my attention" Winter explained

"I'm not going to deliver them to Atlas military"

"I'm not asking you to. I'm asking you find them, watch over them and train them as best you can. Don't even tell me when you find them if you don't want to, but you have any assets you need at your disposal"

"The world needs someone to watch over it's legends and heroes until they're needed" Goodwitch chimed in "And whatever anyone thought of Ozpin he shouldn't have been juggling the fate of the world in both hands by treating Beacon as a part time job"

"Or you'd take the job yourself" Qrow chuckled, Goodwitch made a non-committal gesture

"You'll do it?" Winter asked

"I'll consider it….Glynda's right, if I'm watching over Maidens I'm gonna have to retire from Hunting; never thought I'd see the day that became a serious consideration"

"Well you're officially a war hero now" Winter noted "I'm sure I can add some benefits into your pension"

"Alright Ice Queen" Qrow drawled, rising to the taunt about his age despite himself "Shouldn't you be entertaining that First Mate of yours" he waggled his eyebrows suggestively before motioning towards the dance floor, Winter followed his gaze and saw Matte Skye wearing a very well fitting suit dancing more suggestively than was strictly necessary considering the occasion with Coco Adel, the fashionista shooting Velvet looks the whole time that assured the Faunus that she may be dancing with Matte but the show was all for her

"Oh I'll be entertaining them later….You're welcome to join us" Winter took the sound of Glynda choking on her drink as her cue to leave, the older women leaving moments after while muttering something about professional conduct under her breath. Qrow ordered another drink; silently wondering if he was ready for the mantle being offered to him and whether or not he'd be able to do it alone.

* * *

Ruby and Penny sat in a quiet corner of the wedding reception enjoying each others' company, Ruby's head resting on Penny's shoulder as they cuddled occasionally sharing gentle kisses

"Not joining the party?"

"Hey Dad" Ruby squeaked, blushing slightly at being caught in a such a tender moment and instinctively reaching for the hood of the cape that she was for once not wearing, Taiyang merely chuckled as he sat down

"Relax kiddo I'm not gonna tease you about it, you two are adorable"

"Dad!"

"Thank you Mister Xiao Long" Penny beamed

"Oh and nice ink Ruby, when did you sneak off and get that done?" her father nodded to the tattoo adorning her upper left arm her dress revealing the flesh healed by her Aura and the names 'Jaune Arc, Pyrrha Nikos, Perdu 'Squish' Callow and Fox Alistair' written in looping black letters one above the other; the dress also revealed the scars she'd acquired in her fight with Salem

"You're not mad? I know not technically old enough-" Ruby trailed off when her father began laughing

"You have seen my arms right kid?" Ruby merely shrugged conceding the point

"So how come you're not joining the party?" Ruby merely shrugged again

"I'm not much of a fancy, dance-y kind of girl"

"Nothing to do with Yang being on the dance floor?" Taiyang raised an eye and he's youngest daughter squirmed slightly

"Nothing's been the same since Menagerie, she's almost never on Patch any more even though we're not on active duty. Dad, does Yang hate me?"

"I don't think Yang could ever hate you. It's just that she gets some of her personality from her Uncle Qrow and not the same parts as you; she's not avoiding you to hurt you she just needs some time away from everyone involved in what happened to process things" Ruby nodded slowly at the explanation; even though Team RWBY had been deployed while the Grimm had been active Yang had been taking missions with Ren and Nora, Blake choosing to join her; the four of them forming an impromptu team while Ruby, Weiss and Penny tended to either work alone or alongside Gangrel, Rover and Artemis. The trend had continued after the Grimm surge had died down and everyone found themselves relieved of duty. Yang only ever making fleeting visits to Patch over the recent months

"I miss her" Ruby said simply

"We should go and dance then" Penny suggested "You can talk to her before we leave for Atlas" at the mention of their upcoming departure a sad look crossed Taiyang's face

"I can't talk you out of leaving can I?"

"Nope" Ruby grinned "Besides you're a teacher, you should want me to carry on my education"

"True enough, but with them?" her father visibly shuddered. After Team RWBY had been relieved of duty Ruby had been shocked and in all honestly somewhat heartbroken to find that the Hunting License issued to her by General Ironwood had been revoked; Winter had said simply that it was issued in wartime where normal regulations did not apply, with the war over the first and second year students would have to undergo proper training to be allowed to operate in the Kingdom of Atlas. Professor Goodwitch had concurred meaning that Ruby found herself unable to Hunt in Vale, with the island of Patch being an exception; though the heads of Mistral and Vaccuo had offered them full permits for the respective Kingdoms' jurisdiction Ruby had eventually come to a different decision

"Yeah with them, I'd go to Atlas Academy if Team RWBY was going as a whole. I got into Beacon two years early I just want to have normal knees for once" she allowed herself a grin before continuing "The Atlesian Freelancer program offered me and Penny places based on our records despite not graduating, but other than that I'm going to be the same as any other recruit there"

"I'm just worried" Taiyang admitted "You'll always be my little girl and everything I've heard about the Freelancers is about how they're a bunch of ruthless cut-throats that operate outside of the law"

"They operate outside of Atlas's official command structure, they actually function just like regular Hunters in the other Kingdoms" Penny explained "A lot of their reputation comes from disgruntled soldiers and Specialists who've had their limelight stolen….although they do tend to have a penchant for unconventional tactics, my Father says they _'prefer the shocking side of shock and awe'_ "

"And there is nothing conventional about our tactics" Ruby laughed pointing to herself and Penny

"I know your mind's made up" Taiyang sighed leaning over to ruffle his daughters' hair "Just promise to stay safe and promise to stay in touch; go have fun" at that Ruby rose to her feet holding out a hand to Penny

"Would you like to dance?"

"That would be sensational"

"I can't wait til we're doing this at our own wedding" Yang murmured into Blake's ear as the pair danced "Kinda wish I'd proposed to you properly though, you deserve-"

"The answer will always be yes Yang. I love you" the blonde flushed slightly, burying her face in her fiancées neck

"I love you too Blake….Just don't work away from too much if you can help it"

"Don't worry I won't be in Atlas for too long, Obsidian specifically wants me to be involved in the Vale branch of the Coalition. I'll probably make business trips over to Atlas every now and then to liaise with the SDC….and catch up with Weiss and Gang" The Snake Faunus had managed to contact Blake upon their return from their most recent mission and offered her a position for life within his organisation as a Faunus rights activist, similar offers had been made to Bjorn Slate and Ringo Umi in Atlas and Junior due to his role in providing relief to the beleaguered Kingdoms after the battles. Blake had taken the offer without hesitation; with the White Fang all but destroyed and it's remains functioning as nothing more than a criminal enterprise in Vaccuo the life of a Huntress no longer seemed to be the most effective way to help create the world she wished to live in

"I'm still gonna miss you" the blonde gave a playful pout

"So have you thought about what you're going to do? You Ren and Nora can't run around hunting with invalid licences forever Yang" Blake gave her a concerned look, the topic of Yang throwing herself into fighting the Grimm to avoid dealing with matters had been broached more than once in recent months

"I know, I know" Yang sighed "I could stay on Patch and train under my Dad with Sun but I think I'm going to take Professor Goodwitch up on her offer"

"Train with other former Beacon Students? who're you getting teamed up with?" Professor Goodwitch had offered an accelerated curriculum to all Hunters who had served in the conflict in acknowledgement of their services and many former students were returning to lessons held in temporary classrooms if for no other reason than a sense of normalcy

"When I spoke to her said she would consider moving me into a second year team if there was one willing to take me; I'm thinking about asking Coco….I don't want her to think I'm trying to take Fox's place though"

"She won't" Blake assured her as she nuzzled in closer still while the two of them danced slowly "And with Beacon gone you'll still be heading back to Patch when you're not in class or on missions"

"Unless you wanna get a hotel room in Vale?" Yang couldn't keep the flirting edge out of her tone

"Ew, bad time to join the conversation, really bad time" hearing Ruby's muttering Blake flushed scarlet and Yang whipped around to face her sister. There was a moment's silence as the two regarded each other before all tension and awkwardness vanished when Yang pulled Ruby into a crushing hug  
"Oh my Oum you look amazing, I've missed you so much"

"Missed you too….but need to breath" Ruby managed to gasp out while Blake and Penny shared amused looks at the antics

"So I heard you're heading to Atlas?" Blake asked "I'll be sure to let you know when I'm there, it'll be strange being on Patch without you" being reminded of her siblings' upcoming departure only caused to hug Ruby tighter, causing Penny to have serious concerns about the safety of her girlfriends' spine

"Hey Ruby, before you go there's something I might kinda need your help with"

"Hmm?"

"Okay so my plasma cannon attachment for Ember Celica is cool….like really cool" Yang paused and smiled before delivering the punchline "But it's not practical in every situation so I was thinking of working on some options, like one that turns into a weapon with capacity, something that-"

"YOU WANT ME TO BUILD YOUR NEW WEAPONS?" Ruby looked utterly gob-smacked before cackling "Best day ever!"

* * *

"Wow you really cannot dance" Artemis laughed as Gangrel and Weiss left the dance floor hand in hand before turning to Weiss "I thought Rover might have to stop him from toppling over onto you"

"Any other day I'd refuse to deal with this shit" the Bear-Faunus sighed despite the grin on his face, Rover mouthed something suspiciously like _'Timber!'_ to him as he reached an available seat; Weiss positioning herself on his lap, her arms snaking around his shoulder as she kissed him

"I'm going to miss you while you're away" she sighed as they broke apart

"You could always reconsider and sign up" Weiss shook her head at the suggestion. Winter's revoking of their status as Hunters had been the source of a furious argument between the sisters, made worse by the news that Gangrel, Rover and Artemis as older students of Beacon had been offered the chance to train as Atlesian specialists under Matte Skye who had taken up Winter's former role

"No, I've been giving the matter some serious thought and I think I know what I want to do. I'm going to work for the SDC?"

Wait….for?" Gangrel looked confused

"Indeed, I can't legally take the company from Whitely and honestly I don't have the desire to" Weiss beamed proudly at the thought of her brother "I wanted to become a Huntress to make the Schnee name mean something again, make us stand for something other than profit at any cost. Whitley working with the Coalition and being the first company in Atlas to promise equal pay and treatment to human and Faunus workers is a huge step towards that. I want to bring the Schnee Dust Company into the future, I've spoken to Whitley and I'm going to be working in research and development"

"That's great" Gangrel grinned "I'm proud of you babe" Weiss beamed and kissed him again

"So have you spoken to Rover and Artemis about joining you?" the Faunus nodded his head

"Yeah" he sighed "They're not interested, they want to help protect New Vale"

"I can't blame them for wanting to be near their families….I won't lie part of my decision was based on wanting to be near Whitley, he needs someone" Weiss admitted, the boy had taken Oscar's death badly and was only just beginning to return to something resembling his regular self

"True, I'm gonna miss having them around though" Gangrel shrugged "I'm gonna miss waking up next to you every morning and remembering how lucky I am even more"

"Well" Weiss leaned close and whispered in his ear "I'll be sure to thoroughly remind you before you leave" her tone one that drew a deep rumbling growl from the Bear-Faunus as his hands moved to her hips

"Y'know" he began with a small chuckle "If anyone had told me a year ago that this is how things would have turned out I'd have told them they were either stupid or insane"

"Likewise" Weiss responded as she leaned into him wearing a bright smile "I've never been so happy to be utterly wrong though"

* * *

In a secluded corner of the venue away from prying eyes Coco Adel had Velvet Scarlatina pinned firmly against a wall, the kisses she was administering to the Faunus' neck being rewarded with a serious of gasps and pants that threatened to rob the fashionista of all self control

"So….I'll come back later then" the sound of a voice behind her made Coco halt immediately, Velvet blushing and readjusting her dress

"You Motherfuck-" Coco's furious rant died on her lips as she turned and saw who she was addressing "Hey big guy….it's been a while"

"It has" Yatsuhashi nodded "And I'm sorry about that" the last time Coco and Velvet had seen the giant of a man had been at Fox's funeral when he had explained that he needed some time to consider things, neither Huntress blamed him; burying their team-mate had broken them in ways they couldn't have begun to imagine beforehand

"Nothing to apologise for Yatsu" Velvet stepped forward and pulled her partner into a hug "We understand"

"I heard from Professor Goodwitch that the two of you are going to be studying at the temporary training facility?"

"Yeah we are" Velvet nodded "Vaccuo offered us permits because they always need all the people they can get, Mistral offered to let us deal with a conflict between the bandit tribes that's starting to spill over but we decided to get full Hunting Licences so we can work anywhere on Remnant if we want to" a small grin crept across Coco's face

"So how come you were asking around big guy?" Yatsuhashi returned the smile

"When we buried Fox I didn't think I could do this, I didn't think I could lose another friend. Then I realised that if I gave up I'd be losing you both anyway and I'd never sleep easy at night or be able to look at myself in the mirror if something happened….so what I'm asking is, is there still a place for me?" Coco laughed and threw her arms around Velvet's shoulder and Yatsuhashi's chest

"Of course there's still a place for you. Team CFVY is back in business!"

"Exactly the way Fox would want it" Velvet smiled before kissing Coco's cheek

"Us against all the Grimm and criminals in the world" the fashionista gave a feral smile while the Faunus couldn't help but laugh at

"Remnant will never be the same again"

 **Authors Notes:**

So.  
It's done.  
Today is the 4th May 2017….exactly eight months to the day since I wrote and posted the first chapter of this story.  
I'm proud and at the same time a little sad that it's over.  
This is by far the biggest contribution I've made to any fandom I've been a part of and it's bittersweet for me.

So for the last time in the story, let's summarise shall we:  
Yes I went straight for the jugular with the feels, opening the chapter with "I do"….You're welcome.  
Bridesmaid Ruby; you know it's adorable.  
Salem's legacy is all but gone _(Or is it #Spin-Off).  
_ In Chapter 06 when I first introduced Blake I said she cries at weddings, Yang totally does to.  
YANG PUNS ARE ETERNAL.  
If you don't think Nora will scale people like trees to catch the bouquet at a wedding then you don't know Nora Valkyrie.  
Oobleck can still walk.  
Qrow's stepping into Ozpin's shoes.  
Merc and Em appreciate their privacy considerably more than they appreciate their old bosses checking up on them.  
Lewd Winter FTW.  
Ruby's tattoo….right in the feels.  
"I'm not a fancy dance-y kind of girl" you knew that line had to make an appearance.  
I fully stand by Winter's decision to revoke the students Hunter Licences, it's one thing in wartime but letting students that didn't even finish their first year run around is just dangerous and irresponsible.  
Ruby and Penny becoming Atlesian Freelancers, as mentioned in my one-shot "Our Happy Ever After".  
Blake and Yang will always be perfect together.  
Blake is going to be a Faunus rights activist in the Vale branch of the Coalition.  
Yang getting moved ahead a year and joining Team C_VY so Team CVYY or Team CXVY, despite having a Plasma Cannon Yang is still a close range specialist, she can fit into some of Fox's battlefield roles quite easily.  
You didn't really think I'd let this end with Yang and Ruby on bad terms did you? Surely not.  
Matte Skye is Winter's right hand.  
Gangrel is training to be a Specialist.  
Weiss is going into R&D in the most influential company in Remnant.  
Everyone who has told me you loved Team GRAP and love Weiss and Gangrel together….you guys are great.  
I seriously debated having Yatsuhashi decide to quit the life of a Huntsman, but decided against it.  
The story starts and ends with Velvet, as it should.

I'd like to think Antonio+Beltran, MarianTheLibrarian22 and FleetOfWarships for the reviews on the last chapter.  
I'm done with this story, but not this continuity.  
Plans are already being made my friends.

 **UNTIL NEXT TIME THANK YOU ALL**


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